Recently, a Korean drama called “사랑의 불시착（Crush landing on you）” just ended. It was very popular, and I also watched some episodes with my language partner. The set of this drama was very interesting because it was set in North Korea, which was very different from other classic Korean dramas. This drama is about the love story between a wealthy woman who comes from South Korea and a soldier who comes from North Korea. This wealthy woman came to North Korea because she suffered from a hurricane, and her paraglider was blown into North Korean territory. She was found by a North Korean soldier, and this soldier protected her while she was in North Korea. She stayed in a village near the border. When she saw the village for the first time, the backwardness of the village shook both her and me. Also, later in the series, those north Korean soldiers who knew her and went to South Korea with her were all shocked by the prospect of a developed South Korea. The rapid development of South Korean society is something they have never experienced in their own country. This also made me think of the reason why North Korea is so different from South Korea. Therefore, I did some research on the difference and relationship between North Korean and South Korean.
The first thing made me interested and also the most obvious was the difference between language. Actually, South Korean language and North Korean language are essentially the same, but with subtle differences. So people can easily distinguish these two lanuages from two perspectives . Firstly, from the perspective of 음성(intonation), South Korean has a higher and softer tone, while North Korean is lower and harder. Secondly, from the perspective of 어휘(vocabulary), North Korean are much more “domestic” than South Korean. South Korean has a richer and more dynamic vocabulary because of the degree of social development. South Korean accept more loanwords. Foreign words like "와 이 프 (wife), 나 이 프 (knife)", which has the similar pronunciations as English, in South Korean language never appear in North Korean language. North Korean generally just said "안 해 (wife), 칼 (knife)".
Due to the differences in political and economic systems, the two countries also have great differences in the current culture. North Korea is relatively closed culturally because of its relatively closed political system. People's vision is limited and mind is not open. With little economic development, there is a relative lack of culture. But North Korea still values education even in tough economic times, and many of its children are versatile. South Korea is different. South Korea's economy is developing well, and people have a broad vision and an open mind. In particular, the development of literature and art in South Korea is remarkable. This is evident in industries such as film and television in South Korea. Such differences also have led to many 탈북자（North Korean defectors）.
As I mentioned in my bi-weekly journal, my final cultural presentation will have the same topic. I will include more details and comparison in my final presentation.
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