Awhile back, former President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un had a contentious and tense period where threats were thrown back and forth because North Korea was developing dangerous nuclear weapons. North Korea trying to develop a nuclear program may be alarming. The reasons for why it may not be a surprise can be supported by examining history itself.
The Korean peninsula is divided on the infamous 38th parallel that separates North Korea from South Korea. Kim Il-Sung was leader of the North while Syngman Rhee was leader of the South. The border on the 38th parallel was meant to be a temporary division that the Soviet Union and USA agreed upon to slowly get rid of Japan’s presence. This division was never meant to be what it has become today –– that is a strong divide between North and South Korea and deepening the broken relationship. On June 1950, the North was advised by the Soviet Union to attach the South, and by doing so alarmed the USA and the United Nations (Millet 2021). Troops were sent to aid South Korean’s military pushing the North Korean army back to the 38th parallel, and eventually capturing Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital in 1951 (Millet 2021). Just as the USA and UN troops were about to succeed, the Republic of China military aided the North Korean army and pushed USA and UN troops back to the 38th parallel. There were negotiations on both sides, but the negotiations did not provide any relief to the contentious relationship between the North and the South. Therefore, the 38th parallel remain as a physical border between North Korea and South Korea and this is known as the DMZ (demilitarized zone).
The devastating part of the Korean war was the mass casualties that resulted on both sides that included 36,500 American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of soldiers from North, South Korea, and other forces (Recchiuti 2021). More than half a century later, the relationship between the North and the South continues to be tense and fierce with no signs that peace talks will mend the relationship. Most wars have some resolution whether that be peace agreements or an obvious victory. The Korean war, on the other hand, never ended. There was a stalemate between the North and the South, and the frightening thought is that the war could possibly continue if North Korea launches a surprise attack like it did on June 1950.
More than half a century later, North and South Koreans traditions and cultures diverged from when they were once a collective entity. There are still similarities between the two countries, but certain words and traditions have change because there was no mingling of two cultures for a long period of time. For an example, the word ice cream in South Korean is 아이스크림 while North Koreans refer to it as 얼음과자. Even though the language is slightly different, both countries speak Korean. Unifying North and South Korea seems unlikely, but it is hopeful that without unification, there can be lasting peace between the two countries.
Millett, Allan R.. "Korean War". Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Jun. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/event/Korean-War. Accessed 3 October 2021.
Recchiuti, J.L., “The Korean War”. Khan Academy, 2021, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/postwarera/1950s-america/a/the-korean-war.
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