The division of the Korean peninsula has caused the existence of two countries with very different realities


The Democratic People's Republic of Korea seems like a strange country isolated from the rest of the world, but why? Let's take a look at the most recent history of the region to understand how North Korea came to be the country we know today.

The Separation Of Korea (1945-1950)

At the end of World War II in 1945, the Korean peninsula was liberated from Japanese occupation. The north came under the communist influence of the Soviet Union (USSR), while the south was dominated by the United States.

For years, attempts were made to unify the two regions to form a single country, but the tension between the USSR and the United States during the Cold War made this impossible.

In 1948, the Republic of Korea was created in the south and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the north. The border between the two Koreas was established at Parallel 38, which divided the peninsula in half.

At that time, the Kim family began to rule in the north, with Kim Il-sung as the supreme leader.


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The Korean War (1950-1953)

North Korea wanted to gain control of the entire peninsula and free the south from US rule. In 1950, North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel border to invade South Korea, sparking the Korean War.

The United States sent its troops to fight North Korea. Finally, they managed to drive the Pyongyang army back to the 38th Parallel, where the border was re-marked with a fortified line.


Postwar and Isolation (1953-1994)

The two Koreas signed an armistice, which means that they gave up fighting but did not stop being at war.

The costs of the conflict were very high: in addition to the victims, many families were forcibly separated and an atmosphere of permanent tension was created.

After the war, South Korea began to grow and modernize thanks to the capitalist influence of the United States. However, North Korea was left economically stagnant. Kim Il-sung decided to close the country's borders and isolate itself from the rest of the world so that its inhabitants could not be compared to South Korea.

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