One Nation, Two States
38th Parallel Split, Post World War II
At the Potsdam Conference in July, 1945, the line was drawn by U.S. military planners, without respect to culture or geography. The USSR was to control the north and the UN took control of the south. This "temporary" division established a U.S. controlled democratic government in South Korea under Syngman Rhee, whereas Kim Il Sung lead a communist regime in the North.
A Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
"A North Korean soldier lifts his binoculars, watching us watching him. He is a matter of meters away from the border between North and South Korea in the DMZ, or Demilitarized Zone-- ironically named as it is considered one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world. The border itself here is inauspicious: A slim concrete ridge raised just a few inches from the ground-- as simple slab divides one people into two diametrically opposed countries." |
North Korea's Liberation
"North Korea was seething with the joy of liberation. President Kim Il Sung returned triumphantly home to an enthusiastic welcome from the people. He advanced three major tasks for the building of a party, state and armed forces in the liberated country and specific ways and means to realize them." |
Political System in Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North)
Political System"It is fundamental revolutionary task for the Government of the Republic to achieve the complete victory of socialism in the northern half of Korea by strengthening the people's power and vigorously performing the three revolutions the ideological, technological and cultural and to reunify the country on the principle of independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity." |
Songun Politics"Songun Politics is rooted in the military-priority ideology that embodies the Juche idea. President Kim Il Sung was a founder of Songun Ideology and an outstanding leader of the Songun revolution. President Kim Il Sung put forward the line of armed struggle as the principal line of anti-Japanese national liberation struggle in the historic Kalun meeting held in June Juche 19 (1930). For almost 70 years starting from the mid-1920's when he embarked on the road of revolution with a high ambition for national liberation, he held fast to the line of giving priority to arms and the military and carried out the military-priority principle through." |
Free Elections in Republic of Korea (South)
"The UN passed a resolution on November 14, 1947, declaring that free elections be held, after which US and Soviet troops must be withdrawn, and a UN commission for Korea created. The Soviet Union boycotted the voting. In April 1948, a conference of organizations from the north and the south met in Pyongyang. Syngman Rhee, won the popular electing in the midst of a tumultuous political environment. In August 1948, the United States supervised a democratic election south of the 38th parallel in compliance with the United Nations mandate for a free and open election in South Korea." |
Souring Relationship
After the separation, North and South Korea did not stop aggravating each other. One method that North Korea used was to deploy spies in South Korea.
"When I was growing up, North Korea was sending lots of spies and stuff, and I remember the spies ... one of the thing I remember is that they go to mountains ... and they would spread pamphlets talking about how good North Korea is. Just hearing about those spies, if I see people who are different or something, I automatic think that “Oh, they’re spies from North Korea.”
- Su-Nam Kim Larsen
Two States, One Culture
Although they were separated at the end of World War II, Koreans still share much of the same culture across the divide between the North and South.
An excerpt of a Korean folk song still played in both North and South Korea today.
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"In August Juche 35 (1946), the Communist Party merged with the New Democratic Party to form the Workers' Party of North Korea and in June Juche 38 (1949), the Workers' Parties of North and South Korea merged to develop into the Workers' Party of Korea. Now that they had the WPK, the entire Korean people came to have a guiding force which would step up considerably the struggle to build a new nation." |