By David Oh
In Korea, from 676 CE until 1953 CE, there was only one nation. However, since 1953, Korea has been separated into two distinct countries: South Korea (Republic of Korea) and North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea). Popular media has well documented the modern-day differences between the two seemingly polar-opposite nations and their ensuing conflict, which currently rests as an armistice. What caused this conflict and division? The world context in which Korea found itself following its liberation from the Imperial Japanese Army - the Cold War - and the ideological warfare fought against Communism assists in understanding the split. During the Second World War, in fear of German victory, two superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States, agreed to an uneasy alliance. When the common goal ended following Germany’s surrender, the thin alliance broke, and the two entered the Cold War, which can be generally characterized as a war regarding ideology - specifically the acceptance of Communism. Korea was caught in the middle of this conflict. In 1945, Korea was divided across the 38th parallel to facilitate the Imperial Japanese Army’s surrender. The upper area of Korea fell under the Soviet Union’s leadership, while the lower area fell under the United States’ leadership. Following Japan’s surrender and the official end of the Second World War, however, the U.S. and Soviet Union could not agree on the union of the two parts of Korea, disagreeing about the governmental system. The Soviet Union supported a Communist regime, while the United States prioritized ensuring that Korea would not become a communist state. The two superpowers both played a pervasive role in manufacturing the political systems of their respective Koreas. In South Korea, Communist parties held great influence, being the best organized and holding popular support. Consequently, the United States, which was heavily concerned with South Korea’s governmental system, encouraged policies in South Korea intending to deter Communist influences. Therefore, unlike in countries like the Philippines, the United States pursued land reforms in South Korea to quell possible revolutions. In addition, the United States recognized that military government intervention would be necessary to strengthen non-communist parties in South Korea. Therefore, the United States aided the non-communist parties politically by establishing political leaders hostile to Communism, even accepting that democracy in South Korea would erode, and gave aid militarily by subduing and undermining communist parties’ authorities by suppressing guerilla revolutions, leaving Communist leaders “dead, imprisoned, or underground.” Meanwhile, in North Korea, the Soviet Union engaged in a political “reign of terror.” The Soviet Union placed Korean Communists in positions of power and consequently made North Korea into a communist nation after reducing opposition. Furthermore, they established Kim Il Sung, a major in the Soviet Army, as a national hero and assisted him in solidifying his political power as a Communist leader. Agreeing to combine the two Koreas, the United Nations adopted United States’ proposal to have a “general election in Korea” observed by the United Nation’s Temporary Commission to form the Korean National Assembly and establish a Korean government. This proposal was rejected by the Soviet Union, which blocked the Temporary Commission from entering North Korea. Consequently, on August 15th, the Republic of Korea was established and recognized by the UN, and on September 9th, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was established and recognized by the Soviet Union. The Korean War began with North Korea attacking South Korea with both an ameliorated army and permission from Joseph Stalin. After a gruesome war, the war ended in an armistice. The separation of Korea was forcefully and externally induced after both Koreas were imposed a governmental system, and the opposing political view was methodically and purposefully subdued. The influence of the forced ideological separation in the two nations is reflected now. South Korea’s greatest ally is the United States, while North Korea’s greatest allies are Russia and China. South Korea is a “unitary multiparty republic with one legislative house,” while North Korea is a “unitary single-party republic with one legislative house.” While one has free elections, the other has a de facto dictator. To understand Korea’s conflict and separation, it is important to understand what caused it: the context of the Cold War.
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