The Divided Peninsula: Last Vestige of the Cold War

Paper Summary:

This essay compares the institutions, public policies, economies and standards of living in North and South Korea. The author also gives an historical analysis of the peninsula's modern condition, including its relationship with China, Japan, the Soviet Union and the United States. In a larger sense, the essay addresses the argument between capitalism vs. communism, with North and South Korea providing an ideal case study unlike any other two modern states.

From the Paper:

"The end of World War II brought a long-awaited, yet all-too brief calm upon the Korean peninsula. While Korean citizens celebrated the end of Japanese colonial exploitation, a feeling of uncertainty abounded concerning the arming of the 38th Parallel, which divided the people based on ideologies many Korean citizens did not understand. For the arbitrary division was not based upon political beliefs of most of the Korean people themselves, who were mostly poor, peasant farmers. Rather, the 38th Parallel was the result of a compromise between the two new world superpowers, which emerged after World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union. To this day, the Korean peninsula stands as the last of the countries divided after the war, and as a remnant of the Cold War. For that reason, North and South Korea provide us with a very unique case study: the socialist-authoritarian government of the north and the free-market constitutional democracy of the south."

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