Korea: A Time of Unhealing National Division

Paper Summary:

In this paper the author examines the changes that have occurred in Korea over the past fifty years. In his paper, the author starts with the history of Korea and the circumstances behind the divide into North and South. The author looks at both Koreas and what happened to them during the Second World War. He examines the economic and political aftermaths of the war and provides an overview of the political and economic situation today. The author details the conflicts that arose between North and South Korea; in particular he notes military efforts by North Korea over the years to infiltrate the South. The paper does point out that few societies have changed as rapidly, however, as South Korea's, in the past fifty years. He highlights how a nation of mostly poor peasants under the control of Japan has evolved into a dynamic industrial society. The paper concludes with a look at the difficult task of uniting both Koreas, which the author believes is near impossible unless there is a power struggle in the North, which would eliminate the current dictatorship

From the Paper:

"So, what was the aftermath of the Korean War? "The ideological significance of the Korean War was never in doubt; it was essentially a Cold War eruption fuelled by an American intervention designed to prevent a popular revolution." This from an author who seems to have pro-North sympathies. Yes, it was a Cold War eruption, and yes, it was to keep an American ally, Syngman Rhee, in power. As briefly mentioned above, Rhee was able to use the War as a means of tightening his control over south Korea. In fact, by 1956, he was able to force the Korean legislature to reverse the two-term Presidential limit, so he could continue in power. Rhee controlled the press, fomented violence against dissenters with youth gangs, and, under the umbrella of being "needed" by the Western powers in their fight in the Cold War."

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