2 Koreas?? o.O

North Korea / South Korea



Huh?? What you mean with South And North? , yup it is divided in 2, many people think in Korea and doesn’t even know it’s divided in North and South…. A perfect example is when in the news there’s a Headline like “Korea has nuclear weapons” only if you read/watch the full story you realize is North Korea they are talking about (most of the times), I don’t really recall watching or reading “good” news about Korea (either South or North). I know the stories about Weapons, Wars, etc sell more but that’s why so many people don’t have any idea of why is such a great country with an amazing (at least for me) culture.

Every time I say something about Korea there’s someone asking me why I like Korea so much …as if it was bad for someone to like another culture, but when someone loves France/London/ETC why they are not asked “why do you love France so much” is as if they think that Korea is nothing but noodles and crazy TV shows….

So for all of you who are always asking Why I like Korea so much here are some of the reasons

1.- I fall inlove with the language after watching a tv Show (My name is Kim Sam Soon), they are as loud as I am! :D 

2.- It’s such a cool City, like Mexico I think you can find some very traditional neighborhoods and around the corner find the Most awesome building ever! Lol

3.- I just like it…. End of the conversation!!! Haha jk ;)

Ok!!! So let’s get to the point of this post…. Let me give you a little information about Korea’s history.

KOREA 

Although Korea has a long history of unity and success, their present situation is horrible. Split into two countries following World War II, North Korea inherited a communistic form of government from the USSR, while South Korea became a democracy. While North Korea has lived in both a physical and religious drought, South Korea has found prosperity at home and abroad, as they grow in success, and spread the gospel around the world.

Korea is located in the Korean Peninsula and is extended trough 1.000Km from North to South. The Korean Peninsula is at the northeast of the Asian continent when Korean waters unify with the Occidental side of the Pacific Ocean.

Koreans Speak and write in the same language (Hangeul) and this has been a decisive factor leading to a strong national identity, there are also several dialects  besides the standard spoken in Seoul and even thou they are “different” all dialects (except for the one spoken in Jeju-do) are understandable among them.   

The Republic of Korea

South Korea came out of the war as a free nation, but they had little else to show for it. The war had completely disrupted the country and left an uneasy government. Syng-man Rhee was elected President three times, but general unrest and the April 19 Student Revolution of 1960 led to his resignation. The following years brought to power several other presidents and political groups, who worked to bring prosperity to Korea. Economic programs were implanted which thrust South Korea in line with industrially developed countries. However, things were not easy and despite the growth, assassinations, martial law and civil unrest have marked the nation's history since the 60's. When South Korea hosted

the Asian games in 1986, and the Summer Olympics in 1988, they advanced their international status, and the Korean people's national pride grew.

South Korea is a leading science and technology nation. It has an advanced and modern infrastructure and is a world leader in information technology such as electronics, semiconductors, LCD displays, computers and mobile phones. It is also a big steel-maker, shipbuilderand oil refiner and one of the world's top five automobile producers.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea

North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK), a state located in East Asia, in the northern half of the Korean Peninsula, with its capital and largest city being the city of Pyongyang.

North Korea is a one party state.The country's government styles itself as following the Juche ideology of self reliance, developed by Kim Il-sung, the country's former leader. The current leader is Kim Jong-il, the late president Kim Il-sung's son. Relations are strongest with other officially socialist states: Vietnam, Laos, especially China and Russia, as well as with Cambodia and Myanmar. Following a major famine in the early 1990s, due partly to the collapse of the Soviet Union (previously a major economic partner), leader Kim Jong-il instigated the "Military-First" policy in 1995, increasing economic concentration and support for the military.

Since the Korean War, it has been illegal to be a Christian in North Korea. At one time Pyongyang was the "Jerusalem of the East," and there were an estimated 300,000 believers in 1953. In 2001, only 1.7% of the population were Christians, most of these living in either labor camps, or in hiding. In place of the God of the Bible, Kim Jong Il has deified his father, with policies leading to the worship of Kim Il Sung. And so, while Christianity is suppressed, North Koreans are encouraged to idolize their former leader in a bizarre mixture of ancestor worship and a Maoist type personality cult.

Present Day Experiences

While South Korea is doing better and better, North Koreans are starving. Many people find ways to escape into China, and from there to places such as Cambodia and Thailand, and from there, they make their way to South Korea, where the government helps them. In conclusion, over the years North and South Korea have developed separately from each other. 

Special thanks to Wikipedia and a book I got from the Korea Embassy in Mexico City!

-Gisela V.

PS. If any of this information is wrong please let me know I wouldn't like to offend anyone :$