A Brief History How One Korea Became Two
Many know about the World War I and World War II, not to mention Vietnam War in 1954, but how much do people really know about the Korean War which took a span of total three years? The Korean War has taken more lives than any of the wars mentioned above, and yet, the world knows so little of it.
Hopes for reunification of the two Koreas at the Dora Observatory, Paju City, South Korea
As Japan surrendered in 1945, the U.S. and Soviet troops stormed to Korea to station themselves for the world of ‘peace’. The Soviets coming from the North, stationed themselves from Yalu river down to the 38th parallel, while the U.S. positioned itself from 38th parallel down to the very South. However, this wasn’t the long sought end to the occupation and cruelty, as in 1950, on the 25th of June, North Korea marched to the South igniting a three-year long war between the countries that used to be one. Although the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed on 27th of July, 1953 and the war was stopped, up until today many people feel at loss, as families were divided with no way of seeing each other again.
Did the people of Korean Peninsula wanted to divide? Or was the Korean Peninsula caught between the two competing superpowers: United States and the Soviet Union? It was seemingly one united country, ruled by a number of dynastic kingdoms, up until it got occupied by Japan in 1910. However, after the Japanese occupation, the Soviet Union and the United States made their own decision to divide Kore into two, without giving Korea a chance to speak. Seemingly, the Korean War was a manifestation of Cold War between two world superpowers that emerged after World War II (USA and the Soviet Union). It was also a first “proxy war” between super powers in a third-party country with lasting consequences that divided peninsula for many years to come.
Thus, after the division, the Soviet Army set up a communist regime in the area north of the 38th parallel, while the U.S. supported anti-communist regime in the south of 38th parallel. Thus, most middle-class Koreans fled south during the war, where the majority of the Korean population resides today.
“Fact: Although the Korean War did not get much media attention in the U.S. or anywhere else in the world. However, a TV series “M*A*S*H” was aired between 1972-1983, which spoke about the cruelty of Korean War. Surprisingly or not, its final episode was the most watched in television history! ”
Although primarily it was believed that the two countries will leave Korea alone and let the Koreans figure it out, however, the Cold War intervened, and neither the Soviet Union nor the U.S. wanted to give in to the other. Further, in 1948, the United States let Koreans to determine their future, with placing Syngman Rhee (1875-1965) in a Korean formed government in Seoul. While Syngman Rhee showed strong anti-communist beliefs, the Soviet Union has placed strong communist beliefs supporter Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) as the first premier of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Pyongyang. While neither of the dictators were content with having only half of Korea, the tensions between the borders continued and as much as 10,000 soldiers from both sides combined were killed before the Korean War even begun.
As tensions increased, in 1950 the Korean War emerged lasting over three years, and killing between 3-5 million people, including civilians. While this was the war between the Koreas, the U.S. has stepped in to protect South Korea, as it was feared that the communist regime might spread further in the world, if the North Korea with the help of Soviet Army occupies South Korea and imposes its communist regime.
Although the Korean War had a huge impact on both Koreas, the issue of reunification remained unchanged, as each party believe they are using the ‘true’ regime to represent Korea. Even though, the Korean war brought a number of deaths and the Korean peninsula stayed divided as it was, with a clear-cut division zone being the 38th parallel, also known as a demilitarized zone (DMZ), which, contrary to its name, is one of the most guarded borders in the world.
Unlike any other division, the 2-mile-wide DMZ remains sealed with little to no movement between the borders. So much so, that the holders of South Korean passport are not allowed on tourist trips to the DMZ, nor there are any flights between Seoul and Pyongyang.
Statue of split families at Dora Observatory, Paju, South Korea
The division and different governments have made the North and the South Korea completely different. While South Korea continues developing a strong economy and positive international presence, the North Korea remains to be closed to the whole world, ruled by one family for three generations and remains economically underdeveloped. Further, the country puts most of its finance into nuclear weapon development programs, which further creates tensions between the two Koreas.
Recently, the hopes of unification emerge again, as South Korea welcomed North Korean athletes to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, making it a huge step of trust from both parties. The two leaders have also met in 2018 inter-Korean summit at the Joint Security Area (JSA) hoping to improve the relationship between the two countries.
However, the inter-Korean conflict remains intact, but the hopes of unification lie in the hearts of Koreans, unable to see their families again, until the day of unification.
Author: Raimonda Kekyte