The Koreas: A Divided Peninsula

1. The Koreas:A Divided Peninsula Chapter 32, Section 3 Garrett Williams Anna Marie Jennings

2. Korean Culture • Origin • The first people in Korea migrated from the northern regions. • Korea has 2,000 years of recorded history. • Location • Korea is a peninsula located between Japan and China. • The peninsula is divided into two different nation, North and South Korea. • Language • The Korean writing system was one of the things the Koreans adapted form the Chinese culture. • The official Korean language is from the Altaic group of languages • Religion • Koreans adopted more than one major religion that formed Korean way of life. • Some of the adopted religions included Daoism and Confucianism, (from China) and Buddhism. • In modern day Korea, Buddhism remains the main religion.

3. The Korean War • Summary: • The Korean War was a civil war between North and South Korea. It lasted from 1950-1953. It began when North Korea launched an attack on South Korea. After 3 years of fighting, and over 4 million causalities, the war resulted in the division of Korea into two separate nations. • Beginning: • The Korean peninsula began fighting after the end of WW II in 1945. • The argument was between the Communist and non-Communists. Both sides received support from outside forces. The Soviet Union assisted northern Korea, while the United States aided southern Korea. • In addition, the United Nations along with 15 other countries gave their support to southern Korea. • The Soviet Union set up a government in North Korea that was Communist. • As a result of this, an election was help in South Korea , and many Koreans escaped to the south in fear of living in a Communist state. This is a map that shows the invasion and counter stroke of the Korean War. The red represents North Korea’s attack, and the blue represents the South’s (along with the UN) counter attack.

4. The Korean War(2) • The War Begins: • North Korea officially started the war in 1950 when they launched an attack of South Korea. The fight went on for three whole years. • The war was an international crisis and many countries joined in to help one side or the other. • The Result: • An agreement was made, in 1953, that would officially separate the nation into two parts, North and South Korea. • The latitude of the border was at 38°N, where it was before the war broke out. • The part of land that separates the two is called a demilitarized zone. This is an area in which military troops or weapons are forbidden. This picture is of soldiers in the Korean War getting ready for battle. The Korean War memorial, in Washington D.C. is a tribute to the soldiers that gave their lives during the years of fighting.

5. Environments The Koreas are very different in many aspects. This chart contrasts North and South Korea.

6. Korea's Changing Economy • South Korea was at an economic disadvantage compared to North Korea because the most successful industries and hydroelectric plants were located in North Korea • North Korea made Communist states its main trading partners, while South Korea became allies with Japan and the United States • South Korea became industrialized as a result of its allies • South Korea built nuclear power plants in order to solve its energy problems, which resulted in an extremely high rate of economic growth • Currently, South Korea exports textiles, clothing, automobiles, and electronic goods, and is considered one of the major industrial powers in the region around the Pacific Ocean

7. Nuclear Proliferation in Korea • Came into force March 5, 1970 • United Nations created this treaty in order to limit the spread of nuclear weapons • Currently, there are 189 states that have signed the treaty, including South Korea • North Korea is a non-party to the treaty: they originally acceded to the treaty, but later violated it, and North Korea withdrew from the treaty in 1993

8. Nuclear Proliferation in Korea(2) • North Korea has openly tested and declared that they possess nuclear weapons • At one point, North Korea agreed to shut down its facilities in return for economic assistance from the United States, however in 2002, North Korea decided to resume development of its nuclear programs. • North Korea is willing to decrease nuclear production if they receive aid from more advanced countries, such as the United States

9. Korea Planning for the Future • Reunification: the unification of something that was previously divided • North Korea and South Korea had discussed reunification at one point, however they were not able to agree on conditions. They still remain divided.

10. Works Cited • "Bandler." Needham Public Schools. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/nhs/cur/wwII/06/p2/TD/bandler.html>. • Center for the Study of the Korean War. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <http://www.koreanwarcenter.com/>. • "CIA - The World Factbook." Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kn.html>. • "CIA - The World Factbook." Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ks.html>. • "Korean Beacon | Tag Archive | Korean War." Korean Beacon | A Window Into Korean-American Life and Culture. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <http://www.koreanbeacon.com/tag/korean-war/>. • "Korean War." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War>. • "Neigh. | Flickr - Photo Sharing!" Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/mithril/3025147496/>. • "Soldiers In The Korean War." QwickStep Answers Search Engine. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <http://qwickstep.com/search/soldiers-in-the-korean-war.html>. • Prentice Hall World Geography: Building a Global Perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice-Hall, 2007. Print