North and South Korea

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Location



South and

east of

China,

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Physical Geography



North and South Korea sit

on the Korean peninsula



In area, the peninsula is

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North and South

 Though small, the peninsula is divided into two

countries: North Korea and South Korea.

 North Korea is a Communist country while South

Korea has a non-Communist government.

 _{Despite their political differences, the people of the}

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A Common History

 The first people who lived on the Korean Peninsula

came from northwest Asia.

 Koreans adopted many aspects of Chinese culture,

including:

 Writing

 Religion (Buddhism, Daoism, & Confucianism)

 _{Buddhism is the most popular religion in}

Korea today, though in the North, the Communist government discourages religious

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Different Environments

 _{North Korea has about 23 million}

people and is less densely populated than the South.

 _{The land is mountainous and rugged.}

 _{Its fast-flowing mountain rivers have}

been harnessed to create hydroelectric power.

 _{North Korea also has some of the}

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Different Environments



South Korea has over 47 million people and is

one of the most densely populated countries

in the world (half the size of MN!)



_{South Korea mainly has}

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The Korean War

 After WWII, the Korean Peninsula became caught

up in the Cold War struggle between Communists and non-Communists.

 _{The Soviet Union controlled North Korea and set up}

a Communist government there.

 _{The United States controlled}

South Korea and set up a democratic government. After

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The Korean War

 Fearing life in a Communist country, more than 2

million North Koreans fled to the south.

 In 1950, the North Koreans launched a surprise

attack on South Korea.

 _{They wanted to unite the country under the rule of a}

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The Korean War

 United Nations countries, including the U.S., came

to the aid of South Korea.

 For 3 years the army of North Korea, helped by

China, and the army of South Korea, helped by the U.N., fought back and forth across the peninsula.

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The

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The Korean War

 In 1953, a cease-fire agreement ended the fighting

and divided North and South Korea near 38º N latitude.

 _{The countries were separated by a}demilitarized

zone (DMZ) – a strip of land on which troops or

weapons are not allowed.

 More troops are massed at this demilitarized zone

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North Korea Today

 _{Despite the fact it has greater natural}

resources than South Korea, North Korea lags far behind in its standard of living.

 _{Led by its Communist leader, Kim Jong Il,}

North Korea has the 4th largest army in the world and claims to have developed nuclear weapons.

 _{Its people, however, live in poverty and}

starvation as North Korea keeps itself closed to the

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South Korea Today



Today, South Korea has one of the strongest

economies in the world.



It is a major exporter of textiles, clothing,

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The Division of the Koreas

 Geography

 “The shrimp between the

whales”.

 _{About the size of}

Indiana.

 _{Population of 48 million.}  Highly homogenous

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The Division of the Koreas

 Religiously divided between Christianity (49%) and Buddhism (47%).

 75% urban with 27% of the population living in Seoul (13 million).

 _{5 million Koreans live oversea:}

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The Division of the Koreas

 South Korean flag

 Center: Yin-yang symbol.

 Four elements in the corners (air, water, fire and earth).

 Historical perspective

 The history “the calm morning country” is highly turbulent.

 Presence of Korean culture and kingdoms by 1,000 BC.

 Very important Chinese influence:

 Cultural bridge between China and Japan.

 Chinese vassal from the 13th century.

 Developed its own writing system:

 Hangeul invented in the 15th century.

 Replace a system borrowed from Chinese characters.

 Japanese and Manchu invasions in the 16th_{and 17}th_centuries.

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The Division of the Koreas

Event Consequences

Japanese occupation (1868-1945)

Invaded by Japan (1868). Formally annexed (1910). Attempts at complete cultural and political annexation. Supply food and raw materials.

Soviet and American Invasion (1945)

Soviet Union declared war on Japan (8 days before the end of the war). Invaded Korea from the north. American forces occupied the south a month later.

Occupation zones (1945-46)

USSR and USA agreed to divide the country along the 38th parallel. Military administration for a period of 5 years until elections could be held.

Partition of Korea (1948)

People’s Democratic Republic of Korea north of the 38th parallel. The

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The Division of the Koreas

 The Korean War (1950-1953)

 Antagonism of the two new nations:

 Supported by China and the USSR.

 _{Invasion of South Korea by North Korea (1950).}

 United Nations intervention:

 _{Multinational force intervened and repelled the invasion (1951).}

 Military intervention of China (1952).

 An armistice was signed (1953):

 _{Both countries are still technically at war.}  4 million civilian perished.

 _{Millions of refugees trapped in the division of Korea.}

 The demilitarized zone of the 38th_parallel:  _{240 km in length and 4 km in width.}  _{Current border between the Koreas.}

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The Division of the Koreas



The consequences of the Korean war

 _{Social and economic divisions:}

 Smaller market.

 Break of economic and social (family) links.

 Destruction of regional complementarity.

 _{South Korea losses:}

 Hydroelectric potential.

 Natural resources.

 Heavy industries located in the north.

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The Industrialization of South

Korea

 Heavy industries (1973-79)

 Became the foundation of the Korean industrial development.

 Spin off effects with steel, shipbuilding and machinery.

 Korea specialized in shipbuilding:

 Largest shipbuilder in the world (40%).  Japan (32%).

 Chemicals and petrochemicals:

 Reinforced industrialization.

 Highly dependent on imports of raw materials and transfers of

technology.

 The steel Korean industry became highly competitive:

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The Industrialization of South

Korea

 Financial issues (1997)

 Banks:

 Tool of industrial policy.

 Politically oriented loans.

 _{Forced to loan money to specific industrial sectors at low rates.}

 Borrowing foreign capital, since the Won (Korean currency) was high.

 Government / chaebols relationships:

 Corporations were expecting the government to bail them.

 Massively borrow money and invest without much attention.

 Misallocation of capital.

 Financial crisis of 1997-98:

 Underlined corruption between the government and the industry.

 The Won lost half of its value, multiplying the Korean foreign debt.

 _{Female labor force handling fluctuations: (From 48% of labor force in}

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The Industrialization of South

Korea

 Restructuration (1997-)

 Shift of attention from the east (Japan and USA) to the west (China).

 50% of Korea’s FDIs went to China (2003).

 High speed train network:

 _Seoul–_{Pusan in 2 hours 30 minutes.}

 The second in Asia.

 The reunification of the Koreas

 “Sunshine Policy”.

 Summit between North and South Korea first held (2000).

 Acute economic differences between North and South Korea.

 Excessively unlikely unless North Korea collapses.

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