North vs South

There’s never been a  more presently obvious distinction between two neighboring countries than North Korea and South Korea. Nearly everything in North Korea differs drastically from its southern counterpart, from the country’s economics and government, to its body’s peace of mind, happiness, and freedom of prosperity.

Korean Climax 

The split occurred back in 1945 at the height of World War Two. In the last days of the war,  when it became clear Japan would surrender to the Allied powers, the question of what would happen to Korea became louder than ever. After decades of occupying the Korean peninsula, Japan retreated. The United States and Soviet Union agreed to divide Korea at the 38th parallel in August 1945, with the US taking the southern part and the Soviet Union the northern part.

The plan was to hand back control to the Koreans and withdraw, and attempts were made in order to urge the countries to reunite. However, the separation had grown too wide and the ideologies too contradictory to make peace and reside as one.

Public Perception 

The stark contrasts have been made more prominent since then and any signs of a reunification have all but vanished. 

Perhaps the most notable difference between the two countries is worldview. North Korea’s government restricts any information of countries allowed to be digested, not named North Korea. The public’s perception of the world around them is microscopic in comparison to any other country, and anyone caught with media not provided by the North Korean government will be prosecuted. This is why tourists are thoroughly checked before arriving and not allowed to explore any part of the country on their own. North Korea teaches kids that everywhere else on Earth is bad or below them, attempting to ensure that the citizens are never tempted to leave. In the North, only members of public and educational services are allowed to surf the world wide web – and then only under strict controls. For the citizens, they are only allowed one form of internet called Kwangmyong. It’s not connected to the rest of the world and was primarily built to browse fan pages of the leading Kim dynasty, North Korea’s ruling party.

Origin Of Ideals

When the split occurred in 1945, the Soviet Union maintained control over North Korea and The United States the South. Naturally the North adopted the communistic belief that the people were to be given low assets and never allowed to achieve anything higher than that, with the goal to mass produce whilst eliminating social classes. On the other hand, South Korea adopted the American ideal of Capitalism, in which each citizen is given free reign over their lives and what aspirations they desire to pursue, whilst being able to develop social bonds with whomever they choose. After three years, the Soviet Union and The United States decided to give control back to North Korea in hopes they would reunite, however that never occurred based on the aforementioned stark opposition in ideals which allowed rise to one of the most hostile and heavily militarized borders in the world.

Happiness 

As people in North Korea aren’t born with financial opportunities, nor are they given decent education, most young adults aren’t even able to afford a car, leaving the roads barren and dystopian. Opposingly, South Korea is home to large advanced, bustling cities with high population density such as Seoul, Busan and Daegu. Also residing within South Korea is a plethora of tourist attractions such as Changdeokgung Palace, Seoraksan National Park, and Lotte World, an asian amusement park rivaling Six Flags.

It’s clear that the origin of a country will influence the makeup of what that country will become. There’s been no greater example than the Koreas, which makes it all the more evident of that fact. 

American Parallels:

For a long time, it seems that America has been divided: politically, socially, and even economically. Many people are born in bad situations and unable to grow from the unfortunate hand they are dealt. There’s been much political turmoil over the past few years, culminating to a point in which citizens feared for another Civil War. Many countries are able to thrive harmoniously despite political beliefs; however, it seems America has gotten wrapped up in their own ideals to appreciate the common grounds we can all share. When America first gained independence, every American felt a sense of brotherhood and freedom. Nowadays, it’s hard to coexist peacefully with someone who will reject you with different beliefs. If we don’t learn to coexist with each other for who they are rather than their beliefs, maybe the country we all love will be divided just like the Koreas.