North and South Korea, division and present relationship
The Korean peninsula is divided between two sovereign
states: South Korea or Republic
of Korea and North Korea or
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
These two Koreas have different economies, ideologies
and follow different politics. The relationship between
North and South Korea has never been easy, but it has
recently developed towards a more conciliatory approach.
North and South Korea – history of their division
North Korea was divided from South Korea at the 38th
parallel in 1945, following the end of 
the
Second World War, when Japan surrendered to the Allied
Forces. At the time Japan occupied Korea, which then was
divided into two areas of influence: North Korea under
USSR influence and South Korea under USA influence. Russia
and United States were unable to agree on a joint trusteeship
over Korea, so in 1948 the two Koreas formed two separate
states, each one following an opposite ideology (communist
in the North and capitalist in the South).
Korean Civil War started on the 6th of June 1950, when
the North Korean People’s Army attacked South Korea
in an attempt to reunify the two Koreas under the communist
ideology. The Korean Civil War went on until 27th July
1953 when, under the supervision of the United Nations,
the parties involved signed the Korean War Armistice Agreement.
Since then, the Korean Demilitarised Zone has separated
North and South Korea. Technically, North and South Korea
are still at war, because they only signed an armistice
and not a peace treaty.
North Korea – a brief profile
North Korea, or Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea (DPRK), is an authoritarian state, where only one
political party exists and it is a juche (self reliance)
state. The type of government is a dictatorship and the
only North Korean president ever existed is Kim Il-
Sung,
its founder and Eternal President, who was not replaced
when he died. Now, the effective head of the North Korean
state is Kim Jong-Il, Kim Il-Sung’s son, who is
Chairman of the National Defence Commission. The capital
of North Korea is Pyongyang.
North Korean economy is based on agriculture and, while
North Korea seemed to be doing fine in the 1960s and 70s,
its economy went downhill in the following decades. In
1997 a terrible famine struck North Korea, caused by the
end of Russian economic help, by natural disasters (floods
followed by drought) and by the country’s isolation
and technical backwardness.
North and South Korea – present relationships
Relationships between North and South Korea in the past
used to be very difficult, with a strong anti North Korea
propaganda promoted in the South. In the last ten years
the relationships have been softening and the two Koreas
are seeking reconciliation.
The first step towards dialogue was taken with the North
and South Joint Declaration of 15th June 2000. Then, in
1998, former South Korean president Kim Dae Jung introduced
the so-called ‘Sunshine Policy’. The Sunshine
Policy advocates a peaceful cooperation between North
and South Korea and states that: the South will not tolerate
armed provocation from the North; the South will not attempt
to absorb the North and the South seeks cooperation with
the North. The last point in practice means that, according
to the Sunshine Policy, South Korean companies are allowed
to invest in North Korea. Current South Korean president
Roh Moo-hyun is continuing his predecessor’s policy.
On the 9th October 2006 the Sunshine Policy was in peril,
due to North Korean missile tests and South Korea suspended
its humanitarian aids to North Korea since then. However,
some projects are still going on like Mount Gumgang Tourist
Region or Kaesong Industrial Region.
