Korean Peninsula Essay

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The Korean Peninsula is where two countries of a single race, which share hundreds of years of history, are still technically at war. Once a unified nation, Korea is now split into two, with The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north and Republic of Korea to the south, at an area called “the 38th parallel” which runs 250 kilometers through the Peninsula. Each country is 2km away from the actual border, making it 4km wide. The 38th parallel, also known as the de-militarized zone or DMZ, is the most heavily militarized border in the world. The Peninsula was never divided by its own people. Two super powers, United States of America and the Soviet Union (what is now Russia) came to a conclusion to separate the area temporarily after World War II. In August 1945, while the war was still waging on, the Soviets invaded and occupied the northern part of Korea. A month later, after the Japanese surrender, America landed and took over the southern half of the peninsula. Both nations agreed to temporarily occupy the country as a trusteeship with the Soviets on the northern side of the 38th parallel and the United States on the southern side. The purpose of this trusteeship was to establish a Korean provisional government which would become "free and independent in due time”. Sadly, as you can see today, one Korea ruled under a single government never came to be, mainly due to the fact that the Soviets did not agree with the United Nations on general free elections. Thus, in the South, through general elections which many believe wasn’t fair or accurate, Syngman Rhee took presidency. In the North, Soviet officials chose Kim il-Sung to become Prime minister. This division of Korea, after more than a millennium of being unified, was seen as unacceptable and temporary by both regimes. From 1948 until the start of the civil war on June 25, 1950, the armed forces of
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