KOREA A DIVIDED PENINSULA

THE KOREAS

KOREA 1.L ocated between China & Japan 2.Though small…two nations a.Totalitarian, Communist North b.Democratic, Free Market South 3.Part of the Cold-War a.Indirect fighting between communism and freedom 4.Both countries share a common culture

A COMMON CULTURE 1.Frequently invaded by Japan, China & Mongolia 2.Adapted much Chinese culture into their own 3.Chinese writing system 4.Chinese religions a.Daoism: One with nature b.Buddhism: Spiritual Enlightenment c.Confucianism: Respect of elders

1.At the end of WW-II: a.The Soviet Union had a mandate for the North Set up a communist government b.U.S. had a mandate for the South Held elections…people voted for democracy Mandate: Country is controlled by another country until they are ready to govern themselves c.2 Million Koreans ran to the South THE KOREAN WAR

2.In 1950, the Communist North launched a sneak attack on the South 3.The U. N. came to the aid of South Korea while China helped the North 4.War lasted 3 years 5.4,000,000 people were killed

THE KOREAN WAR 6.Cease-Fire was declared in Agreed on a division at 38 0 N. latitude (same as before) 8.Set up a Demilitarized- Zone a.Demilitarized-Zone: A strip of land where no troops or weapons are allowed

DIFFERENCES NORTH KOREA 1.23 Million people 2.Pyongyang (capital) 3.Cool summers & cold winters 4.Mountainous 5.Rich in resources a. Coal b. Copper c. Iron d. zinc SOUTH KOREA 1.48 Million People 2.Mild climate due to the nearby seas 3.Less mountains 4.Good farmlands 5.Few natural resources

Changing Economy 1.At the time of the division (North/South) a.The South was poorer than the North b.South was mainly agricultural c.North had all the Industrial power

2.North Korea aligned with U.S.S.R. 3.South aligned with the U.S. 4.North Korea organized a “planned-economy” under Communism 5.South Korea industrialized with help from the U.S. a.Free-Market Economy Changing Economy

6.Central-Planning: The Communist government decides the who/what/when of factory production 7.Free Market-Economy: Consumers decide what they want to buy and manufacturers make/sell what consumers want Changing Economy

8.With a “Planned-Economy” the North has fallen farther & farther behind the rest of the world a.Severe flooding during the 1990s, has left many North Koreans starving b.Government blocked the border and is letting part of their population die Changing Economy

9. TODAY IN KOREA a.Kim Jong II (DICTATOR) came to power after his dad died 1994 b.Bought nuclear technology from other countries and began building atomic bombs c.Agreed to stop making atomic bombs in the late 90s d.But in 2002, started making atomic bombs again

Reach For A Star Production John P. Luke