North vs South Korea
One of the best books where you will learn more about the differences between North and South Korea is authored by Don Oberdorfer, in his work ‘The Two Koreas’. In it, he said that Koreans are on either side of the dividing line: “Brothers and sisters and cousins from the same heritage’¦ bitter enemies who have been waging fierce struggles against one another for half a century’.
This just goes to show how interesting it is to learn about the differences between these two seemingly different, yet essentially the same, countries. The division came during World War II, when Korea was occupied by the Japanese. The result of the war was North Korea, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which has Pyongyang as its capital ‘“ and South Korea, which is the Republic of Korea, with Seoul as its capital.
The war saw the formation of a communist government which took control of North Korea, while South Korea became a more democratic country. Despite the fact that South Korea experienced difficulties as a nation, the 1986 international games held in the country, as well as the Summer Olympics in 1988, has brought back national pride, making the citizens in this region fare far better than their Northern counterparts.
Life in North Korea is one which involves starvation and poverty. Although a lot of people manage to escape by making their way from China into South Korea, many are still trapped under the communist government. Today, South Korea has emerged as a thriving nation, while North Korea is suffering from mass starvation and economic problems. The people in North Korea have been set to understand that Kim Il Sung is a godlike figure, and many North Koreans are treated differently by South Koreans. North Korea’s refusal to join the international community as a show of support to religious freedom is something that is yet to happen ‘“ thus the wide divide between the two countries.
Summary:
1. North Korea has Pyongyang as is capital, while South Korea has Seoul as its capital.
2. North Korea is a country which experiences economic problems and mass starvation, while South Korea is a country whose citizens are happy, and its economy is slowly but surely thriving.
3. North Korea is led by the supreme leader Kim Jong-Il, while South Korea has a democratic, semi-presidential republic, led by the president and a prime minister.