Embedded Files
Learning Checklist
Learning Checklist
Focus 1: Post World War II developments in Korea
Internal context: Post-war occupation of Korea: Partition of Korea
Formation of two Koreas: North Korea (Kim Il Sung), South Korea (Syngman Rhee) Warsaw Pact
Partition of Korea
Border Clashes
Focus 2: Emergence of Communist China
Expansion of a communist bloc
Sino-Soviet Alliance
Focus 3: Outbreak of Korean War
Soviet Support for North Korea’s invasion of South Korea
Initial withdrawal Soviet troops from Korea
Change of mind after successful detonation of atomic bomb and China becoming communist
Potential of Korea as platform in Asia to spread communism – part of Soviet’s plan
Supported North Korea with military and economic resources
Entry of USA in support for South Korea
Initial withdrawal Soviet troops from Korea
Change of mind after Soviet’s decision to support North Korea
Containment of spread of communism in Asia – Domino Effect
Entry of United Nations (UN)
Involvement of UN in the Korean War with MacArthur as the Commander-in-Chief for the UN troops
Entry of China to support North Korea
Support for the communist bloc
Threat by UN troops at Yalu river
Focus 4: The Korean Armistice Agreement and the immediate aftermath
Demilitarised Zone (DMZ)
Impact on US policy in Asia,
Escalation of tension between NATO and Warsaw Pact
What happened to Korea before the division?
What happened to Korea before the division?
Before the division
Before the division
For centuries before the division, the peninsula was a single, unified Korea, ruled by generations of dynastic kingdoms. Occupied by Japan after the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 and formally annexed five years later, Korea chafed under Japanese colonial rule for 35 years—until the end of World War II, when its division into two nations began.
In August 1945, the two allies (Soviet Union and America) divided control over the Korean Peninsula. Over the next three years (1945-48), the Soviet Army and its proxies set up a communist regime in the area north of latitude 38˚ N, or the 38th parallel. South of that line, a military government was formed, supported directly by the United States.
At the outset of the 20th century, Japan, China and Russia vied for control over the Korean Peninsula. Japan emerged the victor, occupying the peninsula in 1905, at the conclusion of the Russo-Japanese War and formally annexing it five years later.
How is Korea divided?
How is Korea divided?
North Korea
North Korea
North Korea is a highly secretive communist state that remains isolated from much of the rest of the world. In recent years, leader Kim Jong Un and his aggressive nuclear program have posed a growing threat to international stability.
South Korea
South Korea
After Japan’s defeat in 1945, the United States and the Soviet Union divided the peninsula into two zones of influence. By August 1948, the pro-U.S. Republic of Korea (or South Korea) was established in Seoul, led by the strongly anti-communist Syngman Rhee.
Leaders of Divided Korea
Leaders of Divided Korea
North Korea - Kim Il Sung
North Korea - Kim Il Sung
Kim was the son of parents who fled to Manchuria during his childhood to escape the Japanese rule of Korea. While still a student, he joined a communist youth organization.
During the 1930s, he adopted the name of an earlier legendary Korean guerrilla fighter against the Japanese. Kim was noticed by the Soviet military authorities, who sent him to the Soviet Union for military and political training. There he joined the local Communist Party.
South Korea - Syngman Rhee
South Korea - Syngman Rhee
Rhee completed a traditional classical Confucian education and then entered a Methodist school, where he learned English. He became an ardent nationalist.
He went to the United States, where in 1910 he received a Ph.D. from Princeton University, becoming the first Korean to earn a doctorate from an American university. He returned home in 1910, the year in which Korea was annexed by Japan.
Development of the Korean War, 1950 - 1953
Development of the Korean War, 1950 - 1953
Korea in Present Time
Korea in Present Time
Almost 70 years since the end of the Korean war, the two countries remain divided along the same lines by the DMZ, a 2.5-mile (4km) wide and 155-mile (249km) long strip of land centered on the “truce village” of Panmunjom. The area has been the scene of occasional skirmishes but is perhaps best known for its blue UN huts, where the two sides have traditionally met for talks during rare periods of détente.
Attempts of reunification after 70 years
Attempts of reunification after 70 years
It was the first time in three years that the North has permitted such reunions, all the more precious as previous participants have not been authorised to meet again.
What is visiting North Korea like today?
What is visiting North Korea like today?
Want to find out more about what being in North Korea is like today?
Watch this video to find out how you can travel to Communist North Korea and what are some interesting encounters!
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
The Korean Demilitarized Zone is where North and South Korea come together to form the most heavily-fortified border on the planet. DMZ Korea is the most unique destination in the country and one of the most fascinating places to see in the entire world.
Trump and Kim held historic meeting at DMZ
Trump and Kim held historic meeting at DMZ
30 Jun 2019 - Trump was the first US president to meet a North Korean leader while in office, having met with Kim twice before. This marks the first meeting in the no-man’s-land between North and South since the end of the Korean War.
Food for Thought:
Food for Thought:
💭Reflection Questions:
💭Reflection Questions:
1) What are some of your thoughts about this attempt to provide an opportunity for the meeting between the families?
2) With this separation between North and South Korea, do you think they will eventually unify as one?
3) What will a unified Korea be like?
Do You Know What Happened Between South and North Korea recently?
Do You Know What Happened Between South and North Korea recently?
Why did North Korea blow up roads linking it with the South?
Why did North Korea blow up roads linking it with the South?
Commentary: Trash balloons another sign of North Korea's refusal to act within global norms
Commentary: Trash balloons another sign of North Korea's refusal to act within global norms
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