Korea Research Paper

Korea was once a colony of Japan but the many years of Koreans suffering through the colonial rule ended after the defeat of Japan by Russia and the US. They each took a part of Korea, the Soviet Union occupied the

Shortly after World War II, North Korea’s central government was renamed the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Conflicts began to rise when the North and South’s political systems contradicted each others. These differences led to warfare between these two countries. During the mid to late 1900's, the North Koreans under the Kim family, went to war with South Korea inflicting many casualties while economically isolating their country internationally creating economic struggles for their own people.

After World War II Korea was taken away from Japan, Korea would no longer be ruled by Japan. The reason it was taken away, is because Japan only got to rule it because they had more men, so they took Korea by force. The soviets wanted to have part of Korea to take care of,

Korea was a vassal state of China in the northeast of Asia and the whole Korea Peninsula used to be a buffer zone between Japan and China. In 1895, China was defeat by Japan in the first Sino-Japan war and Korea was independent in 1897 as an article of Treaty of Shimonoseki, however, Japan annexed Korea Peninsula in

In the first part of the 20th century, Korea was controlled by Japan, which wiped out most of Korea’s culture and even banned the Korean language. The suppression of their culture only led to bitterness and helplessness. After Japan had lost the war, Korea became a divided country. American troops landed in the southern

Under Yi Sŏng-Gye’s son King Sejong, considered Korea’s greatest ruler, inventions like the rain gauge, the use of a movable type, and the birth of Korean alphabet called Hangeul, still in use today, surfaced. (Piddock, 27-28) They ruled the entire peninsula for 500 years. Then Korea was annexed by neighbors Japan in 1910. Korea continued to be under Japan until 1945 when it was liberated at the end of World War II. (“North Korea”, Culturegrams) “With the defeat of Japan in 1945, the Allies agreed to divide the Korean Peninsula between the Soviet Union and the United States at the thirty-eighth parallel as a temporary measure.” (Piddock, 30) The Soviet Union received the Northern part of Korea, and the United States the South. “.. Soviet forces closed off northern Korea at the thirty-eighth parallel and placed Korean communists in power there.” Evidently, North Korea was bound to turn communist.

“For well over a thousand years, until colonization by Japan in the early twentieth century, successive kingdoms on the Korean peninsula were able to maintain a society with political independence and cultural distinctiveness from the surrounding

Officially The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), it was occupied by Japan beginning in 1905, just after the Russo-Japanese War. Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula in 1910 and after the end of World War II, Korea was split with the Northern half falling under Soviet-sponsored communist control. Failing to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea in the southern region during the Korean War and under President Kim Il Sung, North Korea adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic

North Korea is a communist nation of closed doors and kept secrets. The citizens of that country face daily circumstances that most of us do not encounter during our lifetime. The leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, has a family dynasty that has ruled for multiple decades. The North Korean government prefers that their country be referred to as the “Democratic People's Republic of Korea”, but this country is neither democratic nor republic. Most countries shorten the country of Democratic People's Republic of Korea name by simply referring to it as North Korea. This title came from Soviet Union communist influence, during the mid-1900's.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, usually known as North Korea, is a state that occupies the northern half of the Korean peninsula. North Korea is a relatively new state, founded in 1948 because of the postcolonial settlement handed down by the United States of America and the Soviet Union (USSR). In 1945, the U.S. and the USSR replaced the Japanese as the responsible bodies and this division of responsibility caused the establishment of the Soviet north and the American south. During its inception North Korea regarded as a satellite state of the USSR; however because of the fall of the

Despite Korea’s long history and unique culture, it changed hands multiple times. It was, at first, a state belonging to China but then was annexed by Japan in 1910. After the Japanese had won in that war, Japan reinforced its influence in Korea and formally annexed it as a colony in 1910.

Understanding how North Korea as a country defines itself in a changing world. Where do they derive their customs and practices, political standings and military power? Define North Korea’s history leading into the modern age and define its culture and characteristics and how they interact with the world today. Understanding a subject as broad as the term culture begins where the culture began with the birth of civilization and the people that influenced it. There are many factors that play a role in the shaping of a nation none so much as turmoil and conflict and the Korean peninsula saw its fair share for the better part of a millennia. A complete statistical breakdown of North Korea shows a struggling nation that strongly depends on

North Korea has a vast and growing culture. With a population of 24 million citizens living in this isolated area, most of them are ethnically Korean even with China being such a close neighbor. With such a dense population, the same believes and religion practiced throughout its nation. North Korea is located in eastern Asia with approximately 55% in the north. The Sea of Japan borders North Korea’s eastern shore and the Yellow sea boarders the western portion of the land. The boarder that separates North Korea from South Korea is approximately 148 Miles long. North Korea shares boarders with China being directly north and a small boarder is joint with Russia in the far northeastern corner of the country. (Encyclopaedia

By the time of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the Chinese empire had heavily influenced Korea socially, politically and culturally. For example, Korea adopted Chinese writing systems, statecraft and Confucianism. This was acknowledged in a memorial written in 1444 by a scholar-official under King Sejong who agreed that the Chinese empire had a huge impact on its surrounding nations. Like other well educated, this scholar-official wanted the Chinese empire to sustain its influence on Korea. Despite his beliefs, Joseon Korea developed differently overtime. There was an increase of Korean culture on top of the rich Chinese foundation and rise of curiosity and openness towards non-Chinese cultures. Therefore, even under the influential China,

South Korea is one of the most homogeneous countries in the world, in which it has its own culture, language, and customs that are different from other Asian countries. In South Korea, the citizens greatly value hard work, filial piety, and humility in their daily lives. South Koreans are very proud people in which they pride themselves in their traditional culture and their financial success.