South Korea 's Rise As A World Power

In 1915, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded the Korean Peninsula, and until 1945, Korean remained under Japanese rule. But after the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II, Korea

A. After World War II, Japanese-held Korea was divided into two parts. North Korea was controlled by Soviet troops from the north, and South Korea was controlled by the United States.

At the end of World War Two, Korea was divided into two sections. These sections were labeled as South Korea and North Korea. The dividing point was at the 38th parallel. Soviets occupied North Korea, and the U.S. troops occupied South Korea. The United States had troops there to keep the peace, so to say.

In 1950, South Korea developed its economy and was greatly influenced by the United States of America. While North Korea followed the path of communism, South Korea discovered a better path of developing their nation and becoming more unified as a family. The surrender of Japan to the allies at the end of World War II was the catalyst in the split of Korea. North Korea then attempted to conquer the Korean peninsula by force (Armstrong). South Korea focused on intensifying their nationalism such as developing their own culture and the unity of factions. Additionally, South Korea focused on improving the efficiency of its government system as it selected a new designated leader and received support and funding from their

After the World War II, the Japanese surrendered to the Soviet and the Americans in both North and South Korea respectively. The Korean Peninsula was divided into two states at 38th parallel. In 1948, both states declared independent. Syngman Rhee was the Non-communist Democratic leader in South Korea, Seoul was chosen to be the capital. In North Korea, their leader was Kim Il Sung, established the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in Pyongyang. During this time, the United States were retreating its World War II troops. The Soviet Union spotted this advantage and supported North Korea with many military supplies in preparation for the invasion into South Korea. On June 25th, 1950, the Korean War erupted after North Korean troops infringed South Korea through the 38th parallel. South Korea called help from the United Nation to stop this invasion. Two days later, President Truman sent troops and military supplies to South Korea. Out of 16 countries helped South Korea, there were 590 000 troops, 90 percent were Americans, General Douglas MacArthur was in command, South Korea seemed to be ready for the Korean

The country of Korea has been in turmoil for centuries and was founded on its turmoil of being unified and separated. Several objects stand in the way of them being unified once more the DPRK prefers communism while the ROK prefers Democracy both sides want to be united but can’t due to different morals, beliefs, and political views. And the history of Korea hasn’t always been pleasant due to wars and the attempted colonization of Korea by the Japanese.

After World War II ended Japan was forced to give up Korea in 1945, making it a free state again. The UN decided that to help Korea, North and South would be special zones of occupation. The United States would occupy South Korea, Soviet Russia would get North Korea. (“Korean War”) The Korean War started in the 1950’s when North Korea crossed the 38th Parallel into South Korea. Almost immediately after, the UN said they were opposed to these attacks and demanded that North Korea leave South Korea. North Korea did not listen (Whiteclay, 3, 4, 6, 7). A few days later the US defended South Korea with help from 15 other countries of the UN. North Korea was backed by China and Russia. The fighting did not stop until 1953 when an armistice was signed, technically the war is still ongoing. (“Korean War:

In 1910, Korea was annexed by the Empire of Japan. After the Imperial Japanese surrender at the end of World War II, in 1945, Korea was divided into two zones, with the north occupied by the Soviets and the south by the Americans. Negotiations on reunification failed, and in 1948, separate governments were formed: the socialist Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the north, and the capitalist Republic of Korea in the south. An invasion initiated by North Korea led to the Korean War (1950–1953).

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.

South Korea was well under direct U.S. influence ever since the establishment of the Republic of Korea, and were always advised and kept in check to practice democratic ways. The United States, in trade of great monetary and economic assistance, were in control of many aspects of Korea’s politics, and so had a lot of power to direct South Korea in a way that is in line with its democratic ideologies. But even with such direct influence, the U.S. had major ‘bumps’ with instilling democracy in Korea, most notably with Park and Chun’s reigns that would not have ended without civil protest (the U.S. were often powerless in stopping these rulers’ authoritarian practices). Therefore, given China and its strong connection with communist nations such as the Soviet Union, it would be very difficult for the East Asian nation to even consider the idea of democratizing, especially given that they have been fairing well economically in the recent

North Korea’s health care is so bad that if south Korea did not exist the whole population would most likely be dead. One cannot have a society filled with dead people. Yes they claim to have free healthcare but it is so corrupt, most people must pay to receive proper attention. Through this many dollars are lost to doctors that desire high payment for services. The state also controls all imports, exports and major public industries. These industries run on lies and corruption which would inevitably fall apart leaving the nation with only what is within its borders. It cannot survive off war torn lands, and sick people.

The U.S occupied south of the 38th parallel, and the U.S.S.R North. Both sides wanted Korea to be united; the U.S.S.R wanted it under communism, and the U.S capitalism. They were cut in half. North became communist, South became capitalist. South Korea was recognized by the U.S and the United Nations while North Korea was recognized by the Soviet Union and its allies. There were many hard comings between the Koreas. On June 1950, the North Korean army with Soviet weapons invaded South Korea, in an attempt to seize it.

Fifty years later, South Korea is, however, considered one of the world 's wealthiest nations and a developed country. It transformed itself into a market economy that ranks 15th in the world by nominal GDP and 12th by purchasing power parity (PPP). It was considered one of the world 's fastest growing economies from the early 1960s to the late 1990s, and still one of the fastest growing developed countries in the current century.

At the end of World War II, Korea was a poor former agricultural colony of Japan. But the rapid growth of Korea’s industrial economy has been remarkable. The economy of South Korea is now the third-largest in Asia and the 13th largest in the world by GDP as of 2007. To trace back the economic development of South Korea, the former president Park Chung-Hee played a pivotal role, and was credited for shifting its focus to export-oriented favoring a few large conglomerates. Unlike his predecessors, Park showed a strong commitment to economic development, believing good economic performance as a primary means for enhancing his political legitimacy. Under the President Park Chung-Hee’s era, the government played a dominating role in a

In recent years, we have seen Korea emerge not only as an influential nation but as a world super-power. To qualify as a member of the G-20 is no mean fit. In 2010 we witnessed the country host the G-20 summit where the leaders of the twenty most powerful nations converged