North Korea and South Korea - comparison. Political regime. Standard of living. Culture

North and South Korea on the world map are located on one peninsula. Despite this, countries are two parallel realities. On one side of the barbed wire is one of the most prosperous and developed economies in the world, on the other - poverty, tyranny and despair.

Education of States

The border of North and South Korea divides these two territories into separate, independent powers. But has it always been so? No. Before the end of World War II, the land was under the occupation of Japan. For 35 years, this country has been in charge of the economy, building its political system. Being an ally of Hitler and having suffered defeat, the Land of the Rising Sun was under the close eye of the Soviet Union. Stalin and Roosevelt jointly decided to liberate the territory: the army of the USSR entered from the north, the American soldiers - from the south. Each occupied its part, setting its own orders on it.

Japan signed an act of surrender. While the power was not transferred to the Koreans, part of the state above the 38th parallel was under the control of Russians, and below - under US guardianship. After that, sovereign powers were formed on these lands: in the north a communist republic headed by Kim Jong Il, in the south - a capitalist country, led by Lee Seung Man. It was planned that in the near future North and South Korea would reunite . The conflict arose between the governments of the USSR and the US, who could not agree on the terms of the connection, so the desired did not become valid.

War

Why do North and South Korea quarrel? First, it all started because of the Cold War of the US and the USSR. Secondly, the war between the two countries aroused the hatred of the two countries immediately after the Second World War. At that time, the DPRK army began to gradually gain strength - not without the help of the Soviet Union. And Kim Jong Il suggested that Stalin overthrow the government of his southern neighbor in order to fully establish the sole control of the peninsula. The leader for a long time hesitated, but still accepted the proposal: 90% of the territory controlled by Seoul, were captured. But the coup failed, as the leaders of South Korea left the capital in time and fled. In addition, the residents also opposed the invaders.

From 1950 to 1953 years. There were military actions. On the one hand - the DPRK, China and the USSR, on the other - South Korea, the United States, Britain and another 14 states. Already in the summer of 1951 it became clear that the forces are equal - the conflict was at an impasse, and it was necessary to negotiate a truce. They lasted for two whole years, during which the war continued. The cease-fire agreement was concluded on June 27, 1953, the peace treaty was never signed.

Korea in our days

Now two warring camps are separated by the same 38 parallel: it is through it the demilitarized zone, the width of which is 4 kilometers. On this strip, any military action is prohibited. To the south of it is erected a huge wall that stretches from the east to the west, interrupting only for 10 kilometers. Under the zone, North Koreans have dug up a lot of huge tunnels to illegally migrate to their prosperous neighbors. Interestingly, but captured during the war, the prisoners from the DPRK refused to return to their homeland massively, wishing to remain forever under the wing of South Korea.

North Korea and South Korea ... Comparisons between these two powers are difficult, because they are united by language, history, culture, traditions. Of course, "separate living" a little transformed them, but the essence remained the same. Now it's like two separate worlds, especially in the sphere of economy, where the redistribution of territories was displayed as much as possible. The situation on the peninsula can be compared with the times of post-war Germany, only in Berlin the wall managed to be broken, which can not be said about these two powers.

Countries on the world map

If you look at it, then the border of North and South Korea will be clearly visible. The first is in the highlands, for the second the plains are more characteristic. South Korea, which is lucky with a mild climate, every year collects a great harvest, growing a variety of crops. There are few natural resources for southerners, as the mountains and deposits of ores and non-ferrous metals located in them are far to the north. Therefore, they came up with a brilliant way out of the situation: they began to increase the economy through intellectual activity. Accordingly, today this country is one of the world leaders in the production of electronic equipment.

North and South Korea on the map of the world border on the Japanese and Yellow Seas. At the same time, the DPRK is still located in the neighborhood with China and Russia. The climate in this part of the peninsula is quite severe, and the mountainous terrain prevails over the plains, so it is not necessary to talk about the cultivation of bread, vegetables and fruits. But in the country there are a lot of enterprises that specialize in heavy industry.

Demography

In this area, North Korea and South Korea are not particularly different: a comparison can be made only by analyzing the density and population size. In the DPRK, according to the latest estimates, about 30 million people live. In South Korea, citizens are almost twice as many - 50 million, of which a million are foreign visitors. The gap in the indicators is easily explained: the Northern country lost a lot of citizens. And the reason for this was not a war, but a banal escape. As already mentioned, the inhabitants of the DPRK migrate to the south massively, they are not even afraid of execution, which, most likely, they will succumb to after being caught. Such citizens are called "traitors and deserters".

Both Koreans live in that and in another state. There are also Chinese and Japanese living in separate communities. Half of Koreans profess Buddhism, the other part - Christianity. Popular here is also Confucianism, which accounts for 3% of the population. Despite the fact that in North Korea officially proclaimed atheism, local residents secretly profess one of the above religions.

Policy

If you analyze the system of government, then significantly different North Korea and South Korea - the comparison can be done without even having deep legal knowledge. Each of us knows that the DPRK is a militarized republic with a totalitarian regime of governance and a socialist way of life. Even after the death of the leader, Kim Jong Il, the situation did not change, since his son, who fully supported his father's policy, came to replace him. The heir was even more rigid. Loud executions and mass persecution of the objectionable are his priorities. North Korea is a very closed power, separated from the whole world by an invisible wall of tyranny and dictatorship.

The armies of North and South Korea are also significantly different. The troops of the DPRK, their drill and training are the main path by which the country goes. The authorities, being committed to the militaristic course, strive to maximize armaments, especially nuclear weapons. Instead, South Korea, being a democratic state, focuses not on increasing its combat potential, but on developing scientific and technological progress.

Economy

In this area, North Korea and South Korea have chosen absolutely different paths. A comparison of economies can be done by analyzing the investment, development, trade relations of each country. And, of course, South Korea has bypassed the northern neighbor for many centuries to come. In this country, not only just a highly developed economy, it is one of the strongest, profitable in the world arena. Making a bet on technical progress, the country guessed right: on the street the XXI century and IT sphere is now at the peak of popularity. Nowadays South Korea actively competes with Japan for the production of robots. Local scientists are developing not only modern technology, but also new cars, they are actively exploring alternative ways of obtaining energy. At the same time, agriculture, although there are good conditions for it, is only a small part of the state's incomes.

South Korea and North Korea, relations between which have not developed for many decades, are oriented to different markets. If the chip of the first state is a technique, the second is entirely focused on heavy industry. The country, despite a certain isolation from the whole world, cooperates with a hundred states. The Koreans achieved special success in the chemical, textile and oil refining industries.

Culture and standard of living

North and South Korea, the conflict between which is observed in all spheres of life, are very different in the standard of living of ordinary citizens. Yes there to talk about people: it's enough just to walk the streets of Seoul and Pyongyang for comparison. The first is the city of the future with beautiful skyscrapers and modern transport, the second is the so-called ghost of the past, full of slums, tired people, exhausted animals. In South Korea, the average salary is 3 thousand dollars, in the North - only 40. Citizens of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are cut off from the Internet, for many of them even an ordinary TV is a symbol of luxury.

We think it is now clear why the North and South Korea are at loggerheads, and what is the difference in principle between them. The development of the countries started simultaneously. But Seoul for 60 years has managed to become the 15th economy in the world for success and prosperity. Simultaneously, Pyongyang in terms of living standards and politics can be attributed to third world countries. Maybe someday, life will be fine here. And one of the options for a bright future may be for the DPRK to reunite with its southern neighbor.