KIM JONG UN

Kim Jong Un, is the leader of North Korea. He has been in power for 14 years, having taken over in 2011, after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il.

North Korea is one of nine countries that are known to have nuclear weapons. These countries are:

▪️ United States

▪️ Russia

▪️ China

▪️ France

▪️ United Kingdom

▪️ India

▪️ Pakistan

▪️ Israel (though Israel doesn't confirm or deny)

▪️ North Kore

I have noticed that sometimes people do not know the difference between North Korea and South Korea, so let me give you a very brief summary.

THE BACKGROUND!

For many centuries, Korea was one united kingdom ruled by different dynasties. At this point there was no North or South Korea.

In 1910, Japan took control of Korea and made it a colony. Japan ruled Korea for 35 years. Many Koreans tried to resist Japanese rule, but Japan remained in control.

In 1945, Japan lost World War II. When Japan was defeated, it also lost its colonies. Japan itself went under American rule for a while.

Korea, which had been a Japanese colony, was shared between America and the Soviet Union. No Korean citizen was consulted in this decision.

The Soviet Union took the northern half, while the United States took the southern half. That is how we ended up with North Korea and South Korea.

In the north, the Soviets supported Kim Il-sung, who became the leader of North Korea. He was the grandfather of the current leader, Kim Jong Un.

In the south, the United States helped create a new government. Syngman Rhee became the first president of South Korea.

So as they became separate countries, North Korea and South Korea inherited the ideological differences between America and the Soviet Union. Both governments in the North and South claimed to be the true government of all Korea. Each side wanted to unite the country under its own system. Because of this, tensions grew between the two sides.

The leader of North Korea, Kim Il-sung believed he could quickly defeat South Korea and unite the whole peninsula under his rule. He also received support from Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and later from China.

In June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. This started the Korean War. America fought on the side of South Korea. The war lasted from 1950 to 1953, and millions of people died.

In 1953, North Korea and South Korea signed a ceasefire that stopped the fighting. However, they never signed a formal peace treaty, so the Korean War never officially ended, technically they are still at war.

The 1953 ceasefire agreement created the Korean Demilitarized Zone, commonly known as the DMZ. It is a four-kilometer-wide strip of land that separates the two countries. Heavy weapons and large military forces are not allowed inside this zone.

Even so, it is one of the most heavily guarded borders in the world. Large armies stand on both sides of the border, watching each other every day. The DMZ helps prevent war, but the tension never truly disappears like two neighbors who refuse to speak, only watching each other across the fence.

South Korea is a democracy, while North Korea is a dictatorship. In North Korea, power is concentrated in the hands of the leader and the ruling party. Political opposition, independent media, and public criticism of the government are not allowed.

While North Korea focuses heavily on the military, South Korea has focused more on economic development. As a result, South Korea has built a very strong economy. Today, the economic gap between the two countries is very large.

I’m sure we all know that the global technology giant, Samsung is a South Korean company. Most of the Korean films that become popular around the world are also produced in South Korea, which has a large and successful film industry. Other big global brands such as LG, Hyundai, and Kia are also South Korean companies.

I must emphasize that this is a condensed summary, obviously I left out a lot of detail.

Taffy Theman