Essay Example on North-South Korea Conflict: Ideology-Driven Division

Introduction

The North and South Korean conflict is as a result of the difference in ideologies affecting the two countries formerly one Country. The Korean War caused the division of the two countries into two. Korean War is a war that occurred in the 1950s, which was created by the difference in ideologies or rather the cold war influenced by the Americans and communist countries that divided Korea into two after the withdrawal of Japan from Korea. The Soviet nations occupied the Northern part of Korea as the Americans invaded the South. The actual combat war ended in 1953, but the war has never ceased to date as there hasn't been any signing of a peace treaty. However, mechanisms have been put up to ensure there is peace in Korea that will make it possible for activities, especially economic ones, to take place to ensure the stability of the economy. Korea was initially a country found in the eastern part of the Asian continent, but due to the difference in ideologies and influence from superpower countries was forced to be divided from North and South Korea.

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Korean War

The war was due to three reasons: American containment, the Japanese occupation of Korea during World War 11 and finally, the Soviet Union spreading their communist ideology in the course of the cold war. Korea was just used as appoint of war as the factors that caused the war were not affecting the Korean Republic but rather big wigs like America and Russia who put their needs and priorities ahead of those of the Russians.

American containment. Truman Doctrine is another name used to refer to the American containment, which entails the fact that the US government should ensure they curb the soviet communism immediately after World War II was over. The American government provided they ceased the spread of communism since they believed that if at all communism was able to be spread in one Country. Then it would rapidly spread to other surrounding countries. The entry of the Soviet community in the North part of Korea worried the US government as they were sure that if nothing was done or if they would not intervene, then it was crystal clear that the ideology would spread to surrounding countries. Spreading to other countries would have an overall impact on the entire Asian continent running under the communist ideology. On 25th June 1950, North Korea, occupied by the Soviet nations, invaded the South and slowly started taking territory. The invading of South Korea by North Korea was alarming for the Americans and United Nations forces that forced them to invade South Korea in September to help protect the Southern part of Korea from the Soviet Nations. The United Nations forces used the Incheon landing by breaking out from the Pusan perimeter moved North at a fast rate. Their intervention caused a loss to the Soviet nations. The United Nations moved up to the North close to the boundary near China. The Chinese noticed the influence the Americans had on Korea and decided to intervene and support the Northerns. The intervention by the Chinese helped bring about the balance between the two parts of the Country. On 27th July 1953, the war ended between the two parts facilitated by an armistice that defined the previous borders that separated North and South Korea.

Spread of communism in the course of the Cold War. The cold war was caused by a difference in ideologies between the superpower countries; Americans and their allies against the Soviet Nations that consisted of the Russians as the leaders. The spread of communism from the communist communities was a threat to the American and their allies as this indicate that the communist countries would be run by headed by the Russians. They had completely different ideas and socio-economic perspectives that made it hard for the Americans to sit down and watch Russians take over Korea. The Americans intervened and entered Korea using the United Nations forces as the leaders to ensure that they destroyed the Northern part to ensure that the Russians faced setbacks such as damaged infrastructure that would them spend more time implementing the ideology. Evidence of America's massive destruction is illustrated by the high number of buildings destroyed in the Northern part of the Country. The Capital city of former Korea was initially in Seoul, which was in the southern region. Americans came through the Southern section to ensure they captured the capital city, which had all resources and from which they would access a variety of resources that would help them fight the Soviet nations from the North. The Soviet Nations from the North also invaded the South in June to access the Southern part but were stopped by the Americans. The Americans attacked fast to prevent the first domino from being destroyed, which would have made entire Korea a communist country if not precluded by the Americans. Historians globally concluded that the Americans used the Domino Theory as a scapegoat or rather a justification for their entry and involvement in the Korean War.

Japanese occupation of Korea during World War 2. Japan is an Asian country that had taken over Korea. Americans and the Soviet nations invaded Korea to disarm Japan because they had a lot of weapons that caught the interest of both America and the USSR. During the Second World War, Americans attacked the Japans with atomic bombs that caused mass deaths, which reduced the population. Reduction in population denied the Japans the numbers t engage in war with this superpower. The records of the deadly weapons used by the Americans, such as the atomic bombs, instilled fear to the Japanese, which made them retaliate from confronting the Americans, which made them opt for peaceful extraction from the conflict. They surrendered power to the communist nations in 1945. Japan had taken over the Peninsula belonging to the Koreans years before the Second World War, which drained Korea's incomes; hence taking it from the Japans would mean that the superpowers would have a source of income that would help them implement their ideologies.

The Soviet nations and the Americans decided in 1945 to divide Korea into two along the famous 38th parallel to help disarm the Japanese army. The way of exercising power by the Soviet nation from North Korea was not as decided earlier between them and the Americans. The Soviet countries took control in authority and fled all refugees to the South since, by the time they were invading the North, and America had not yet come into the Country. Invading the South is amongst the primary reasons that made America come to the rescue as USSR was doing the exact opposite, and further ignorance by the Americans would make USSR take all resources from the South hence making it hard fr America to implement its policy. When Americans came to Korea, they brought with them soldiers from their Country and recruited more of the Korean police officers. Americans left Korea under the United Nations since they were the leading Country in the UN. UN troops led by Americans went to war with the USSR.

Korean War's aftermath

Korean War brought with it enormous effects from the different parties that were involved. The most affected parties include; China, Korea, Japan, America, and USSR. The four parties, including the United Nations, are the parties that came into direct contact with the actual war and had a clear picture of what was happening as the war was because of their gains.

Korea was the center of the war or instead the battlefield where all these activities were taking place hence was profoundly affected by the war. The most significant effect was the division of the Country into two independent countries comprising of different leaders who used different ideologies in their administration. The conflict brought significant social effects amongst them, breaking of families as people were displaced. During the war, the male citizens were recruited to serve in the army. Many people lost their lives while fighting. This caused a decrease in the overall population of Korea. Differentiation brought by the ideologies changed the psychological aspects of most of these Koreans. There was no peace in the countries as people were rebellious to these changes that meant a complete change in their livelihood. The economy was also affected as most of the working population died from the war. The American's destruction of North Korea brought a difference in economic levels between the two.

Since the former capitals were in the South, South Korea grew faster economically than North Korea, which escalated the conflicts between the two countries as they felt as if the division was unfair as the resources in the capital city were to benefit entire Korea. Once the war was over, American soldiers still stayed in South Korea. This move by the Americans was to give them entitlement to the Country's military wing. This put pressure on the neighboring Chinese government as they could not relate well with their nearby South Korean government due to the American influence that determined their say as a country. The involvement of the American government in South Korea denied them a chance to participate freely in international trade as enemies of America would not trade with them. On the Northside, enemies of the USSR did not trade with North Korea as the trading countries believed that their interaction would affect their national security. There was a shift in trading partners in the two countries as they fought for countries to trade with. There was a difference in the quality of goods and services in the two countries. However, the involvement of America in South Korea came with benefits, too, as they funded most of the projects in South Korea. Since USSR didn't have enough funds compared to America, and this caused the economic difference between the once one Republic.

Conflicts after Dividing the Country into North Korea and South Korea

Consequentially even after the war, there was still bad blood between the two countries. During the Korean War, the North invaded the South. South Korea was left unawares and had to organize guerilla warfare that made them ready just in case anything occurred. The Guerilla warfare was at the Cholla province, currently known as Jeollabuk-do. China initially supporting the North, withdrew, and went back into their Country, but there were still occasional wars between the two countries. America and South Korea signed a defense treaty on 1st October 1953. Signing the defense treaty gave America the chance to plant nuclear weapons in 1958 in South Korea. Having a nuclear weapon is very powerful as North Korea now lived in fear because a slight provocation to South Korea would have them attacked by the nuclear threat, which is known for its mass killings. To secure themselves, North Korea signed a defense treaty, although with reinforcement as it comprised of both China and the USSR.

The signing of these treaties gave rise to propaganda campaigns by the use of balloons between the two countries. The balloons were used to send agendas that were not factual and were used just to reinforce the strengths of the two countries and what would be done to the opposing countries at the slightest provocation. South Korea grew to become a robust anti-communist nation that ha a military under dictatorship and was in the frontline in the fight against the growth of communism in Asia. North Korea also equipped itself with robust protection mechanisms that would prevent them from against nuclear weapons from South Korea. North Korea grew to become an orthodox communist nati...