TheDivisionofKoreaandTaskforUnification.doc

The Division of Korea and Task for UnificationSubject:Korean Politics and Diplomacy in the Global Society Professor:Kang-nyeong Kim Student:손가 Submission Date: Nov.30, 2013 Contents1Ⅰ.Introduction………………………… 2Ⅱ.History of the Division of Korea ……………………………… 3Ⅲ.The Current Status of Inter-Korean Relation …………………………… 9Ⅳ.Prospects and Strategies for Korean Unification…………………………… 11Ⅴ.Comparison with Germany………… 15Ⅵ. Conclusion………………………… 17Ⅶ. References………………………… 19ⅠⅠ.Introduction2The division of Korea into South Korea and North Korea stems from the 1945 Allied victory in World War II, ending the Empire of Japan’s 35-year colonial rule of Korea. The United States and the Soviet Union agreed to temporarily occupy the country as a trusteeship with the zone of control demarcated along the 38th parallel. From then, more than half a century has already passed since the Korean peninsula was divided into two. The feeling of severance and hostility between the South and the North stemming from the national division have caused great pain and loss to Koreans, who had lived in a single unified nation for over 1,300 years.Korea was divided into two parts against the will of its people. The division was a by-product of the Cold War which rapidly escalated during the Post-World WarⅡ era. It seems clear that the international environment that caused the division in the past has now remarkably changed. With the demise of Cold War that had been characterized by confrontation between states, the international community today is marching into a new era of reconciliation and cooperation. In addition, two other nations which had been divided for decades, Germany and Yemen, have already achieved their unification.3This new environment provides both hope and a task for Koreans, whose country now remains the last divided nation of this century that still suffers from the confrontation and conflict of the Cold War. To Koreans, therefore, unification is no longer a matter of sentiment; it has become a task to be carried out in the present reality.ⅡⅡ.History of the Division of Korea1. Geography and History of KoreaKorea is located on the Korean Peninsula in North-East Asia. To the northwest, the Amnok River (Yalu River) separates Korea from China and to the northeast, the Duman River (Tumen River) separates Korea from China and Russia. The Yellow Sea is to the west, the East China Sea and Korea Strait is to the south, and the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea) is to the east.[1] Notable islands include Jeju Island (Jejudo), Ulleung Island (Ulleungdo), and Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo). The total [1]Korean Map, The People's Korea, 19984area of the Korean peninsula is 222,154km2. The peninsula runs about 1,100km from north to south with a maximum width of 320km and a minimum of 200km.The first tribal state on the Korean peninsula was the Gojoseon (Old Joseon) which was founded in northern Korea and Manchuria in 2333 BC. The Gija Joseon was said to be founded in 12th century BC, and its existence and role have been controversial in the modern era. The Jin state was formed in southern Korea in the 3rd century BC. In the 2nd century BC, Gija Joseon was replaced by Wiman Joseon which fell to the Han dynasty of China near the end of the century. This resulted in the fall of Gojoseon and led to succeeding warring states, the Proto–Three Kingdoms period that spanned the later Iron Age. Since the 1st century, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla grew to control the peninsula and Manchuria as the Three Kingdoms (57 BC – 668 AD) until unification by Silla in 676. In 698, Dae Jo-yeong established Balhae in old territories of Goguryeo, which led to the North South States Period (698–926).In the late 9th century, Silla was divided into the Later Three Kingdoms (892–936), which ended with the unification by Wang Geon's Goryeo Dynasty. Meanwhile Balhae fell after an invasion by the Khitan Liao Dynasty and the refugees including 5the last Crown Prince emigrated to Goryeo.[2] During the Goryeo period, laws were codified, a civil service system was introduced, and culture influenced by Buddhism flourished.In 1392, Yi Seong-gye established the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) after a coup in 1388. King Sejong the Great implemented numerous administrative, social, and economical reforms, established royal authority in the early years of the dynasty, and promulgated Hangul, the Korean alphabet.From the late 16th century, the Joseon dynasty faced foreign invasions, internal power struggle and rebellions, and it declined rapidly in the late 19th century. In 1897, the Korean Empire (1897–1910) succeeded the Joseon Dynasty. However, Imperial Japan forced it to sign a protectorate treaty and in 1910 annexed the Korean Empire, though all treaties involved were later confirmed to be null and void. After the liberation in 1945, the partition of Korea created the modern two states of North and South Korea.2. Division of Korea[2]Kim Jongseo, Jeong Inji, et al. “Goryeosa (The Hi。