A tale of two republics: North and South Korea
Just two years before the creation of the United Nations, North and South Korea could have been united in 1943 by a declaration due to a meeting not in Seoul or Pyongyang, but in Cairo.
American President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and one of the Chinese leaders had agreed to ensure the independence of Korea as a unified country. But the two countries are light years apart in every aspect.
You can see the great differences between life in North and South Korea by looking at a NASA satellite image taken of the Korean Peninsula at night. The northern part is totally dark, while the southern part is completely illuminated. Or how about looking at the per capita income? North Korea’s per capita income is about $500, while South Korea’s per capita is about $ 32,000. Both countries have almost the same land area, which is the size of the American state of Pennsylvania (around 45,000 square miles). South Korea has about 50 million people, while North Korea has about 24 million people. Both countries are different from each other in every social, political, industrial, education and technological sector. And even though they share common borders, the North and South Koreans have direct contact through a common industrial plant near the borders.
But most ironic is that they are still at a state of war since 1953. So what made South Korea a world class country with advanced technology and a high standard of living with respect all over the world, while North Korea at the bottom of the list in democracy, education, economic development and infrastructure. Many people in North Korea are starving, but they have the highest percentage of military expenditure in the world. Every North Korean is a soldier and spy. North Korea’s main policy is everything for the armed forces.
Both South and North Korea were under Japanese rule. After the end of World War II, the North was controlled by the Soviets and the South was controlled by the Americans. In 1948, a United Nations election led to the division of the peninsula into North and South Korea. And just two years later, the North invaded the South in 1950 and the two countries were engaged in one of the most ferocious wars that almost dragged the Chinese, Soviets and the United States to a third world war.
The fighting ended in a cease-fire in 1953. There was no formal peace treaty between the two countries, which means that both countries are officially at war after 63 years of the cease-fire. But what did the two republics do and what did they accomplish in the past 63 years after the cease-fire?
South Korea accomplished being a country for hard working and educated people, while North Korea taught their people how to weep and shed alligator tears when their leaders pass away, but never mind the empty stomachs.
North Korea accomplished the minimum in every development. It was ruled by Kim II-Sung who is ironically still the ruler even though he was dead. He is the only ruling dead president in the history of mankind. He was declared an eternal president after his death on July 8, 1994.
On the day of his burial, the world saw the alligator tears at its best. Now, North Korea is ruled by the supreme ruler Kim Jong-Un. He became the youngest world leader at the age of 29. He rules North Korea in a very strict dictatorial system even though it is speculated that he attended his early schools in one of the richest and most open countries in the world, Switzerland. And when he was there, he was in love not with the Russian ballet, but, with the American National Basketball Association.
Both North and South Korea had been through the most difficult times. They experienced occupation and they both were at an armed conflict for three years. Both countries were in ruins after the 1950 war. North Korea never recovered from the backward life they have been living and the standard of living is among the lowest in the world.
At the same time, South Korea was able to recover form its wounds and political instabilities to became the 12th country in economic developments in the world with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more the 1.6 trillion in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP).
South Korea now is one of the most advanced in technology, science, education and infrastructure in the worlds. It has a diplomatic relations with 188 countries and a member is many trade organizations. North Korea on the other hand has only an estimated (GDP) (PPP) of only $ 40 billion and has a very limited number of diplomatic relations with the outside world. And this is what makes North Korea a danger to the world. They simply have little or nothing to lose.
North Korea now is threatening the world to use their nuclear arsenal. At this stage there are many efforts from the only solid friends of North Korea, the Russians and the Chinese to diffuse the conflict. And even though many people doubt the North Korean ability to launch a surprise attack, the threat using a nuclear weapon will have catastrophic consequences to the world, and especially South Korea and Japan, which are the in close proximity to the North Korean arsenal.
North and South Korean people used to be one nation with close relatives on each side of the border, but now they are light years apart. And finally, it is very important for the whole world to defuse the conflict between the United States and North Korea, even if the Americans have to send Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant to talk to the North Korean leader and give him an autographed basketball to play with rather than playing with nuclear heads.
— This article is exclusive to Arab News.
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