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Running Head: KOREA

North versus South: Korea
Nicholas Fletcher
Marion Technical College
March 8, 2014

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A land divided; many describe Korea in that way. Even though the two countries of
North Korea and South Korea are next to each other, they could not be more different. They have
extremely different political and economic systems. However, at the same time, the twin
countries have a lot in common. They share a language, a race and major parts of their culture.
Such similarity should be expected from a pair of countries that were one country before the end
of World War II in 1945 (Connor, et al., 2009, p. 1). So, just how different are these two sister
countries and how much do they really share? Where are they the same and where are they
different?
The most obvious thing they share is the Korean peninsula itself. The Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (hereafter referred to as North Korea) controls approximately 55
percent of the Korean peninsula while the Republic of Korea (hereafter referred to as South
Korea) controls the remaining 45 percent (Connor, et al., 2009, p. 1). Roughly 625 miles from
the north-most point to the south-most point, the Korean peninsula is about half the size of
California; however, with a total population of 72 million, the peninsula has roughly double the
population of California (Connor, et al., 2009, p. 1).
Due to sharing an area, the two countries have the same basic geographic features;
notably, an abundance of rivers. The capitals of both countries Seoul in South Korea,
Pyongyang in North Korea started off as port cities along these rivers (Connor, et al., 2009, p.
2). As a result of being in the same general area, the twin countries have similar weather, except
the North is somewhat colder and drier (Connor, et al., 2009, p. 4). The peninsula also has a large
number of mountains, which combined with the Yellow Sea makes the Korean peninsula very
difficult for invaders to occupy (Connor, et al., 2009, pp. 1-3).
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Of course, one cannot talk about North Korea and South Korea without talking about the
area between them. The demilitarized zone is a two and a half mile wide area between the two
nations (Connor, et al., 2009, p. 3). This zone was established by the Korean Armistice
Agreement, signed in 1953 to end the Korean War (Connor, et al., 2009, p. 3). North Korea and
South Korea have over a million troops who guard the demilitarized zone to protect themselves
and their borders from the opposing country (Connor, et al., 2009, p. 3). Due to this, the
demilitarized zone actually has a wide range of rare plants and animals; these plants and animals
are protected by the sheer fact that humans rarely set foot inside the demilitarized zone (Connor,
et al., 2009, p. 4).
Both North Korea and South Korea claim to be democratic countries; however each goes
about listening to the wishes of their people in an extremely different ways. South Korea elects a
president, who serves a single 5 year term; the current president of the country is Park Geun-hye,
who was elected in 2013 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2014a). The people of South Korea also
elect a 300 seat National Assembly to 4 year terms 246 of these seats are filled via direct
election, while the remaining 54 are filled via a proportional system (Central Intelligence
Agency, 2014a). In addition, South Korea has a Prime Minster appointed by the President and
approved by the National Assembly (Central Intelligence Agency, 2014a). All people of at least
19 can vote, regardless of race or gender (Central Intelligence Agency, 2014a).
Conversely, North Korea is mainly ruled over by their Supreme Leader, a title handed
down the Kim family line as the current holder dies; the current Supreme Leader of North Korea
is Kim Jong Un, who has held the title since 2011 (T.S., 2014). North Korea elects a 687 seat
Supreme Peoples Assembly; however, the Korean Workers Party (the main ruling party in
North Korea) chooses who can be elected and there is only one name on the ballet, token seats
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allowed to minor parties notwithstanding (Central Intelligence Agency, 2014b). Voting in North
Korea is mandatory for all citizens over 17 years old, as the government also uses the elections to
keep track of the population and identify defectors (T.S., 2014). The Supreme Leader is helped
run the country by the Presidium, a group of officials chosen by the Supreme Peoples Assembly
(T.S., 2014). Officially speaking, the two previous Supreme Leaders, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong
Il, still help run the country as Eternal President and Eternal General Secretary respectively
(Central Intelligence Agency, 2014b).
As North Korea and South Korea used to be one country, their cultures have a lot in
common. Both cultures have great respect for their parents and other ancestors, doing things like
serving their parents food before beginning to eat (Kim, 2013). The two cultures share a number
of holidays and rituals for those holidays; there are minor differences between the two, but things
are mostly the same (Kim, 2013). According to Jae Young Kim (2013), North Koreans and
South Koreans Are Both Short-Tempered People and people also seem to wants finish [sic]
work as soon as possible, rather than postponing it. However, the people of both countries are
nice and kind, sharing food and stories with their neighbors and friends (Kim, The Good Parts To
Life In North Korea, 2012).
However, even with these similarities, there are major differences between the cultures of
the twin nations as well. South Korea uses a lot of English alongside Korean while North Korea
does not use English (Kim, 2013). Due to longer required military time in North Korea, most
North Korean men do not start dating until later in life (Kim, 2013). They also have very
different wedding cultures; South Korea has fancy weddings in a nice place with a beautiful
dress while North Korea has lower scale affairs at a local restaurant or at home (Kim, 2013). In
South Korea, the newlyweds head off on a honeymoon; meanwhile, [they] dont have the idea
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of a honeymoon in North Korea (Kim, 2013). The internet also acts as a major force in causing
the cultures of the two countries to drift apart, as only South Korea has access to the internet and
its culture changing effects (Kim, 2013).
One of the major differences between the two Koreas is economics. South Korea is a
global economic powerhouse, ranking as the worlds twelfth largest economy; meanwhile, North
Koreas economy is near completely controlled by the government (Central Intelligence Agency,
2014a, 2014b). North Korea tries to avoid working with other countries at all, earning the title of
Hermit Kingdom (Connor, et al., 2009, p. 101). Contrariwise, South Korea is greatly reliant on
exporting goods to run their economy, resulting in issues as the global economy drops (Central
Intelligence Agency, 2014a).
North Korea is one of the most government controlled economies in the world. In North
Korea, the government chooses where you work, how much you get paid and what you can buy
(Central Intelligence Agency, 2014b). They do allow some private farming as an experiment in a
attempt to boost the food supply and semi-open markets to keep the economy in existance
(Central Intelligence Agency, 2014b). The government controls what gets produced, when it is
produced and when it is produced (Central Intelligence Agency, 2014b). The country suffers
massive food shortages, alevated by international aid (Central Intelligence Agency, 2014b).
South Korea, on the other hand, is a modern capitalist country, but it took a while to get
there. In the 1960s, South Korea was among the poorest countries in the world, due to damage
from the Korean War (Connor, et al., 2009, p. 104). To grow and recover, the government took
heavy control over business (Central Intelligence Agency, 2014a). However, this proved a poor
plan for the long term, so the government released these controls over time (Central Intelligence
Agency, 2014a).
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The Central Intelligence Agency (2014a, 2014b) estimates the GDP of the South Korean
economy in 2013 to be around $1.666 trillion dollars while the 2013 GDP of the North Korean
economy was estimated to be around $40 billion dollars. The North Korean economy was
estimated to be this same value the previous 2 years as well while the South Korean economy
has grown to this value from $1.587 trillion dollars in 2011 and $1.62 trillion in 2012 (Central
Intelligence Agency, 2014a, 2014b).
Equally telling is the per capita GDP of the twin countries. In South Korea, the per capita
GDP was estimated as $33,200 dollars in 2013, up from $31,900 in 2011 and $32,400 in 2012
(Central Intelligence Agency, 2014a). Meanwhile, in North Korea, the per capita GDP in 2011
(no data is available for 2012-2013) was estimated to be $1,800, which is actually down from
$1,900 in 2009 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2014b).
Both countries have a requirement of mandatory military service. In South Korea, each
man who can is required to serve twenty-one months in the military starting at age 20 (Kim,
2013). Meanwhile, in North Korea, ten years of service in the military starting at age 18 is
required (Kim, 2013). People living in the twin countries can, of course, serve voluntarily if they
wish; they can start from 16 years old in North Korea and 18 years old in South Korea (Central
Intelligence Agency, 2014a, 2014b).
Overall, the twin countries of North Korea and South Korea are like an imperfect mirror,
showing two similar groups of people in completely different situations. North Korea is a
communist land ruled over by a Supreme Leader and a Supreme Peoples Assembly they were
forced to vote for, while South Korea is a capitalist land ruled over by a President and a National
Assembly they chose. However, both countries are peopled with nice people speaking the same
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language, celebrating the same holidays and honoring their ancestors. So, in the end, there is one
peninsula, one race, one people sadly divided by politics and laws.

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References
Central Intelligence Agency. (2014a, March 4). South Korea. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from
The World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/ks.html
Central Intelligence Agency. (2014b, March 4). North Korea. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from
The World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/kn.html
Connor, M. E., Fulton, B., Kim, D. S., Kim, D., Mc Arthur, M., & Song, J. H. (2009). Asia in
Focus. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, LLC. Retrieved from
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/ebooks/ebc/KOREAS1C
Kim, J. Y. (2012, October 2). The Good Parts To Life In North Korea. Retrieved March 9, 2014,
from NK News: https://www.nknews.org/2012/10/the-good-parts-to-life-in-north-korea-
2/
Kim, J. Y. (2013, Febuary 11). Top 5 Similarities between North and South Korea. Retrieved
March 9, 2014, from NK News: https://www.nknews.org/2013/02/top-5-similarities-
between-north-and-south-korea/
T.S. (2014, March 5). How North Korea's elections work. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from The
Economist Explains: http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-
explains/2014/03/economist-explains-2