Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The last years of the 19th century saw a larger foreign presence on the Korean peninsula,
with China, Russia, and Japan vying for influence, and the hasty introduction of modern
infrastructure such as rail lines as well as electricity and hospitals in major cities. Japan's
decisive defeat of Russia in the brief (1904-1905) Russo-Japanese War quickly established
it as the dominant power in the region and gave it the confidence to force Joseon's then-
ruler, King Kojong, to sign a treaty that effectively gave Japan control of the country. In
1910 the Japanese annexed Korea outright.
Japan's nearly four-decade-long occupation of the peninsula haunts Koreans to this day.
It could be argued that the rapid modernization overseen by the Japanese paved the way for
South Korea's later industrial success, but whatever incidental benefits it brought, Japanese
rule was a clear attempt to crush the country and its people. Koreans were forced to adopt
Japanese names and the Shinto religion; the teaching and even speaking of Korean were
prohibited. Thousands of Koreans were roped into Japan's World War II effort as soldiers,
laborers, or sex slaves. The peninsula was ruthlessly stripped of its resources, and any out-
breaks of dissent quickly evoked a violent response.
Japan's defeat in World War II brought its rule over Korea to an end, but not the freedom
so many Koreans were craving. Seeing the Koreans as insufficiently prepared for self-gov-
ernment, the United States and Russia agreed to split the country at the 38th parallel, with
the United States overseeing the withdrawal of Japanese troops and preparations for elec-
tions south of the line and Russia doing the same in the north. This division quickly became
entrenched, and in 1948 the northern half declined to participate in the elections held in
the south that led to the creation of the Republic of Korea, soon recognized by the United
Nations as Korea's sole legitimate government. Immediately after the establishment of the
republic, the North Koreans set up their own Soviet-modeled government in Pyongyang.
While there's still some debate over how the Korean War (1950-1953) broke out, most
historians point the finger at a June 1950 breach of the 38th parallel by North Korean troops.
At this point they were far better armed and equipped than their South Korean counterparts,
and they pushed to the southern stretches of the peninsula in a few weeks. Led by the Un-
ited States, the UN quickly stepped in to help South Korea. A bold move by the U.S. Army
to launch an invasion north of the main mass of North Korean troops, at the beaches of
Incheon, helped it quickly seize North Korean territory nearly all the way to the Chinese
border, prompting China to send its own troops in to help the North Koreans drive the
