Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 13-4
A North Korean flag flaps atop a tower at the
propaganda village at Gijungdong in the DMZ.
This picture is taken from the Dora observation
post in Paju almost 33 miles (55 km) from Seoul.
©Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters/Landov LLC.
While the traditional, Confucian agrarian order was
retained, a modern administration was established, with
Japanese functioning in key positions. Both agriculture
and industry were structured to meet the needs of Japan
and its plans for aggrandizement. T Transportation, com-
munication, mining, and other infrastructure were mod-
ernized and expanded. Thousands of Koreans were sent
to Japan to work in factories. In Japan, the Korean lan-
guage was banned and Koreans had to take Japanese
names. In Korea, resistance movements were brutally
crushed, deepening Korean hatred of their Japanese
overlords. Japanese rule of Korea did not end until T Tokyo
surrendered to the Allied Forces in 1945.
by the entry of Chinese troops in support of North Korea
in 1950. After three years of fighting, an armistice was
signed, with an agreement to find a political solution to
the problem of division. The 1953 agreement led to the
creation of a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which has be-
come heavily militarized on both sides.
The DMZ is an interesting site (Figure 13-4). Y ou
can visit the southern flank and look across a “no-man' s-
land” to a phony “ideal” North Korean village where
propaganda billboards tout the superior lifestyle of North
Koreans. The route to the DMZ, just 25 miles (40 km)
north of Seoul, is marked by military bunkers and bomb-
filled overpasses ready to crush any invasion from the
North. The North Koreans have made several tunneling
attempts into the South, but these have been detected
and destroyed.
The DMZ is about 2.5 miles (4.2 km) wide and 155
miles (258 km) long, making it one of the largest unpop-
ulated areas in northeast Asia. Riddled with landmines,
tank traps, sensors, and automatic artillery , and fes-
tooned with barbed wire, the Korean DMZ is also home
to a host of wildlife. Black bears, antelope, roe deer, rare
cranes, eagles, and other species now inhabit this other-
wise desolate strip of territory . Some environmentalists
fear that a reunification of the two Koreas might spell
doom for this vibrant ecosystem.
The Korean War devastated the country , especially the
North, where systematic bombing eradicated the indus-
trial plants. Some 4 million perished, and millions of
refugees remained trapped on the wrong side of the divide,
most never to see their families again. Around 1 million
refugees fled to the South with the retreating U.N. forces.
NORTH-SOUTH DIVISION
In 1945, the Soviets and the Americans divided the penin-
sula into two spheres of influence and military occupa-
tion at the 38th parallel. Free elections were supposed to
follow , but disagreement on this issue ensued in the next
two years. In the face of the adamant refusal of the Soviets
to subscribe to United Nations-supervised elections, the
Republic of Korea (ROK) was established south of the
38th parallel on August 15, 1948. The Soviet response
came in September, with the formation of the Democratic
People' s Republic (DPRK) in the north. The United States
withdrew its military forces the following year.
On June 25, 1950, North Korean armed forces at-
tacked South Korea across the 38th parallel. The United
Nations responded with the support of sixteen nations,
led by the United States with 90 percent of the troops,
and the Korean War ensued. The conflict was prolonged
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