North and South Korea -- Page 2

Overview {All of Korea}

Korea is a small, strategically important, and politically divided country occupying a narrow peninsula of the East Asian mainland. It shares land borders with China on the north and with Russia on the northeast. Formerly a united kingdom, Korea was divided (1945) at about the 38th parallel of latitude into two separate occupation zones (Soviet in the north and United Korea, otherwise known as North Korea, and the U.S.-supported Republic of Korea, or South Korea. South Korea seeks the reunification through peace and reconciliation. Seoul is the capital of South Korea, and Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea.

Korea has a long history as a cultural bridge across which Chinese culture was transmitted to Japan and Japanese influences reached the mainland. Korean culture was greatly enriched by this contact, but Korea was dominated politically by both China and Japan for part of its history. Nevertheless, the Koreans have maintained their identity as a separate and distinct people. The name is derived from Koryo, the dynasty that ruled the peninsula from 918 to 1392. Following the devastation of the Korean War (1950-53), both nations had to rebuild their economies; South Korea looked outward, developing a successful export-oriented economy. North Korea, one of the world's most highly regimented and isolated societies, focused on economic self-sufficiency.