Today North Korea opened fire on South Korea, over the disputed border of Yeonpyeong in the Yellow Sea. Before the town was evacuated it suffered heavy damage to its buildings as well as the loss of the two soldiers. North Korea claims that South Korea began the open-fire, yet it hardly seems likely given Kim Jong iI's history as an aggressive leader of the regime. Over the past year now, North Korea has began a mild blitz on the disputed island in the Yellow Sea. Today's event has marked one of the most aggressive acts from either side since the end of the Korean War in 1953, and surely brings up the question of what's next.
The Korean War 1950
Following the end of WWII, and the surrender of the Japanese Empire, the Korean Peninsula was divided into two parts. The north was occupied by the Communist Soviet Soldiers while the South was occupied by the American army. Tension over complete unification began to grow throughout the peninsula. This tension eventually grew to the point, where both United States and the Soviet had to intercede in what became known as the ultimate ignition of the Cold War. On June 25, 1950 the armies of North Korea invaded South Korea.
The United Nations, most notably the United States, came to the aid of South Korea claiming that the invasion was unjust. However this event marked a dividing line, between those who supported Capitalism in the Western Hemisphere and those who supported Communism in the eastern Hemisphere. While the United Nations sided with South Korea, the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China sided with North Korea. Thus the war became known not only as a civil war, yet more significantly as a proxy war of ideology.
The war lasted for nearly three years, as somewhat of a stalemate in the trenches. Many began to fear that nuclear war was the only way to bring an end to the conflict, however a cease-fire was finally agreed upon on July 27th, 1953. The North Korean invasion was thus repelled, and the external powers were forced to cease their invasions as well. The Korean Armistace was thus established in hopes to further peace talks between the two countries, along with the support of the United States and the Soviet Union. However for over 50 years now these peace talks have been quite unsuccessful and the tension between North and South Korea has remained.
Recent Activity
At the end of the Cold War, reconciliation between North and South Korea seemed very possible until the death of Kim il Sung, brought his son Kim Jong il to power in 1994. As ruler of North Korea, Kim Jong il, brought upon a fierce stance on relations with South Korea. By 1999 naval conflicts had re-emerged within the peninsula, and it soon became clear that the civil war may return. For the past ten years now North Korea has instigated a series of attacks and nuclear tests, which have caught not only the attention of South Korea yet of the world.
On March 26, 2010 North Korea sank a South Korean vessel in the Yellow Sea, killing 46 sailors. Many thought this was the final straw for South Korea, however President Lee Myung-bak merely condemned the attack and decided to cut off economic ties with their aggressors. Nearly 7 months after this attack in the Yellow Sea, the North Korean regime has once again made a loud statement that they are not quite finished. With his son Kim-Jong-un ready to take the helm of his ill father, the country seems extremely united and devoted to this cause of taking South Korea and uniting the peninsula. It will be interesting to see how the world most notably the United States government reacts to this aggression. North Korea has one of the fourth largest militaries in the world and surely is a force to be reckoned with.
Following the end of WWII, and the surrender of the Japanese Empire, the Korean Peninsula was divided into two parts. The north was occupied by the Communist Soviet Soldiers while the South was occupied by the American army. Tension over complete unification began to grow throughout the peninsula. This tension eventually grew to the point, where both United States and the Soviet had to intercede in what became known as the ultimate ignition of the Cold War. On June 25, 1950 the armies of North Korea invaded South Korea.
The United Nations, most notably the United States, came to the aid of South Korea claiming that the invasion was unjust. However this event marked a dividing line, between those who supported Capitalism in the Western Hemisphere and those who supported Communism in the eastern Hemisphere. While the United Nations sided with South Korea, the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China sided with North Korea. Thus the war became known not only as a civil war, yet more significantly as a proxy war of ideology.
The war lasted for nearly three years, as somewhat of a stalemate in the trenches. Many began to fear that nuclear war was the only way to bring an end to the conflict, however a cease-fire was finally agreed upon on July 27th, 1953. The North Korean invasion was thus repelled, and the external powers were forced to cease their invasions as well. The Korean Armistace was thus established in hopes to further peace talks between the two countries, along with the support of the United States and the Soviet Union. However for over 50 years now these peace talks have been quite unsuccessful and the tension between North and South Korea has remained.
Recent Activity
At the end of the Cold War, reconciliation between North and South Korea seemed very possible until the death of Kim il Sung, brought his son Kim Jong il to power in 1994. As ruler of North Korea, Kim Jong il, brought upon a fierce stance on relations with South Korea. By 1999 naval conflicts had re-emerged within the peninsula, and it soon became clear that the civil war may return. For the past ten years now North Korea has instigated a series of attacks and nuclear tests, which have caught not only the attention of South Korea yet of the world.
On March 26, 2010 North Korea sank a South Korean vessel in the Yellow Sea, killing 46 sailors. Many thought this was the final straw for South Korea, however President Lee Myung-bak merely condemned the attack and decided to cut off economic ties with their aggressors. Nearly 7 months after this attack in the Yellow Sea, the North Korean regime has once again made a loud statement that they are not quite finished. With his son Kim-Jong-un ready to take the helm of his ill father, the country seems extremely united and devoted to this cause of taking South Korea and uniting the peninsula. It will be interesting to see how the world most notably the United States government reacts to this aggression. North Korea has one of the fourth largest militaries in the world and surely is a force to be reckoned with. 
No comments:
Post a Comment