Korean Unification In South Korea
1539 Words
7 Pages
Standing in guard near the snowy border between the Noth and South Korea, a young man stands alert. The year is 1990, a time when South Korea was starting to heal from the years of military dictatorships. The man has to patrol around the ironically dangerous Korean Demilitarized Zone, a mix of beautiful mountain wildlife and dangerous mines, for his family, friends, and countrymen. A couple of days ago, the small Korean penninsula was hit with big news; Germany was close to reunifying again, after years of separation during the Cold War. The young man, still idealistic and young, wonders whether the two Koreas will ever be unified like Germany while staring out at the pitch black propaganda village of Kijongdong. It has been twenty-six years
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Although many of those who lived through the Cold War still believe that the two Koreas should reunify, the younger generations do not see the connections between the two countries. The Korean Demilitarized Zone has effectively cut-off all cultural ties between the the people, making the newer generation that has no connections to the North think that their brothers and sisters in North Korea are different people. According to Tania Branigan’s article “Korean Unification: Dreams of Unity Fade into Past for Young South Koreans”, Branigan says, “In 1994, 92% of South Koreans considered unification ‘necessary’; by 2007 that had fallen to 64%... a 2010 survey found that only 49% of twenty-somethings judged it necessary…” (Branigan). Although South Koreans are many times better off than North Korea, the country they live in still has problems. The country has seen better times in the recent decade, with economical and social problems bubbling and engulfing the years of progress South Korea has made. Problems like minimum wage, teenage suicide, and bullying have boiled over after long social suppresion of such topics.With the social-economical factors already playing an influence on South Korean minds, North Korea seems to be more like an annoyance than a family member. Adding to social-economical factors, the acts of aggression from North Korea’s Kim Jong-un makes many in the South to feel fear and frustration. Young men, …show more content…
Due to the heavy amount of military arms in the area, civilians are unable to enter the Korean Demilitarized Zone. While many areas have been victims of deforestation in South Korea, the two-hundred fitfty miles of land have been left untouched for nature to strive and prosper. According to Lisa Brady’s Guardian article, “How Wildlife is Thriving in the Korean Peninsula’s Demilitarized Zone”, Brady claims, “Scientists estimate that over 1,600 types of vascular plants and more than 300 species of mushrooms, fungi and lichen are thriving in the DMZ. Mammals such as the rare Amur goral, Asiatic black bear, musk deer and spotted seal inhabit the DMZ’s land marine ecosystems. There are even reports of tigers, believed extinct on the peninsula since before Japanese occupation…” (Brady). Within the dangerous bounders of the two countries, many animals have found a home that disappeared along with the modernization process of the two countries. The Siberian Tiger, which had been hunted for its skin by Koreans, were only a thing of myth in my grandparents’ time. They only heard of tigers in the old stories in folklore; now, the tigers have found their home again in between the hotly
Although many of those who lived through the Cold War still believe that the two Koreas should reunify, the younger generations do not see the connections between the two countries. The Korean Demilitarized Zone has effectively cut-off all cultural ties between the the people, making the newer generation that has no connections to the North think that their brothers and sisters in North Korea are different people. According to Tania Branigan’s article “Korean Unification: Dreams of Unity Fade into Past for Young South Koreans”, Branigan says, “In 1994, 92% of South Koreans considered unification ‘necessary’; by 2007 that had fallen to 64%... a 2010 survey found that only 49% of twenty-somethings judged it necessary…” (Branigan). Although South Koreans are many times better off than North Korea, the country they live in still has problems. The country has seen better times in the recent decade, with economical and social problems bubbling and engulfing the years of progress South Korea has made. Problems like minimum wage, teenage suicide, and bullying have boiled over after long social suppresion of such topics.With the social-economical factors already playing an influence on South Korean minds, North Korea seems to be more like an annoyance than a family member. Adding to social-economical factors, the acts of aggression from North Korea’s Kim Jong-un makes many in the South to feel fear and frustration. Young men, …show more content…
Due to the heavy amount of military arms in the area, civilians are unable to enter the Korean Demilitarized Zone. While many areas have been victims of deforestation in South Korea, the two-hundred fitfty miles of land have been left untouched for nature to strive and prosper. According to Lisa Brady’s Guardian article, “How Wildlife is Thriving in the Korean Peninsula’s Demilitarized Zone”, Brady claims, “Scientists estimate that over 1,600 types of vascular plants and more than 300 species of mushrooms, fungi and lichen are thriving in the DMZ. Mammals such as the rare Amur goral, Asiatic black bear, musk deer and spotted seal inhabit the DMZ’s land marine ecosystems. There are even reports of tigers, believed extinct on the peninsula since before Japanese occupation…” (Brady). Within the dangerous bounders of the two countries, many animals have found a home that disappeared along with the modernization process of the two countries. The Siberian Tiger, which had been hunted for its skin by Koreans, were only a thing of myth in my grandparents’ time. They only heard of tigers in the old stories in folklore; now, the tigers have found their home again in between the hotly