Preface

Korea is known as the "Land of the Morning Calm" by its people, but history tells a different story, one of tumultuous change and a life full of heartache. A unified country for over 1,200 years, Korea ultimately became a site for occupation by many countries and was subjected to imperial conquests of one form or another over the years. The division of Korea at the 38th parallel after WWII led to a unique situation on the peninsula. Two separate countries emerged, each with its own leadership, economy, way of life, and policies, and each vying for regional power within its sphere of influence. North Korea, with its isolationist policy, has baffled political scientists, while South Korea has, until recently, welcomed an American presence with open arms and has embraced democracy. Korea, a land ravaged by war and plagued by foreign occupation throughout its history, is still torn apart by intrapeninsular tension and animosity even though both North and South are working to ease tensions through diplomacy. This book examines the enigma that is the Korean peninsula.

In the wake of 9/11, a majority of developed and developing countries—with the United States at the forefront—began waging a "war on terror" and sought to rid the world of dictatorial leaders who threatened humanity. In his 2002 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush named an "axis of evil" that included Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. Even as it was bringing about the demise of Saddam Hussein’s regime, the United States was turning its sights toward North Korea and the nuclear threat it now poses to the world after it openly declared not only nuclear capabilities, but also the intentions of using those capabilities against another country should the North Koreans deem it necessary.

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates North and South Korea is not only the last vestige of the Cold War, since it was determined by the United States and the Soviet Union at the close of the Korean conflict in 1953, but it is also the most heavily militarized zone in the world. Because only an armistice was signed to ease hostilities between the North and South, a warlike environment still exists along the DMZ. American soldiers make up a large number of the South Korean defense force, and that is why the presence of nuclear weapons in North Korea’s arsenal is especially distressing to the United States, whom North Korea has specifically threatened should it feel provoked. Closed to the outside world, North Korea operates within its own bubble, making its activities a mystery to everyone else. It has, however, openly pursued a policy of militarization that has left its economy in a shambles, its people destitute, and its foreign policies lacking, to say the least, all in the name of national defense. The secretiveness and seclusion that North Korea has sought have alienated it from the rest of the world, and the communist policies it has pursued—the same ones that proved so disastrous to the former Soviet Union—have people in the West asking, simply, Why?

South Korea, on the other hand, has the third largest economy in Asia. Most South Korean homes are internet-accessible; Western technology and culture have been embraced; and democracy constitutes the basis of South Korea’s government. With South Korea supporting about 37,000 American troops, anti-Americanism has been on the rise among the younger generation of Koreans who do not remember the Korean War and are pressing for reunification with their northern counterpart. Memories of "The Forgotten War," however, have the older generation wary of reunification and fearful of what the North might do should the United States pull out of South Korea altogether, especially since the North has declared its nuclear capabilities. As the debate over a U.S. presence intensifies, reunification is discussed, and nuclear talks are thwarted, Korea is quickly moving into the international spotlight.

Chapter one of this book focuses on Korea’s history and both North and South Korean leadership. Chapter two, "Life on the Peninsula," looks at refugee problems, North Korea’s human rights abuses, the reunions organized for North and South Korean families torn apart by the Korean War, and health and education issues facing Korea today. Chapter three examines at foreign relations issues, including how the North and South deal with countries such as Japan and China, the issue of the U.S. presence in South Korea and the generational gap in attitudes over that presence, and the scaling back of American troops along the DMZ. North and South Korea’s economies are discussed in chapter four, and chapter five examines both the North and South’s military strategies, as well as the questions surrounding North Korea’s nuclear capabilities and the threat the country might pose to the rest of the world should it attempt to use the nuclear weapons it insists it has.

I would first like to thank all the newspapers, magazines, and other publications that have given us permission to reprint their work in this book. I would also like to especially thank Lynn Messina and Sandra Watson for their patience and hard work on this book, as well as Richard Stein, Norris Smith, and Gray Young for their help, and Cullen Thomas for his suggestions, insights, and advice.

Jennifer Peloso

June 2004