The Differences Between North And South Korea: Best 5+ Facts
Original blog post: https://ling-app.com/ko/differences-between-north-and-south-korea/
Have you ever heard anyone describe the differences between North and South Korea? In this blog post, you will gain all the essential information about what sets these two places apart. So let’s get started!
Geographical Differences Between North And South Korea
North Korea is located in northeast Asia on the northern half of the Korean peninsula. It covers an area of 120,538 km. It has 1671.5 km of land boundaries. It shares a 1416 km border line with China, 238 km with South Korea, and 17.5 km with Russia.
South Korea is located in Eastern Asia and occupies the southern half of the Korean peninsula. It also covers the seas of Japan and the Yellow Sea. Most of South Korea is surrounded by mountains. Unlike North Korea, South Korea is a part of the international community.
North And South Korean People
South Koreans are allowed to live their life in any way they want whereas the lives of North Koreans are heavily restricted.
Korean Peninsula
After the defeat of Japan in World War 2, Korea was divided into North and South, the North coming under the control of communist China, and the South, capitalist America. North Korea decided to unite the Korean peninsula and attacked South Korea in 1950.
This war continued for almost three years and came to an end in 1953. The US intervened in the war out of fear that communism would spread through Asia, whereas China and the soviet union decided to join with the North and stand with them.
Although the war ended neither of the two countries won an outright victory. Instead 5 million innocent people lost their lives.
The Korean Demilitarized region is the strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel. It marks the current dividing line between the two countries.
Economy
The economy plays an important role in the development and growth of a country. For the development of South Korea’s economy, exports of skin-care products, Kdramas, KPOP, and Korean food play a huge role.
North Korea has a centrally planned economy that focuses on agriculture, construction work, and heavy industries.
Culture
South Korean culture
South Korea is known for showing respect to elderly people. In a world where people shake hands, South Koreans bow out of respect.
They drink seaweed soup on their birthdays and celebrate specific days such as South Korea’s independence day, Chuseok day, black day, and red day and they even celebrate a specific day for singles too.
South Koreans are really family-oriented and friendly. They are very hard-working too. Their most famous foods include kimchi, Tteok-bokki, ramen, bulgogi, soju, Korean fried chicken and barbecue, bibimbap, jjajangmyeon, kimchi fried rice, dumplings, Korean stew, seaweed soup, Samgyeopsal and many more.
North Korean Culture
North Korea has an extremely strict cultural landscape People who live there cannot use the internet or watch TV made outside of the country. If they don’t follow the rules, they are badly punished.
There are limited hairstyles and haircuts for men, women, and children. They have to respect their president and higher authorities. There are statues everywhere of their president Kim Jong Un and his father Kim Jong Il. It is difficult for travelers to enter North Korea. People have to ask for permission to travel.
Children have to sing the anthem of North Korea on their way to their schools and when coming back home.
Washing machines, refrigerators, phones, electricity connections, and internet supplies are rare in North Korea.
Capital Of South Korea
The capital of South Korea is Seoul. Seoul covers an area of 605.2 km2 and has a population of 9.776 million(census of 2017).
Attractions that bring tourists to Seoul include the futuristic Dongdaemun design plaza, a convention hall with curving architecture and a rooftop park, Gyeongbokgung Palace and Jogyesa Temple.
Seoul is the residence of many popular culture stars and the home of the entertainment industry made famous by K-pop and K-drama.
Seoul is a modern, dynamic metropolis rivaling any city in the western world.
Capital Of North Korea
Pyongyang is the capital and largest city of North Korea. Its population is 2.87 million(as of the 2016 census) and covers an area of about 2000 km. Pyongyang is known as the city of revolution and lies on the Taedong River about 109 km upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea.
The famous attractions of Pyongyang in North Korea are the arch of triumph, central botanical gardens, Central ideals zoo, Chollima statue, Juche tower, Ryugyong hotel, and Korean revolution museum.
Pyongyang is not only the capital of North Korea but it is also the residence of famous major government institutions and the ruling worker’s party of Korea.
Military
Let’s also look at the differences between the North and South Korean armed forces.
North Korean Military
The military of North Korea is powerful and personnel undergoes strict training. Men are directed to serve in the military for at least ten years, while it is also necessary for women to enter the service.
During training, different activities and competitions are held. Sometimes, the winner has to shoot the loser to save his own life. North Korea has about 1.1 million active-duty troops and 5.5 million reserves, giving it the fourth largest army in the world.
South Korean Military
The military of South Korea is stronger than North Korea. Every man in South Korea is directed to join the military for one year. However, unlike in North Korea, South Korean Women don’t need to join the Military.
The Republic Of Korea National Military is known as ROK. It is among the most powerful and largest-standing armed forces in the world. The training period in South Korea is five weeks.
Acceptance Level
A defector is a person who abandons their company and starts living in a country of their choice. North Korea is a strict country. People live there in very extreme conditions. Sometimes people leave North Korea out of desperation and move to South Korea.
These North Korean defectors have a hard life in South Korea because of their different accents, culture, and religious habits. They are most of the time not provided with livable conditions.
In 2019 a North Korean defector and her son died of starvation in Seoul. Hwang Jang Yop, former chairman of the standing committee of the supreme people’s assembly along with Kim Dong Hong is the highest North Korean official to defect.
Political System
The Republic of Korea is a Democratic Country where the President is the Head of the State. On the contrary, North Korea is a communist country and the people don’t get to vote for their president.
Sports
Football is considered to be the most famous sport in both South and North Korea. North Korea is also famous for Ice Hockey.
On the other side, South Korea is famous for Baseball. The Winter Olympics is a famous International major multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. In 2018, the Winter Olympics were held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Both South Korea and North Korea participate in the Winter Olympics.
Educational System
Education is integral in both South and North Korea. The South Korean education system is very vast and students start learning at the age of six. In terms of Education, South Korea is brutally competitive and meritorious. North Korea is among the most literate countries in the world with a literacy rate of 98 to 100 percent.
The North Korean curriculum focuses more on the Kim family. On average, a pupil spends 684 hours learning about current North Korean president Kim Jong Un, his father Kim Jong II, his grandfather Kim Sung II, and his grandmother Kim Jong Suk. North Korean Students learn about “ Revolutionary history” involving music, arts, novels, and architecture related to the Kims.
Wrapping Up
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