Korea is a peninsula in EastAsia.

Korea’s location allowed forcultural diffusion from China.

Korea’s location also madeit vulnerable. Korea becamea Japanese colony in 1910.

But after the Second

World Warand the

defeat of the

Japanesemilitary,

Korea was divided.

Yet again, Cold War tensionshad influenced world history.

The Soviets controlled the North and Kim Il-Sung led

a Stalinist regime in North Korea.

An American-backed governmentruled the South.

The 38th parallel served

as thedividing line

between North Korea and South

Korea.

But in 1950, the

North Korean army

crossed the 38th parallel.

TheSouth was invaded.

The Korean War lasted

forthree

years. Finally, the

North Korean armies were

pushed back.

Once again, the 38th parallelserved as the dividing line

and in addition, a Demilitarized Zone or DMZwas created on the border.

While Kim Il-Sung served asthe Communist dictator of

North Korea, he maintained a command economy and

insisted on Juche or self-reliance.

Kim Jong-Il, Kim Il Sung’s son,followed his father as leaderof North Korea. It was the firstever dynastic succession in a communist nation.

Kim Jong-Il isolated North Koreaand severely punished critics.

Kim Jong-Il controlled allinformation in North Korea.

Dear Leader, as Kim Jong-Il isknown, even started to

develop a nuclear program.

Sadly, the Korean

Peninsula is a land where

the potential for conflictstill exists.