KOREA

Korea is in north-eastern Asia.

In the 4th century Korea adopted Buddhism as its religion.

The Silla kingdom became a tribal state of China in 658 and ruled a unified Korea for 200 years.

Koryo Kingdom ruled from 918 and when a civil war broke out it ended its supremacy in 1392.

Under the Yi dynasty from 1392 till 1910 Korea was very much influence by Ming China. Confucianism replaced most of Buddhism and a new capital was built Seoul.

During the Russo-Japanese War from 1904 till 1905; Korea was a battleground and became a Japanese colony.
  

In 1945 when the Second World War finally found its end the Allies divided Korea into a Soviet controlled zone north of the 38^th parallel and the US controlled the south.

SOUTH KOREA CAPITAL

SEOUL

Plan to reunify the country was not successful. In 1948, the communist declared the north as Democratic People’s Republic and the south being supported by the West became Republic of Korea.

The US withdrew its troops in 1949 and on June 25, 1950 the North Korean troops launched a surprise attack and soon overrun most of the south.

The conflict became part of the larger Cold War and the invasion was condemned by the United Nations. The Soviet Union delegation was not attending the meeting at the UN and it was voted to assist the south.

General Douglas McArthur, supreme commander of a 16-nation UN force landed in south Korea in September 1950. At the end of October 1950, the North Korean were pushed back to the border of Communist China. China sent troops to support the North Korean.

NORTH KOREA CAPITAL

PYONGYANG

January 1951, the two armies reached the South Korean capital Seoul but by the time spring arrived they were driven back behind the 38^th parallel.

Eventually, after many months of fighting it reached a deadlock.

General Mathew Ridgway, replacing General McArthur’s, started peace negotiation. It lasted till 1953 when an armistice was signed at Panmunjom. The confrontation cost four million people’s lives or being wounded.

A ceasefire was agreed and a demilitarised buffer zone was established between the north and south at the 38^th parallel.

Today, it causes the biggest fear of a Nuclear war. President Kim Jong-un managed to develop nuclear rockets and threatens USA, Japan and the rest of the world with it.

Russia and China are on the side of North Korea but both super powers are trying to calm the situation down.

The threat of a Nuclear War was never so real.