Day 75 The Korean conflict

The Korean conflict

On 6th March, the American ambassador Mark Lippert was attacked by a Korean national unity extremist. This man used a 25 centimeter knife to stab the ambassador’s arm and right cheek. The assaulter was shouting: ‘ South and North Korea should be united.’ This 55 years-old Kim Ju-song committed several attacks, including throwing concrete blocks to the Japan embassy in Seoul. He is the leader of South Korea extreme culture movement organization ‘Our yard’, which acts against the military corporation between U.S. And South Korea. He claims that the more and more frequent joint military manoeuvres are the impediment of the reunion of North and South Korea. Because it intensifies the confrontation and delays the date of reunion of the separated families on both sides.

The political divide of North and South Korea has a profound history. In 1945, after the surrender of Japan in World War II, the Japanese occupied area Korea was taken back and controlled by the Soviet Union and America. Similar to Germany, separate governments supported by these two groups were established in 1948. Divided by 38 degrees north latitude, the communist republic North Korea and capitalist country South Korea were established. From that date, the attempts to unify the country ware never stopped. Unfortunately, the two political groups behind them utilize the North and South Korea as their wrestling ground, therefore, the Korean War broke out. During the three-year war, more than one million soldiers were killed in both parties. At first, the North Korean took 90% of the land with Soveir Union’s support. However, after the international coalition and China’s intervention, the war soon exacerbated. This war left enormous wounds for both sides of Korea, hence it remained as the gulf for them to reach a peace settlement to reunion.

The tensions leads to arms race for the North and South. The North Korea became a military country controlled by the Kim’s family. On the other hand, the South Korea never lets the guards down, so every male Korean need to take army service for at least two years during the age 20 to 30. This recruiting system allows South Korea to muster an army from ordinary citizens in war time. In addition, the joint military exercises with America were performed more and more frequently against North Korea as the imaginary enemy. 

My South Korean friend Jimmy was always worrying about the conflict with the North. Obviously, no one likes war and the same apply to the South and North Korean. In order to release their fear and anger against war, people like Kim-Ju Song express it violently. Of course, he must be punished by his crime, but both North and South Korea should consider a applicable solution to the conflict in the future.