The tragedy of one people: through whose fault Korea was divided into two states

In order to understand how two different states were formed on the territory of Korea, it is necessary to go back to the end of the 19th century. In those days, Korea was called the Great Joseon State and had the same borders as the countries of the Korean Peninsula today. Being in the zone of economic interests of their more powerful neighbors Japan and China, the leaders of the Joseon state were constantly forced to maneuver between external forces. Taking advantage of the political and military weakness of the ruling dynasty at that time, the Japanese Empire began a trade and economic expansion on the peninsula and forced Joseon to sign an unequal treaty. This moment can be considered the beginning of the tragedies that occurred with the Korean people afterwards.

When revolutionary unrest erupted in the country in the 1890s, the Li dynasty turned to China for military assistance. This was not to the liking of Japan, which considered Joseon to be a zone exclusively of its economic interests and immediately brought its troops into the territory of the Korean Peninsula. Thus began the next Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), of which there were a great many in the history of the hostility of these states. But this time it was fought precisely for possession of the Joseon state and on its territory. The outcome of the war was sad: as a result of the defeat of China, the state of Joseon fell into political and economic dependence on Japan.

Representatives of the dynasty

But finally, Korea became a colony of Japan only in 1910. This was preceded by the events of the now Russian-Japanese war of 1904-1905, as a result of which the territory of Korea was occupied by Japanese troops. After the war ended, the Japanese Empire established a protectorate over the territory of Korea, and then made it its colony.

So, in the period from 1910 to 1945, Korea was a colony of Japan. And at that moment she was led by a Japanese governor general. Despite the industrialization of the economy, which was carried out by the new government, and significant success in this direction, the life of the Korean people in this period can hardly be called prosperous. This is eloquently testified by popular uprisings and clandestine activities carried out by supporters of Korean independence. Koreans were oppressed by ethnicity, forced to accept Japanese names and learn Japanese in schools, cultural assimilation was carried out. The able-bodied population was forcibly taken to work in Japan, and men were forced to serve in the Japanese army.

The colonial rule of Japan on the peninsula ended after its defeat in World War II, but the suffering of the Korean people did not end there. According to the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, the territory of the former colony was divided between the victorious countries: the USSR and the USA. The role of the United States in the victory over militaristic Japan is very ambiguous, as well as in the defeat of fascist Germany. But be that as it may, the dropping of two atomic bombs on the cities of almost capitulated Japan provided the United States with the right to part of the Korean Peninsula south of the 38th parallel.

So the peninsula was divided into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the north and the Republic of Korea in the south. Before the military conflict of 1950-1953, the leaders of both states openly demonstrated their intentions to unite the country into a single Korea, of course, each under its own power.

Seoul is the capital of the Republic of Korea

But these plans were not destined to come true, and still the Korean people exist in two different states. Many Koreans are deprived of the opportunity to meet with their relatives due to the fact that official bans on visiting a neighboring state are valid in both countries. While political leaders make high-profile statements, ordinary Koreans on both sides of the border sincerely dream of uniting their long-suffering homeland.