A BRIEF HISTORY OF NORTH KOREA

When World War II ended in 1945, Japan lost control
of Korea to Allied forces. In much the same way
that Germany was split after the war, Korea was
divided at the 38th parallel, with the Soviet Union
administering the northern half and the United States
administering the southern half.
KOREAN DIVISION TURNS INTO WAR
The foreign administration of North and South Korea
was intended to be temporary, and plans had been
laid for free elections in the two districts. However,
in 1948, Kim Il-sung, communist-aligned leader of the
Korean People’s Army (KPA), convinced Soviet
leaders not to allow UN (United Nations) authorities
north of the dividing line. So the election never took
place in North Korea.
By the end of 1948, two new nations had been
formally established:
The Republic of Korea was established in the
south, led by the democratically elected
President Syngman Rhee.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was
declared in the north, with Kim Il-sung
established as Premier (with support of the
USSR).
Most US forces had left South Korea by the summer
of 1949, leaving behind a weak government and
inexperienced army. North Korea, on the other hand,
had the financial and military backing of the USSR
and China and had built up a strong army.
Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Ufuk Zivana 2006
The separation point between the two factions — the
38th parallel — was a focus of constant bloody
skirmishes for two years. Then, on June 25, 1950,
North Korea made a surge into South Korea. The
Korean War that followed pulled in forces from the
United Nations, the United States, and China, as well
as military advisors from the USSR. It lasted until
1953, when the Commander-in-Chief of UN forces,
the Supreme Commander of the KPA, and the
commander of the Chinese People’s Volunteers
signed the Korean Armistice Agreement. (Note that
neither South Korean nor U.S. leadership were
involved in the signing.)
The Korean Armistice Agreement re-established the
line of division at the 38th parallel, with a
demilitarized zone extending two kilometers in both
directions.
After the war, Kim Il-sung set out to purge North
Korea of his enemies, both real and imagined. By
1961, the last vestiges of opposition to Kim had
disappeared.
The organizational structure of North Korea was
modeled after that of Stalinist Russia, with a large
focus on military build-up and heavy industry,
especially mining. Kim stuck with his Stalinist
philosophy even as his communist neighbors evolved
their governments, first in 1956, when Soviet leader
Nikita Khruschev made sweeping denouncements of
Stalin, followed 10 years later by Mao Zedong’s
Cultural Revolution in China.
NORTH KOREA’S POST-WAR ECONOMY AND
POLITICS
In the 1970s, North Korean mining production had
reached its peak. Sudden rises in the price of foreign
oil combined with falling prices for North Korea’s
native minerals hit the economy hard. Surrounding
nations began building up economies based on
computers and other technology, a shift that North
Korea — so focused on mining and military might —
was unable to keep up with. Kim made the tough
decision to take on foreign debt to keep the
economy afloat.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, relations between
North and South Korea, as well as between North
Korea and the rest of the world, were a veritable
roller coaster. Discussions about reunifying split
families, co-hosting the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and
economic cooperation started, stalled, restarted, and
failed. International tensions mounted, too, as North
Korea announced its growing nuclear program, which
included experiments in uranium enrichment, a first
step in the creation of nuclear weapons.
Both North Korea and South Korea officially joined
the United Nations in September 1991. The 1990s
were characterized by unkept promises from North
Korea to shut down or freeze various parts of its
nuclear program and to allow international inspectors
to examine their nuclear capabilities in exchange for
oil and aid. Using their nuclear program to elicit
international aid would become a common theme in
the decades to come.
Kim Il-sung died of a sudden heart attack on July 8,
1994. Although the means of succession had not
been strictly set down, Kim’s son, Kim Jong-il,
succeeded his father by becoming the chairman of
the most powerful state institution in the country,
The National Defense Commission. Kim Jong-il
adopted an ideology known as Songgun — “Army
First” — which transformed the country from a
traditional communist government to a military
dictatorship.
North Korea’s nuclear ambitions were overshadowed
by famine in the late 1990s after the country
suffered first through horrific flooding and then
through drought. Because of famine, a failing
economy, and a disintegrating infrastructure, North
Korea now relies on international aid to keep its
citizens fed.
In 2005, North Korea announced that it had
completed its first underground nuclear test, and its
ongoing nuclear program continues to be a point of
contention in the international community. Outcry
over unconfirmed violations of human rights by the
North Korean government has also stymied
international acceptance.
Kim Jong-il died on December 17, 2011, and his son,
Kim Jong-un, took power. How this new, young
leader will guide his country and interact on the
international stage remains to be seen

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