Korea’s division was caused by the fall of the Japanese empire after WWII, with the Americans taking the south, and the Russians taking the north.  It’s hard to believe that these two countries used to be united.  Compared to the oppressive rule in the North, South Korea is very democratic with their society similar to ours in the U.S.  The question, why are these two countries polar opposites today?

One of the biggest differences is the leaders, and what ideology they follow in order to rule.  North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un is basically the epitome of dictatorship.  During his rule, he’s been responsible for many human rights violations.  For example, when Kim’s father died, he ordered his officials to kill anyone that didn’t cry at the funeral.  The United Nations even voted to bring North Korea to the International Crime Court.  South Korea’s leader, Park Geun-hye is required to uphold some promises.  Some of her duties include keeping the safety of the Republic of Korea and upholding the constitution. Sounds similar to our U.S president?

Another key difference is Democracy.  North Korea ranks 178 on the freedom index scale while its southern counterpart ranks 50.  This shows a huge difference in the basic rights of both countries’ citizens.  Because freedom is extremely limited in North Korea, this has consequently resulted in lower-life expectancy, greater corruption, lower GDP, higher mortality rate, etc.

Military strength serves as a main difference between the two countries. South Korea only spent 2.8% of their GDP for military compared to North Korea spending 22.3% of its GDP for military purpose.  I can see why the military is really large, the North has a much smaller GDP than South Korea, yet it’s spending a bigger percentage of money for military expenditure alone.