FREE ESSAY ON THE DIVIDING LINE

THE DIVIDING LINE

Two Korean soldiers-- one from Sariwan, North Korea, and one from Chongju, South Korea--
stare intensely at one another, watching each and every move. They are in the DMZ, a 4 km
wide band stretching across 250 km of deserted land, known as the demilitarized zone
between the two Koreas. They each represent their part of Korea. The soldiers are in this
uptight position because of the Korean War, which never officially ended with a peace
treaty. As they watch one another, it is as if they are looking at a mirror image of
themselves. Even though they are identical on the outside, they are far from similar on
the inside.
North Korea and South Korea, like the two soldiers, share some similar characteristics.
First, they both have an extremely high literacy rate; North Korea has 95% and South
Korea has 97% literate citizens. Education is free for students ages 5-16, and many take
advantage of this academic offering. Second, what better food is there to be found in
Korea than the fish than the fish that surround the peninsula. The North and the South
have major commercial fishing businesses. In fact, did you know South Korea ranks third
in the world's fishing industry? Another common food between the North and South is rice.
It's the chief crop of the north and a wet- season crop in the south. Third, Korea has a
homogenous society, which means the citizens in the North and South have a common ethnic
background. Lastly, both sides share the Korean language. Approximately 110 million
people living on the Korean peninsula speak this language, which originated in Neolithic
times. Although you can see these few similarities, it is difficult to find many common
links between the two parts of Korea. On the other hand, the differences are far more
apparent.
The first big difference between North and South Korea is their government. While North
Korea is a hard- line Communist nation, the South is a democracy. The political power in
the North rests with the leadership of the Korean Worker's Party. Governing
democratically, the south's legislative power is vested in the popularly elected National
Assembly, and executive power rests in a president elected to a single five-year term.
Unfortunately, the citizens in North Korea live in poverty and starvation, while the
South Korean citizens are wealthy and stuffed. For example, if North Korean citizens came
in contact with South Korean citizens, they would be jealous of how fat they were!
Controlled by their government, the North has little foreign involvement. Trading
withother countries is nearly non-existent. They have practically cut themselves off from
the outside world. Having a growing prosperity from foreign trade, South Korea is a key
US ally. Exports from the South include many manufactured and electronic goods. Lastly,
resources and land formations have their differences between the North and South. The
mountains, coal, metal, and hydroelectric power are rich in North Korea and the
electricity is provided by a large hydroelectric source on the Yalu River. Unlike the
North, South Korea has good agricultural land, yet it's much smaller. Their rice fields
are growing rapidly and are among the best in the world. The differences in the resources
and land are due to the political division at the 38th parallel.
This brings us back to the DMZ, where the two soldiers continue constant eye contact.
Although the North and the South share these similarities and differences, one can only
help think of the possibility that the soldiers, from both Koreas , one day will be hand
in hand as they defend Korea as a whole. But until that day comes, think of the fear and
tension between North and South Korea and know it will continue to exist.