The Southern dame and the Northern bomber

In South Korea the business acumen of Park Geun-hye opens international markets while Kim Jong-un in the North is challenging the US. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea are the result of a geometric north-south division, drawn along the 38th parallel in 1948. Since then, the relationship between the two nations has had many ups and downs, continuously oscillating between moments of open hostility and attempts to establish dialogue.

Each of the two countries has followed its own political path: the Republic of Korea in the south has been transformed into a capitalist democracy with an economic system based on technological industrialization; the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the north has established a dictatorial regime based on extreme militarism, which has led to extensive international sanctions.

South Korea today can be best described as a disciplined democracy, fully committed to the market. But the country’s economic development began with the rise of a figure who was as important as he was oppressive: military general and eventual dictator Park Chung-hee. 

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