This is the Korean
peninsula.
A 1,000 kilometre strip
of land that people have been
fighting over
for centuries.
♪ ♪
Split into
two countries,
it's home to an estimated
75 million people.
25 million
in the north,
and 50 million
in the south.
But it hasn't always
been like this.
♪ ♪
So, how do we
get two Koreas?
And why is this area
such a flashpoint?
It's all
about location.
♪ ♪
Located between China
and Russia to the north,
and Japan
to the south,
it's a strategic peninsula
for a number of reasons.
Like, controlling key
trading routes
and as a potential staging
ground for attacks.
Not surprisingly, China,
Russia, Japan and the U.S.
have all exerted
their influence over Korea
at one time
or another,
sparking a number
of conflicts.
By the turn of
the 20th century
- after 2,000 years
of primarily Chinese control
- Japan formally annexed
Korea in August 1910.
Japanese rule
was harsh.
Even today, there's a lingering
bitterness toward Japan.
Japan's hold on Korea ended
with the Second World War,
when it surrendered
to the Allies.
Korea was temporarily
split at that 38th parallel,
until an independent
and unified Korean
government could
be established.
And, in
the meantime,
the Soviet Union
would control the North,
with the U.S. in
control of the south.
♪ ♪
Why the 38th
parallel?
Because a pair of
pressed-for-time U.S. officers
chose it arbitrarily from a
National Geographic map.
♪ ♪
So, the two Koreas
were born -
with UN plans for fair and
democratic elections for both.
But that
didn't happen.
♪ ♪
In the North,
Soviet-backed Kim Il-sung
- he's the grandfather
of this guy
- set up a brutal
Communist dictatorship.
While in the South, the U.S.
backed a fierce anti-Communist,
Syngman Rhee, and the U.S.
military pulled out.
♪ ♪
At this point, the Cold War
was in its third year.
Both leaders
claimed sovereignty
over the entire
peninsula.
Then Kim - with Mao
and Stalin's support
and Soviet arms -
attempted to unify
Korea by force,
thus starting
The Korean War.
♪ ♪
Northern troops crossed
the 38th parallel
and with no U.S. soldiers
to help repel them,
quickly cornered
the South.
But the Americans came back,
leading a UN coalition -
that also included
some 26,000 Canadians
- to push the North back.
They did,
and advanced,
taking the northern
capital, Pyongyang.
This was uncomfortably
close for the Chinese,
so, China joined
the North Korean effort,
helped stopped
the UN advance,
and pushed
coalition forces
back behind
that dividing line.
♪ ♪
This back-and-forth
continued.
And after three years, and more
than 2 million people killed,
including 516 Canadians,
the war hit a stalemate.
An armistice agreement
was signed,
leaving that dividing line
pretty much where it started.
A side note:
An armistice is not
the same as a peace treaty.
So, technically the two
countries are still at war.
♪ ♪
Today, the North and South
are separated by this.
A 4-kilometre-wide s
stretch known as the DMZ -
- The Demilitarized Zone.
A misnomer
because actually
it's the world's most
militarized border.
Today, seven decades later,
the truce still holds,
but the region is in
a chronic state of tension.
North Korea under
leader Kim Jong-un
is a nuclear state.
And its ongoing missile
launches and nuclear tests
have created what
Japan has called
the greatest security threat
since the Second World War.
While other countries have
nuclear weapons,
North Korea is
the only one to
actively threaten to
use them against the U.S.
and turn its neighbours
into a "Sea of Fire."
In the meantime, China remains
North Korea's closest ally.
As its biggest source
of aid and trade,
Beijing is arguably the sole
guarantor of Kim's regime.
And Russia? After China,
Russia is North Korea's
next biggest backer.
And like Beijing,
the Kremlin has supported
recent UN sanctions
against North Korea,
while also being accused
of flouting them.
The fiery and furious
exchanges over the past year
between Trump and Kim have
ratcheted up tensions,
put the whole
world on edge,
and seemingly pushed
a solution to the conflict
farther out of reach.
♪ ♪
As for South Korea, 2018 opened
with signs of a possible short
term thaw between
Seoul and Pyongyang.
Both sides agreed to talks,
and the North said it would
participate in the South's
Olympic Winter Games.
But, as the past has shown,
tempers can flare and talks
can end suddenly with
both countries returning
to their old
positions.
The geopolitics
are obviously complex
and we've glossed
over a bit
in the interest
of brevity.
For more on the region
and how it impacts today
check out
our sources
and get complete
coverage on: cbcnews.ca.
