In Class 1-7-11

In class we watched a movie on how bad it really is between South and North Korea. They cant even communicate to each other without something happening before. It showed how North Korea put houses that look really nice where South Korea can see, but these houses don't have anything in them and nobody lives in them, its just another way for North Korea to basically brainwash people.

In Class 1-6-11

In class today we talked about the last few questions on the North Korea vs. South Korea paper. It turned into our discussion about what North Korea does to be so defensive about everything, including why Google maps doesn't have any map on North Korea, and how traveling to see North Korea is so strange so Koreans cant leave. We also talked about  the kind of control North Korea leaders have over their people and how little of rights they have, like not being able to have cell phones, or how they can't leave. We said that Kim Jong Il is probably going to die in the next two years because he has already had a stroke and is 69 years old. Only 9.4% of North Korean citizens live to be over 65 so he can't have much longer. Since his death is known to be in the near future they have already decided that his one of his sons will take power as soon as his father dies. The United States is worried about when Kim Jong Il's son comes into power, he will try to prove that he is tough by launching missiles at South Korea or something like that. Kim Jong's son is actually already being given a nickname for WHEN he rules. We are beginning to worry about how a new leader of North Korea could be even worse then Kim Jong Il by trying to be like his father and earn respect for not being a bluff or something. We also learned that we are using the Koreas as a basically proxy site, because we were basically fighting the Russians by using South Korea for our side and the Russians used the North Koreans.

South Korea

#1: What is the official name of your Korea? The Republic of Korea http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_North_and_South_Korea's_official_name

#2: Who is the head of your country? Lee Myung-Bak(President) was born in Osaka, Japan when he was 24 he started working at Hyundai Construction. He started into politics in 1992 and was elected as a member of the 14^th Korean National Assembly. Then he ran for mayor of Soul and won the election by a landslid.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_South_Korea

 #3: Korea was divided into two at the end of World War II in 1945 ending Japan’s 35 year rule colonial rule of Korea. North Korea and South Korea was divided at the 38^th parallel in, this is the zone of control. The two Koreas began a war between each other in 1950 through 1953, The Republic of Korea was supported by the United Nations and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is supported by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Korea was separated into two because Franklin Roosevelt and Chiang Kai-shek met and said Japan should lose all territories they gained by force, and Korea was one of those territories, this dismantled Japan’s military.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_of_Korea

#4: Show where your country is on a regional map.

#5: What other countries and bodies of water does your country border? Japan is found in the Pacific Ocean a little off the coast of South Korea. The Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea surrounds both Koreas. North Korea is obviously found on the North side of the 38^th parallel.

#6: What is the significance of the 38th Parallel? The 38th parallel was first suggested as the dividing line for north and south Korea in 1896.

#7: What is the relationship between your Korea and the other Korea? In 1950 the Soviet Union supplied North Korea, giving it the supplies to invade South Korea, which they did. So at this point the relationship between the two is pretty bad. South Korea established relations between the Soviet Union in 1990, who had power over North Korea. This new found relation between South Korea and the Soviet Union made North Korea and its relations with its allies became worse. There was a treaty between the two but it’s basically being broken now.

#8: Describe what it is like just on your country’s side of the DMZ. On the South side of the DMZ it would be almost perfect, if we didn’t have a psychotic ruler on the North side that has the power to bomb us to bits.

#9: What does the the United Nations think of your relationship with the other Korea? The United Nations is worried about my relationship with the other Korea because their government isn’t as good as mine. And they’re angry.

#10: What is the major city in your country? Seoul is the capital of South Korea