Korea\'s Place in the Sun

Korea's Place In The Sun

In Chapter 4 of Bruce Cumming's Korea's Place in the Sun (1997) the division of Korea into North and South is explored. Not long after World War II ended and Japan lost it's battle, the United States declared that all of Japan's colonies would get its freedom and the opportunity to establish themselves as their own free nations. Internal turmoil about how and what type of government would be the majority in order to guide Korea into the new nation that it wanted to become was something that was to be remedied by the intervention of the United States and the Soviet Union. As allies in World War II, the United States and Soviet Union were supposed to help Korea establish a government of freedom for all, but that did not turn out to be the case. From this need to develop itself, two very distinct governments and forms of living emerged. In a mix of jumbled up politics, the Soviet Union decided to reign communism in their portion of Korea, above the 38th parallel, while the South was to be guided by the United States, and would go on to become a democratic nation. Both countries left Korea to be on its own, but not before causing some pretty heavy damage.

When Korea received its freedom and independence from Japan, it was practically taken advantage of. All other nations involved, such as the United States, Russia, Great Britain, etc., wanted to instinctively take part in revitalizing Korea with other intentions in mind. Both parties, both countries involved created unnecessary turmoil in a land that was already in search of its own identity. Instead of helping out, in the end, they ended up causing damage that to this day, still lives on. Everything was decided for a nation, without consulting the nation that would be directly affected by everything. It was this inconsiderate way of thinking that would eventually prevent Korea from every really being just one country.

In Chapter 5 of Bruce Cumming's Korea's Place in the Sun (1997), life for Korea after the division of it into two states, North and South Korea, is discussed with more detail. After dividing into the two nations, the Korea's still had problems with what their arrangement turned out to be. South and North Korea both wanted land that turned out to be in each other possession, something that they did not want. Because of this fight over land, politics, and rights, a civil war broke out. South Korea received most of the blame for this war within one country. South Korea was said to provoke the North and were actually the ones who not only started most battles, but also was the side that sent the most troops in to invade North Korea. This strong overwhelming insurgence from both sides made this civil war one that would damage land and its people far beyond repair.