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by Stacey Janota, CTV News staff
South Korea’s history is filled with decades of economic, political
and social repression. At the turn of the 20thcentury, the Korean peninsula
was one unified country. Both Japan and Russia sought to control Korea to
expand their respective interests in East Asia. The Russo-Japanese war followed
from 1904-05 and in the end, a treaty was signed, which rewarded the Japanese
control of Korea.
The end of the Second World War signaled Korea’s independence from
Japan. Korea was immediately divided into two: the United States occupied
the southern portion of the country and the former U.S.S.R occupied the
northern part. In 1950 the North attacked the South, which triggered the
start of the Korean War. The Americans defended South Korea against the
attacks from the North, laying the foundation for indispensable relations
between the two countries.
South Korea’s political and economic landscape has been marred by
corruption and embezzlement for decades. Not until the second half of the
2oth century did the country begin to move away from a government heavily
influenced by the military towards a more democratic one.
Park Chung-Hee’s term as president in the 1960s and '70s was filled
with growth and dissent. He is credited for implementing strong economic
reforms and securing South Korea’s place on the international market.
Massive street protests called for an end to decades of corruption, liberation
from martial law, and a move towards democratic reform.
The Asian economic crisis in the mid-1990s crippled South Korea’s
economy. Largely due to borrowing, over production and demand decrease,
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailed the country out. This opened
Korea to foreign investment and the economy slowly began to recover.
When Kim Dae-Jung was elected president in 1997, it signaled a transition
in Korean politics. Atop his agenda was the "Sunshine Policy"
which aimed to establish dialogue with North Korea. It outlines a zero tolerance
attitude towards aggression.
In a historic meeting in 2000, Kim Dae-Jung met with the reclusive North
Korean president. This was followed by a huge family reunion, reuniting
hundreds of families that had been separated by the Korean War. The meeting
was seen as a positive step in re-establishing relations between the two
Koreas.
President Roh Muh-Hyun, who took office in February 2003, is focused on
easing tensions between the United States and North Korea in an effort to
dismantle the North’s nuclear weapons program. |
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