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How did two countries with the same language, culture, and history turn out so differently?

Last Updated April 28, 2023

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea, April 27, 2018.

Source: Korea Summit Press Pool via Reuters.SHARE

South Korea is one of the world’s most successful economies. It’s home to billion-dollar corporations like Samsung and produces some of the best high-tech electronics. But just across the border, North Korea is one of the most impoverished countries in the world. How can two countries with the same language, culture, and history—that were, not long ago, one united country—turn out so differently?

North and South Korea had been one nation for over a thousand years. Theoretically, they could have developed similarly after splitting in 1945, at the end of World War II. In fact, North Korea possessed the resources to outpace the south in development. But the political and economic decisions their leaders made destined the countries for completely different futures.

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The Division of the Koreas

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