Historic Background Of North Korea

It is generally believed that Korea came into being in 2333 B.C, when the state of Ancient Choson was founded; the state itself collapsed when invaded by the armies of the Han Emperor of China, and in its stead came up what are called the `Three Kingdoms’- Shilla (in the south east), Koguryo (in the north) and Paekche (in the south west). Of the three, it was Shilla (57 B.C. – 668 A.D.) that emerged as the strongest, unifying the country and establishing a Buddhist-influenced culture. Shilla eventually gave way to the Koryo dynasty, which in turn was succeeded by the Choson Dynasty in 1392. The Choson Dynasty was an age of great cultural and scientific development, but died at the hands of the Japanese, who, after repeated invasions, finally captured Korea in 1910. The Koreans kept up a brave resistance to the Japanese, but were able to achieve their independence from the Japanese only after the end of the Second World War.

Along with independence came division- into North and South Korea. North Korea came under the rule of the Communists, and for nearly three years a bitter war was fought between the two countries - an extension of the Cold War. Since then, under the leadership of Kim Il-Sung, North Korea has grown increasingly isolated from the West, with very little to do with much of the West. However, in recent years, with the collapse of the USSR and the end of the Cold War, hopes- and efforts- for the re-unification of the two countries have gathered momentum. North and South Korea, for instance, marched under one flag at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.