North Korea-South Korea relations
Encyclopedia
North Korea–South Korea relations are the political, diplomatic, and military interactions between North Korea
and South Korea
, from the division of Korea
to today.
, the Korean peninsula was occupied by the Soviet Union
in the North and the United States
in the South. The dividing line was the 38th parallel.
n history begins with the division of the Korean Peninsula in 1945. A civilian government is established in 1948, beginning the First Republic. Syngman Rhee
becomes the first president
.
is named head of the North Korean Provisional People's Committee in February 1946. Kim then became Prime Minister, a post which he held until 1972, before becoming President.
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun
walked across the Korean Demilitarized Zone
on October 2, 2007 and travelled on to Pyongyang for talks with Kim Jong-il. During the visit, there were meetings and discussions.
The two sides reaffirmed the spirit of the June 15 Joint Declaration and had discussions on various issues related to realizing the advancement of South-North relations, peace on the Korean Peninsula, common prosperity of the people and the unification of Korea. On October 4 2007, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il signed the peace declaration. The document called for international talks to replace the Armistice which ended the Korean War
with a permanent peace treaty.
. Seoul said there was an explosion at the stern, and was investigating whether a torpedo attack was the cause. Out of 104 sailors, 46 died and 58 were rescued. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak convened an emergency meeting of security officials and ordered the military to focus on rescuing the sailors. During the weeks after the sinking, North Korea expelled South Korean workers from a resort along the DMZ.
On May 20, 2010, a team of international researchers published results claiming that the sinking had been caused by a North Korean torpedo; North Korea rejected the findings. South Korea agreed with the findings from the research group and President Lee Myung-bak declared afterwards that Seoul would cut all trade with North Korea as part of measures primarily aimed at striking back at North Korea diplomatically and financially. North Korea responded by severing ties between the countries and announced it abrogated the previous non-aggression agreement.
ordering the destruction of a nearby North Korea missile base if further provocation should occur.
The official North Korean news agency KCNA stated that North Korea only fired after the South had "recklessly fired into our sea area".
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, from the division of Korea
Division of Korea
The division of Korea into North Korea and South Korea stems from the 1945 Allied victory in World War II, ending Japan's 35-year colonial rule of Korea. In a proposal opposed by nearly all Koreans, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to temporarily occupy the country as a trusteeship...
to today.
The end of Korea under Japanese rule
After the defeat of Japan in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Korean peninsula was occupied by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in the North and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the South. The dividing line was the 38th parallel.
- August 15, 1945 - JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
surrenders in World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, marking the end of Korea under Japanese ruleKorea under Japanese ruleKorea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II.... - August 22, 1945 - The Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
enters PyongyangPyongyangPyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was... - September 8, 1945 - The United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
enters SeoulSeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world... - 1946 - A US-USSR Joint-Commission on the formation of a Korean Government is dissolved
- 1947 - The United Nations establishes the UN Temporary Commission on Korea
- May 10, 1948 - UN sponsored elections are held in South Korea.
- August 15, 1948 - South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
is established - September 9, 1948 - North KoreaNorth KoreaThe Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
is established
Establishment of South Korea
South KoreaSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n history begins with the division of the Korean Peninsula in 1945. A civilian government is established in 1948, beginning the First Republic. Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee or Yi Seungman was the first president of South Korea. His presidency, from August 1948 to April 1960, remains controversial, affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere. Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist and a strongman, and he led South Korea through the...
becomes the first president
President of South Korea
The President of the Republic of Korea is, according to the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, chief executive of the government, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the head of state of the Republic of Korea...
.
Establishment of North Korea
North Korea is proclaimed on September 11, 1948, under the supervision of the occupying Soviet forces. The Soviets prefer Korean Communists who had spent the war years in the Soviet Union in power, rather than the Korean Communist Party. Kim Il-sungKim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
is named head of the North Korean Provisional People's Committee in February 1946. Kim then became Prime Minister, a post which he held until 1972, before becoming President.
Korean War
- June 25, 1950 - the Korean War begins
- July 1950 - UN Forces are formed. UN Forces are driven back to the Pusan PerimeterBattle of Pusan PerimeterThe Battle of Pusan Perimeter was a large-scale battle between United Nations and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 – September 18, 1950. It was one of the first major engagements of the Korean War...
- September 1950 - UN Troops make an amphibious Landing at IncheonIncheonThe Incheon Metropolitan City is located in northwestern South Korea. The city was home to just 4,700 people when Jemulpo port was built in 1883. Today 2.76 million people live in the city, making it Korea’s third most populous city after Seoul and Busan Metropolitan City...
. UN Forces soon reach the Manchurian border - November 1950 - Chinese forces enter the war and UN Forces are pushed back to the 38th Parallel
- July 27, 1953 - The Korean Armistice Agreement is signed by UN Forces, North Korea, and China
Cold War
- October 1966–1969 - the Korean DMZ Conflict occurs - it is a series of low intensity clashes between North Korean troops infiltrating the DMZ and the South Korean and American forces on the other side
- January 21, 1968 - North Korean agents attempt to attack the South Korean Blue HouseBlue House RaidThe Blue House Raid was an unsuccessful attempt by North Korean commandos to assassinate the South Korean President Park Chung-hee at the Blue House on January 21, 1968.-Preparations:...
- December 11, 1969 Korean Air Lines YS-11 hijackingKorean Air Lines YS-11 hijackingThe Korean Air Lines YS-11 hijacking occurred on 11 December 1969. The aircraft, a Korean Air Lines NAMC YS-11 flying a domestic route from Gangneung Airbase in Gangneung, Gangwon-do to Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, was hijacked at 12:25 PM by North Korean agent Cho Ch'ang-hǔi...
and kidnapping - July 4, 1972 - A joint statement is issued
- 1972 - The first Red Cross talks between North and South Korea are held
- August 18, 1976 - There is an Axe murder incidentAxe Murder IncidentThe axe murder incident was the killing of two United States Army officers by North Korean soldiers on August 18, 1976, in the Joint Security Area located in the Korean Demilitarized Zone which forms the de facto border between North and South Korea...
at Panmunjom
Reconciliation and antagonism
- May 1980 - Gwangju Democratization Movement
- October 9, 1983 - Rangoon bombingRangoon bombingThe Rangoon bombing of October 9, 1983, was an assassination attempt against Chun Doo-hwan, the then-President of South Korea, allegedly orchestrated by North Korea. Two of the bombers were captured, one of whom confessed to being a North Korean military officer.-Bombing:On October 9, 1983,...
allegedly orchestrated by North Korea - 1984 - North Korea's Red Cross provides relief products for South Korean flooding
- 1987 - Bombing of Korean Air Flight 858Korean Air Flight 858Korean Air Flight 858 was a scheduled international passenger flight between Baghdad, Iraq, and Seoul, South Korea that exploded in mid-air on 29 November 1987 after two North Korean agents planted a bomb in the passenger cabin...
- 1988 - The 1988 Summer Olympics1988 Summer OlympicsThe 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
take place in Seoul - September 4 to 7, 1990 - The first high-level talks are held in Seoul
- March 25, 1991 - A unified Korean team first uses the Korean Unification Flag at the World Table Tennis Competition in Japan
- May 6, 1991 - A unified team competes at the World Youth Football Competition in Portugal
- December 13, 1991 - The Agreement on Reconciliation, Non aggression, Exchange and Cooperation is signed between North and South Korea
- 1994 - Kim Jong-ilKim Jong-ilKim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
becomes General Secretary of the WPKWorkers' Party of KoreaThe Workers' Party of Korea is the ruling Communist party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , commonly known as North Korea. It is also called the Korean Workers' Party...
of North Korea upon the death of his father, Kim Il-sung. - June 15, 1999 - The naval conflict at YeonpyeongYeonpyeongYeonpyeong Island or Yeonpyeongdo is a group of South Korean islands in the Yellow Sea, located about west of Incheon and south of the coast of Hwanghae Province, North Korea. The main island of the group is Daeyeonpyeongdo , also referred to simply as Yeonpyeong Island, with an area of and a...
Sunshine policy
- June 13 to 15, 2000 - The first Inter-Korean SummitInter-Korean SummitInter-Korean Summits are meetings between the leaders of North Korea and South Korea. There have been two major meetings in the last decade, the first in 2000 and the second in 2007. The importance of these summits lies in the lack of formal communication between North and South Korea, which...
, between Kim Dae JungKim Dae JungKim Dae-jung was President of South Korea from 1998 to 2003, and the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient. He came to be called the "Nelson Mandela of Asia" for his long-standing opposition to authoritarian rule.-Early life:...
and Kim Jong-il - August 15, 2000 - First Family Reunion
Six-party talks
- June 29, 2002 - naval conflict off the western coast
- July 5, 2006 - North Korea test fires a Daepodong 2 missle
- October 9, 2006 - North Korea nuclear test2006 North Korean nuclear testThe 2006 North Korean nuclear test was the detonation of a nuclear device conducted on October 9, 2006 by North Korea.North Korea announced its intention to conduct a test on October 3, six days prior, and in doing so became the first nation to give warning of its first nuclear test...
Second Summit in 2007
The June 15, 2000 Joint Declaration that the two leaders signed during the first South-North summit stated that they would hold the second summit at an appropriate time. It was originally thought in 2000 that the second summit would be held in South Korea, but that was not to be the case in 2007.South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun GOM GCB was the 16th President of South Korea .Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for student activists in South Korea. His electoral career later expanded to a focus on overcoming regionalism in South Korean politics, culminating in his...
walked across the Korean Demilitarized Zone
Korean Demilitarized Zone
The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and...
on October 2, 2007 and travelled on to Pyongyang for talks with Kim Jong-il. During the visit, there were meetings and discussions.
The two sides reaffirmed the spirit of the June 15 Joint Declaration and had discussions on various issues related to realizing the advancement of South-North relations, peace on the Korean Peninsula, common prosperity of the people and the unification of Korea. On October 4 2007, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il signed the peace declaration. The document called for international talks to replace the Armistice which ended the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
with a permanent peace treaty.
2010 sinking of a South Korean naval vessel
On March 26, 2010, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, the 1,500-ton ROKS Cheonan with a crew of 104, sank off Baengnyeong island in the Yellow SeaYellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
. Seoul said there was an explosion at the stern, and was investigating whether a torpedo attack was the cause. Out of 104 sailors, 46 died and 58 were rescued. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak convened an emergency meeting of security officials and ordered the military to focus on rescuing the sailors. During the weeks after the sinking, North Korea expelled South Korean workers from a resort along the DMZ.
On May 20, 2010, a team of international researchers published results claiming that the sinking had been caused by a North Korean torpedo; North Korea rejected the findings. South Korea agreed with the findings from the research group and President Lee Myung-bak declared afterwards that Seoul would cut all trade with North Korea as part of measures primarily aimed at striking back at North Korea diplomatically and financially. North Korea responded by severing ties between the countries and announced it abrogated the previous non-aggression agreement.
2010 artillery firing on Big Yeonpyeong
North Korea's artillery fired at South Korea's Big Yeonpyeong island in the Yellow Sea and South Korea returned fire. Two South Korean marines and two civilians were killed, more than a dozen were wounded, including three civilians. The town was evacuated and South Korea warned of stern retaliation, with President Lee Myung-bakLee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
ordering the destruction of a nearby North Korea missile base if further provocation should occur.
The official North Korean news agency KCNA stated that North Korea only fired after the South had "recklessly fired into our sea area".
Kidnapping
North Korea had abducted four high-ranking military officers from South Korea in 1999 and this fact was only revealed in 2011.See also
- Korean reunificationKorean reunificationKorean reunification refers to the hypothetical future reunification of North Korea and South Korea under a single government...
- Inter-Korean SummitInter-Korean SummitInter-Korean Summits are meetings between the leaders of North Korea and South Korea. There have been two major meetings in the last decade, the first in 2000 and the second in 2007. The importance of these summits lies in the lack of formal communication between North and South Korea, which...
- June 15th North–South Joint Declaration
- Sunshine PolicySunshine policyThe Sunshine Policy was the foreign policy of South Korea towards North Korea until Lee Myung-bak's election to presidency in 2008. Since its articulation in 1998 by South Korean President Kim Dae Jung, the policy resulted in greater political contact between the two nations and some historical...
- Censorship in North KoreaCensorship in North KoreaNorth Korea has a high degree of censorship and no de facto freedom of the press. It is routinely at the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index Rankings published annually by Reporters Without Borders...
- Censorship in South Korea
- List of border incidents involving North Korea
- North Korea-South Korea football encounters