Editing Korea (section)

===Division and conflict===
{{Main|Division of Korea||}}
[[File:Korean Peninsula at night 20240124 132602 GMT Iss-070e080670.jpg|thumb|left|Satellite image of the Korean Peninsula demonstrating the differences in light pollution between the two Koreas, 2024]]
In 1945, with the [[surrender of Japan]], the [[United Nations]] developed plans for a trusteeship administration, the [[Soviet Union]] administering the peninsula north of the [[38th parallel north|38th parallel]] and the [[United States]] [[USAMGIK|administering the south]]. The politics of the [[Cold War]] resulted in the 1948 establishment of two separate governments, North Korea and South Korea.

The aftermath of World War II left Korea partitioned along the 38th parallel on 2 September 1945, with the north under Soviet occupation and the south under US occupation supported by other allied states. Consequently, North Korea, a Soviet-style socialist republic was established in the north, and South Korea, a Western-style regime, [[Division of Korea|was established in the south]].

North Korea is a [[one-party state]], now centred on [[Kim Il Sung]]'s ''[[Juche]]'' ideology, with a [[Planned economy|centrally planned]] industrial economy. South Korea is a [[multi-party state]] with a [[capitalism|capitalist]] [[market economy]], alongside membership in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the [[G-20 major economies|Group of Twenty]]. The two states have greatly diverged both culturally and economically since their partition, though they still share a common traditional culture and pre-Cold War history.

Since the 1960s, the South Korean economy has grown enormously and the economic structure was radically transformed. In 1957, South Korea had a lower [[per capita GDP]] than [[Ghana]],<ref>{{Citation | newspaper = The Independent | place = UK | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/leading-article-africa-has-to-spend-carefully-407666.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110513090857/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/leading-article-africa-has-to-spend-carefully-407666.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 13 May 2011 | type = leading article | title = Africa has to spend carefully | date=13 July 2006}}</ref> and by 2008 it was 17 times as high as Ghana's.{{Refn | group = "lower-alpha" | $26,341 GDP for Korea, $1513 for Ghana.<ref>{{Citation|url=http://imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2008&ey=2008&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=29&pr1.y=12&c=512%2C446%2C914%2C666%2C612%2C668%2C614%2C672%2C311%2C946%2C213%2C137%2C911%2C962%2C193%2C674%2C122%2C676%2C912%2C548%2C313%2C556%2C419%2C678%2C513%2C181%2C316%2C682%2C913%2C684%2C124%2C273%2C339%2C921%2C638%2C948%2C514%2C943%2C218%2C686%2C963%2C688%2C616%2C518%2C223%2C728%2C516%2C558%2C918%2C138%2C748%2C196%2C618%2C278%2C522%2C692%2C622%2C694%2C156%2C142%2C624%2C449%2C626%2C564%2C628%2C283%2C228%2C853%2C924%2C288%2C233%2C293%2C632%2C566%2C636%2C964%2C634%2C182%2C238%2C453%2C662%2C968%2C960%2C922%2C423%2C714%2C935%2C862%2C128%2C716%2C611%2C456%2C321%2C722%2C243%2C942%2C248%2C718%2C469%2C724%2C253%2C576%2C642%2C936%2C643%2C961%2C939%2C813%2C644%2C199%2C819%2C184%2C172%2C524%2C132%2C361%2C646%2C362%2C648%2C364%2C915%2C732%2C134%2C366%2C652%2C734%2C174%2C144%2C328%2C146%2C258%2C463%2C656%2C528%2C654%2C923%2C336%2C738%2C263%2C578%2C268%2C537%2C532%2C742%2C944%2C866%2C176%2C369%2C534%2C744%2C536%2C186%2C429%2C925%2C178%2C746%2C436%2C926%2C136%2C466%2C343%2C112%2C158%2C111%2C439%2C298%2C916%2C927%2C664%2C846%2C826%2C299%2C542%2C582%2C443%2C474%2C917%2C754%2C544%2C698%2C941&s=PPPPC&grp=0&a= |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20091223115619/http://imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2008&ey=2008&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=29&pr1.y=12&c=512%2C446%2C914%2C666%2C612%2C668%2C614%2C672%2C311%2C946%2C213%2C137%2C911%2C962%2C193%2C674%2C122%2C676%2C912%2C548%2C313%2C556%2C419%2C678%2C513%2C181%2C316%2C682%2C913%2C684%2C124%2C273%2C339%2C921%2C638%2C948%2C514%2C943%2C218%2C686%2C963%2C688%2C616%2C518%2C223%2C728%2C516%2C558%2C918%2C138%2C748%2C196%2C618%2C278%2C522%2C692%2C622%2C694%2C156%2C142%2C624%2C449%2C626%2C564%2C628%2C283%2C228%2C853%2C924%2C288%2C233%2C293%2C632%2C566%2C636%2C964%2C634%2C182%2C238%2C453%2C662%2C968%2C960%2C922%2C423%2C714%2C935%2C862%2C128%2C716%2C611%2C456%2C321%2C722%2C243%2C942%2C248%2C718%2C469%2C724%2C253%2C576%2C642%2C936%2C643%2C961%2C939%2C813%2C644%2C199%2C819%2C184%2C172%2C524%2C132%2C361%2C646%2C362%2C648%2C364%2C915%2C732%2C134%2C366%2C652%2C734%2C174%2C144%2C328%2C146%2C258%2C463%2C656%2C528%2C654%2C923%2C336%2C738%2C263%2C578%2C268%2C537%2C532%2C742%2C944%2C866%2C176%2C369%2C534%2C744%2C536%2C186%2C429%2C925%2C178%2C746%2C436%2C926%2C136%2C466%2C343%2C112%2C158%2C111%2C439%2C298%2C916%2C927%2C664%2C846%2C826%2C299%2C542%2C582%2C443%2C474%2C917%2C754%2C544%2C698%2C941&s=PPPPC&grp=0&a= |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 December 2009 |title=World Economic Outlook Database |date=October 2008 |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |access-date=14 February 2009 }}</ref>}}

According to [[R. J. Rummel]], [[slavery|forced labour]], executions, and concentration camps were responsible for over one million deaths in North Korea from 1948 to 1987;<ref>{{Citation | last = Rummel | first = RJ | chapter-url = http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.CHAP10.HTM | chapter = 10. Statistics of North Korean Democide: Estimates, Calculations, and Sources | title = Statistics of Democide | year = 1997 | publisher = Hawaii | access-date = 5 February 2013 | archive-date = 3 December 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171203123703/http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.CHAP10.HTM | url-status = live }}</ref> others have estimated 400,000 deaths in concentration camps alone.<ref>Omestad, Thomas, [https://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/030623/23gulag.htm "Gulag Nation"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050509131122/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/030623/23gulag.htm |date=9 May 2005 }}, [[U.S. News & World Report]], 23 June 2003.</ref> Estimates based on the most recent North Korean census suggest that 240,000 to 420,000 people died as a result of the [[North Korean famine|1990s famine]] and that there were 600,000 to 850,000 unnatural deaths in North Korea from 1993 to 2008.<ref name="Spoorenberg, Thomas pp. 133-158">{{Citation | last1 = Spoorenberg | first1 = Thomas | last2 = Schwekendiek | first2 = Daniel | edition = online | title = Demographic Changes in North Korea: 1993–2008 | journal = Population and Development Review | volume = 38 | issue = 1 | pages = 133–58 | doi=10.1111/j.1728-4457.2012.00475.x| year = 2012 | hdl = 10.1111/j.1728-4457.2012.00475.x | hdl-access = free }}</ref> In South Korea, as guerrilla activities expanded, the South Korean government used strong measures against peasants, such as forcefully moving their families from guerrilla areas. According to one estimate, these measures resulted in 36,000 people killed, 11,000 people wounded, and 432,000 people displaced.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A History of Korea|last=Hatada|first=Takashi|publisher=American Bibliographic Center-Clio Press|year=1969|location=Santa Barbara, California|pages=140}}</ref>