SGT Banas, Thomas
13F Class #004-17
NCO Academy
SFC Hunsecker
The Odd One Out: The Culture of North Korea The establishment of the 38th parallel divides the Republic of Korea in two separate countries. The one to the North has been marching to the beat of their own drum ever since the birth of their Nation. Isolated from the rest of the world the North Korean culture is certainly unique. One of the many definitions of culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morale, laws, custom and any other capabilities and habits as acquired by man as a member of society” (Bhatt, 2012). A human being is not born with culture; it is shared and learned throughout …show more content…
That does not stop them from constantly making world news headlines revolving around their military. Upon completion of World War II, the Republic of Korea split in half with the Soviets occupying the north and the United States occupying the south. The Soviet Union then appointed Kim Sung-II as the new leader and withdrew from the territory. The South then declared its independence, which sparked the Korean War in 1950. Three years later an armistice agreement ended the war. Dividing the country into what is still relevant today. The fighting may have ceased, but there never was a true resolution. North Korea has been ran by the same family since the beginning of their existence. This has dramatically affected the North Korean population due to the fact of how isolated from the rest of the world their leadership keeps them. “North Korean TV only broadcasts hagiographies of the two leaders and pictures celebrating the country's army, model farms, model villages etc.” (Roberts, 2010). The North Korean people also do not even have access to the internet. Only a select few leaders throughout the country have internet access. The regime of Kim Jung-un has developed their own regulated and controlled internet for the rest of the population. If it were not for North Koreas previous military conflict, the controlled isolation the population faces on a daily basis would not be …show more content…
North Korea is located in Eastern Asia and is bordered by China to the north, the Sea of Japan to the east, the Korean Bay to the west, and South Korea to the south. North Korea is in a strategic location in regards to sharing a border with China. Three fourths of their import trades come from China. To compare the overall size of North Korea to a state in America, it is a bit larger than Virginia. The terrain throughout the country is comprised of “mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; wide coastal plains in west, discontinuous in east” (The World Factbook, 2017). Considering most of North Korea is covered with vegetation and is very rural, large cities with mass quantities of urban terrain are hard to find. The capital of North Korea is Pyongyang. While some places in North Korea still live without electricity and heat, Pyongyang thrives. This is because the high-ranking officials of North Korea reside here, including Kim Jung-un. Pyongyang is well kept and maintained with giant statues of the Kim regime located