3 weeks ago
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October 24, 2024 | 06:15 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The escalating tension between the North and South Koreas in recent months has entered a new phase after North Korea blew up parts of two routes connecting the two countries on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
The next day, North Korea claimed that at least 1.4 million young people had applied to join or return to the army, accusing South Korea of bringing the “tense situation to the brink of war” after a provocative drone incursion.
Pyongyang then ordered border troops to gear up for an attack, while South Korea responded by declaring its readiness to retaliate, so far as warning North Korea that inflicting harm on the safety of South Koreans would be “the end of its regime.”
This latest dispute reflects the increasing tension between the two Koreas, which is at its worst point in recent years, starting from remarks by North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, calling South Korea a “principal enemy” to his regime in January.
The conflict between South Korea and North Korea goes back by decades. For centuries, the Korean Peninsula was ruled by a single political entity. The division began after Japan's defeat in World War II in 1945, when two superpowers, the Allies and Soviet Union, took power over the region.
On June 25, 1950, North Korea, supported by China and the Soviet Union, invaded South Korea, which was backed by the United States. The newly formed U.N. Security Council deployed 21 countries to stop the invasion, with 90 percent of its troops coming from the U.S.
The war lasted for three years, resulting in millions of deaths, including hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides. The South Korean Ministry of Defense recorded 520,000 casualties from North Korea, as well as 137,000 South Korean soldiers and 37,000 U.S. soldiers.
The war ended on July 27, 1953, with the Armistice Agreement initiated by Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea. This agreement included the establishment of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to separate the two Koreas and allow for the repatriation of prisoners. However, no peace agreement was signed, so officially, the war between the two countries has not ended.
The Korean Peninsula is now divided into two parts separated by the DMZ, following the parallel 38th line based on the U.N. agreement. After World War II, the United States took control of the southern region, and the Soviet Union controlled the northern region, each striving for independence.
The southern region formed a government based in Seoul, led by Syngman Rhee, while the northern region formed a communist system under the leadership of Kim Il Sung, based in Pyongyang.
Up to this point, there is no peace agreement between both parties; they only agree to stop hostilities through a ceasefire. To this day, the United States still deploys around 28,500 troops in South Korea as part of its protection force.
Meanwhile, North Korea claims to have the "largest military in the world" and positions troops and weapons near the DMZ while continuing to develop nuclear weapons and long-range missile systems.
SHARISYA KUSUMA RAHMANDA | YOLANDA AGNE | REUTERS | BRITANNICA
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