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Article: Korea: and then there were two: Japan's imperialism and the Cold War split Korea apart, leading to vastly different nations in the North and South.(TIME PAST)
- Article from:
- New York Times Upfront
- Article date:
- December 12, 2005
- Author:
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The 38th parallel, which has divided North and South Korea since 1953, is often considered one of the scariest places on earth. About 2 million soldiers from North and South (as well as 37,000 American troops) stand guard there, and behind the conventional forces loom the North Korean and American nuclear arsenals.
In the South is a global, high-tech economic power of 38 million people, which threw off authoritarian and military rule during the 1980s, and is establishing an increasingly self-confident and vibrant democracy.
In the North, a failed, impoverished and almost totally isolated state sells nuclear-weapons technology and drugs to earn hard ...