An independent Korean state or collection of states has existed
almost continuously for several millennia. Between its initial
unification in the 7th century - from three predecessor Korean
states - until the 20th century, Korea existed as a single
independent country. In 1905, following the Russo-Japanese War,
Korea became a protectorate of imperial Japan, and in 1910 it was
annexed as a colony. Korea regained its independence following
Japan's surrender to the United States in 1945. After World War
II, a Republic of Korea (ROK) was set up in the southern half of
the Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was
installed in the north (the DPRK). During the Korean War
(1950-53), US troops and UN forces fought alongside soldiers from
the ROK to defend South Korea from DPRK attacks supported by China
and the Soviet Union. An armistice was signed in 1953, splitting
the peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th
parallel. Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth
with per capita income rising to roughly 14 times the level of
North Korea. In 1993, KIM Young-sam became South Korea's first
civilian president following 32 years of military rule. South
Korea today is a fully functioning modern democracy. In June 2000,
a historic first North-South summit took place between the South's
President KIM Dae-jung and the North's leader KIM Jong Il.
In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a
long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure
its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy
stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Following the
Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854, Japan opened its ports and
began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late
19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that
was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It
occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In
1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched a
full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 -
triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied
much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II,
Japan recovered to become an economic power and a staunch ally of
the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of
national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful
politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy
experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s following three
decades of unprecedented growth, but Japan still remains a major
economic power, both in Asia and globally.
