North and South Korea are two countries possessing great histories and controversies. In general, the two countries are opposite of one another with regards to similarities and differences. The two countries were involved in a great war which later defined their current status. South Korea initiated development after the Great War with North Korea. Since then, the country is currently among the economic elites in the world. On the other hand, South Korea has the distinction of being the most corrupt nation in the world. The rift that exists with regards to political affiliation and structure, economic distinction and the military strength between the two countries indicates their similarities and differences as countries located in Asia.
The government structures of countries have similarities and differences. First, North Korea has a single-party government while South Korea has a president in charge of the country's affairs. Further, the states are similar in that they all have provinces. However, North Korea has less number of cities than South Korea. North Korea has two cities compared to South Korea which has six metropolitan cities ( Kim, 2016). Further, the countries share the same date as an independent. According to history, both countries gained independent on 15 th of August 1945. Both countries were under the Japanese Colony. Also, the states are set apart by the manner at which the governments utilize the laws guiding the states. For instance, South Korea’s legal system is mixed ( Haggard & You, 2015). It combines European civil law, Classical Chinese thought, and Anglo-American law. On the other side, North Korea has a civil law system which has its basis on the Prussian model. Such a system influences the communist legal theory and Japanese traditions.
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Other than the government structure, the two countries also have similarities and differences with regards to their economic statuses. First, South Korea has emerged as a stable state economically joining the world richest countries such as America. The state is well connected with the current president encouraging companies and local business to invest in a global tour to import and export raw materials and products. The current GDP of South Korea stands at 2.07 trillion U.S dollars. From the finance statistics from this country, the economic growth rate stands at 3%.
Further, the country accumulates most of its resources from service provision which contribute to a whooping GDP of 59.1%. The services provision is followed by Industry and Agriculture at 38.2% and 2.2% respectively. Also, the South Korea state has more external trade partners than North Korea ( Lee et al., 2016). Examples include Japan, China, Germany, and the United States. On the other hand, North Korea has languished in poverty due to civil strife and wars. The country spends most of its resources in inventing military machines and wars than improving services provisions for the citizens. Like South Korea, North Korea has trading partners though fewer than those in South Korea ( Kim et al., 2017). Unlike South Korea, North Korea is less connected to other countries in the world. South Korea has a low GDP with a lot of debts.
Lastly, the two nations also have similarities and differences with regards to their military strength. North Korea has ten nuclear warheads while South Korea possesses none. Both countries spend a lot on military resources. South Korea leads in military spending at $36.8 billion while North Korea stands at $25 billion ( Yoon, 2017). Further, both countries have a large number of active militaries with North Korea leading. Similarly, both countries use air, land and marine forces.
In summary, North Korea and South Korea are prominent countries with similarities and numerous differences with regards to military, economic and political structure. From the comparison, it is evident that though both have unique political structure, South Korea has an edge in military strength and economic power.
References
Haggard, S., & Yu, J. S. (2015). Freedom of expression in South Korea. Journal of Contemporary Asia , 45 (1), 167-179.
Kim, N. H. J. (2016). Naturalizing Korean ethnicity and making ‘ethnic’difference: A comparison of North Korean settlement and foreign bride incorporation policies in South Korea. Asian Ethnicity , 17 (2), 185-198.
Kim, Y., Baek, T. H., Yoon, S., Oh, S., & Choi, Y. K. (2017). Assertive environmental advertising and reactance: Differences between South Koreans and Americans. Journal of Advertising , 46 (4), 550-564.
Lee, Y. I., Choi, T., Lim, H. S., & Orihashi, Y. (2016). Detrital zircon geochronology and Nd isotope geochemistry of the basal succession of the Taebaeksan Basin, South Korea: Implications for the Gondwana linkage of the Sino-Korean (North China) block during the Neoproterozoic–early Cambrian. Paleogeography, paleoclimatology, palaeoecology , 441 , 770-786.
Yoon, D. K. (2017). The constitution of North Korea: Its changes and implications. In Public Law in East Asia (pp. 59-75). Routledge.
