North and South Korea Two Countries Divided by War, as Different as Salt and Pepper..

North and South Korea have been at odds since the end of the Korean war. The end of the war was never technically declared by the signing of a peace treaty, so technically North and South Korea are still at war. The lack of combat has been because of the 1953 armistice which stopped the fighting back then. Now, South Korea and North Korea are drastically different. In South Korea subway systems and shopping centers fill the landscape. North Korea has an economy that is only 1/3 that of its southern sister.

Conflict

On March 26 2010, a torpedo reportedly sank a South Korean patrol ship. When accused of being responsible, North Korea denied any hand in the attack and declared that any military action by South Korea would be a declaration of war. The United States has agreed that the fired torpedo was an act of violence against South Korea over the disputed water boundaries. Massive evidence suggests that the torpedo was fired by a North Korean submarine.

Discussion

North and South Korea have always been in a state of high tension. A little known fact is that naval skirmishes are actually relatively common in the area that the patrol ship was sunk. Unfortunately, it seems that North Korea has gone too far in this instance. Their denial of any part in the explosion either suggests that South Korea and the United States have let their imaginations gotten away from them or North Korea regrets their action and is fearful of retaliation.

A war is not what the world needs right now. South Korea wants to bring the issue before the security council with United States backing. South Korean leaders are angry but claim to be restraining themselves from any rash action. China supports North Korea and says that they are still evaluating the situation. South Koreans apparently found fragments of the torpedo and they matched up with previously acquired North Korean weaponry.

The evidence seems strongly stacked in the favor of the South Korean story. South Korea is wise to not let their anger get the better of them, but this situation is certainly a tough one to deal with internationally. North Korea will continue to deny their action because they know that neither the South Koreans nor the Americans want to get into another war, especially if North Korea has an ally like China. At the same time, there is no way that North Korea can believe that they can get away with attacking a South Korean vessel.

The most that we can hope for is for the United States and other international forces to investigate the situation and somehow penalize North Korea. Naturally, though, the problem with that is tension will only continue to rise until North Korea decides to act violently again. 46 sailors were killed in the explosion.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/20/north-korea-naval-ship-report