The Korean War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Korean War - Essay Example Needless to say, all these great cultural symbols are very much part of the common civilization of the Korean people. The Korean people are still haunted by the specter of the Korean War, which they found in the interests of their imperialist masters. There still exist chances for unification of the Korea as wished by many millions of Koreans through reconciliation and remorse. The Korean War and its After Waves The degradation of Korean monarchy and its subsequent destruction by Japanese imperialism lies at the root of the problems in the Korean peninsula. The Korean liberation from the clutches of Japanese imperialism was the first real opportunity to be one under the labels of singular national culture and unified national language. Importantly, both the Korean language and cultural national identity were being systematically destroyed under Japanese tutelage. According to Pihl, â€Å"many Koreans saw the 1945 Liberation as the first opportunity in their history to be truly Korea n in their own land† (79). One of the primary aims of the national liberation of Korea was to establish a single body of Korean literature based on newly found self awareness. But, the beginning of the civil war again blocked the free development of the Korean literature and there emerged not a single body of literature but a South Korean literature and North Korean literature. The emergence of South Korea and North Korea as a result of the division of nation was not characterized by the founding of two new distinct nations as such. On the other hand, the newly formed two countries were equally the distorted versions of a single nation. It is war that constituted the two countries, not any progressive or productive developments. It is interesting to note that [i]n Korean, the 1945 liberation is called Kwangbok, â€Å"Glorious Recovery†, but it was neither glorious nor a recovery and, worse, it was capped by an internecine war of horrifically compressed violence that spe ared no corner of the country† (Pihl, 82). The national awareness which was a product of the national liberation in 1945 unfortunately did not last long as aspired by millions of Koreans. As the divisions between the two parts of the country widened, it reflected as emptiness in the national cultural as well. â€Å"The most ironic formative experience of the 20th century for Korean literature began with Liberation on August 15, 1945. Koreans regained a country that had been lost to Japanese imperialism, only to lose it again to Russian and American imperialism† notes the well-known Korean literary commentator Pihl (82). The Korean civil war had multiple reasons for come to existence. It was the direst result of the division of the country in the August 1945. It was America that played the prominent role in dividing the Korea and there established a colonial authority which was composed of comprador Koreans. After that, the former Soviet Union too played a crucial role i n keeping the division between two Koreas intact as it was necessary for ‘building socialism’ regardless of the basic unity and integrity of the Korean civilization. Thirdly, the internal divisions among the Koreans also have its due share in the division of the country as perpetuated by the ruling elites. The dialectical irony is that, as elaborated by the well-known theorist Cumings, â€Å"