North Korea's Kim Jong-un and South Korea's Moon Jae-in shook hands, making history and vowing to put an end to the 68 years old war. Finally, there was a ray of hope for the Korean peninsula but little did the world know that it was ephemeral. Less than a year later, North Korea blew the joint liaison office in the border town of Kaesong to bits and with it went any possibility of an alliance between the two countries. Ironically, the place meant for solving conflicts ended up being collateral damage of one.
As a matter of fact, peace can never be established between two countries that still blame each other for the Korean war and consequently the massive destruction that led to a divided Korea. Neither state considers the other legitimate.The hatred and distrust is now in their bloods and any peace agreement is just pretentious and hollow. One country blames the other for ‘worsening the situation’ and undoubtedly a blame game should not be the way forward. Every day sees a new measure that signifies resentment between the two. Infact, the north urges its people to avoid South Korean Culture and has harsh punishments in case of failure to do so.
The origin of this dispute can be found in the end of World War II when Korea’s fate became a mere bargaining chip between the Soviet Union and US. Due to the lack of trust between former allies, the region was divided in two. What ignited the war was foreign intervention when the US entered a large-scale conflict and used the United Nations to impose sanctions on the North while China and USSR aided the North. In 1953, North Korea, China and the US signed an armistice agreement that the South condemned.
This conflict has indeed changed the way wars are waged. The only contrast between 1950 and 2021 is that the region is no longer proclaimed a battlefield. However, any opportunity to exhibit their resentment is not forgone. A peace treaty was never signed. North korea initiated the war and is claimed to be the major reason, the hostility continues to this day.even though the US called this a forgotten war, the Korean war has a profound legacy as it still shapes geopolitical affairs, 20 years later. Hence, the fighting never technically ended.
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