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This final essay will open on Tuesday, March 10 @ 4:00pm and must be completed by Thursday, March 11 @ 4:00pm of week 10. No textbooks! No internet! Only your notes can be utilized! Please be reminded that you are obligated to comply with the UCI honor code. Violation of the honor code will result in automatic failure for this assignment. Please respond to the following prompt in a standard essay format. There is no minimum or maximum length. You will be assessed on the quality of your answer…but please note that sufficient quantity of supporting evidence and arguments….is a key component of quality. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ESSAY QUESTION In the early days of the cold war, South Korea, like its northern cousin, was a poverty-stricken nation still struggling with the devastating effects of the Korean War. But South Korea eventually emerged as a formidable nation with Asia’s most vibrant democracy and a leading-edge economy. Additionally, its increasingly popular cultural exports, and scientific and technical achievements, for example, bode well for its continued ascendance in the global, power hierarchy. North Korea, however, remains poor and internationally isolated. It continues to show little concern for the welfare of its own underfed citizens and attempts to gain international respect and aid by threatening its neighbors with ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. Critically analyze, then, the dramatically different paths South and North Korea have taken since their respective foundings after WWII. That is, what factors (historical, cultural, foreign, economic, etc.) were critical to South and North Korea’s emergence as major international players, albeit, for wholly divergent reasons? And what future challenges do they face in the potentially volatile East Asian region? Explain, in detail, using–specific examples (from course readings, news sources, discussions, etc.)–to support your contentions. NOTE: You must support your contentions/opinions! Merely stating your opinions will earn you zero points unless supported by the readings, evidence, logic, real world examples, and key authors/scholars. Required Texts Cumings, Bruce. 2005. Korea’s Place in the Sun, updated ed. New York: WW Norton. Heo, U. and T. Roehrig. 2010. South Korea Since 1980. Cambridge; Cambridge Univ. Press. Kang, C. 2005. The Aquariums of Pyongyang. Basic Books. Lankov, Andrei. 2015. The Real North Korea. Oxford University Press. Oberdorfer, D. and R. Carlin. 2013. The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History. Basic Books. Week 1: Introduction and Course Overview – No Readings in 1st week Ancient History & Japanese Colonialism – No Readings in 1st week Week 2: Liberation, Korean War, and Division – Cumings, Chs. 1-5; Oberdorfer, Ch. 1 Politics—Authoritarianism, Personalities, and Democratization – Cumings, Ch. 7; Heo & Rohrig, Ch. 1 Week 3: Politics, (continued) – Cumings, Ch. 8; Heo & Rohrig, Ch. 2 Institutions, Corruption and Juche – Lankov, Ch. 1 Week 4: Society and Culture I – Heo & Rohrig, Ch. 3 Society and Culture II – Kang, all Week 5: Society and Culture III – No Readings for this midterm week ***Midterm Exam: Feb 4, Thu*** Week 6 Political Economy I—Developmental State – Cumings, Ch. 6; Heo & Rohrig, Ch. 4 Political Economy II – Lankov, Chs. 2; Heo & Rohrig, Ch. 5 Week 7: Political Economy III – Lankov, Ch. 3 Coping with Success/Failure – Lankov, Ch. 4 Week 8: Nukes – Cumings, Ch. 10; Oberdorfer, Chs. 11-14; Heo & Rohrig, Ch. 6 Foreign Relations of the Korean peninsula I – Oberdorfer, Chs. 3-6; Heo & Rohrig, Ch. 7 Week 9: Foreign Relations of the Korean peninsula II – Oberdorfer, Chs. 7-10; Heo & Rohrig, Ch. 8 Foreign Relations of the Korean peninsula III – Oberdorfer, Chs. 15-19; Cumings, Ch. 10; Lankov, Interlude & Chs. 6-7