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Koreans suffered immensly during the time that Japan was ruling Korea. Their freedoms were taken away. They did not have the freedom of speech, assembly, asociation, and the press. Private schools were shut down because they didn't meet certain standards. -
Following Japans loss in WWII, the Koreas were split by the 38th parallel. The soviets and the U.S. divided Korea into two sections, North and South. The pro U.S. Republic of Korea, South Korea, led by an anti-communist, Syngman Rhee. However, North Korea became a Communist country under the rule of Kim II Sung. -
Kim II Sung shapes his country into communism. He controls everything and everyone in the country. The government has complete control over all businesses, nothing is privately owned. -
Both new countries want to rule the Koreas. The Korean War breaks out when North Korea forcfully tries to invade South Korea. The U.S took South Koreas side. They helped them by giving them more that 340,000 United Nations soldiers. -
After 3 years of fighting both sides agree to sign an armistice. However, a peace treaty was never signed. -
Kim Il Sung Dies of a heart attack. His eldest son Kim Jong Il takes over leading North Korea. Kim Jong Il didn't change much from how his father had run the country. A severe famine, however, would force the government to step in and do something. -
North Korea's relationships with other coutries starts to become better. North and South Korea were starting to get along and North Korea was the closest it ever got to forging peace with the U.S. -
The peace soon came to and end when North Korea stopped abiding by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). They withdrew from the NPT and started to do more nuclear research. 3 years later Kim Jong Il announced that they had had their first nuclear test. -
After Kim Jong Il dies of a heart attack, his second to youngest son took over at age 27. He makes new decisions that make North Korea even worse than before. He executes his own uncle and furthered the nuclear testing. This broke off many more relations in the West. -
Tensions in North Korea and the U.S. become overbearing. North Korea begins threatening to send missiles at the U.S. The UN places harsher sanctions on North Korea in hopes they let up.