Document-Based Questions - Debra J. Housel, M.S. Ed. 2008

North Korea
Interesting Places

North Korea is an Asian nation. It is bordered on two sides by water. The Sea of Japan lies to the east. The Yellow Sea lies to the west. There are many hills. The weather can be cold. Very little land can have crops. Yet the people of North Korea cannot leave their country. If they have relatives in South Korea, they cannot see them. The border is closed. They cannot cross it.

Korea was once one nation. Then the Japanese seized control of the country. But they were defeated in World War II. They were forced to leave. Then there was a new problem. The Soviet Union wanted Korea to have a communist government. The United States wanted Korea to be a democracy. An agreement was made. The 38th parallel* would divide Korea until it could be reunited. Why was this made the border? It’s where the Japanese troops surrendered.

The United Nations decided there should be an election. But only the people in the south voted. The Soviet Union refused to let in the United Nations workers that came to oversee the election. Instead the Soviet Union formed North Korea. It made a communist general the nation’s leader.

Then North Korea attacked South Korea in 1950. Both the United States and the United Nations sent soldiers. They wanted to help South Korea. They wanted it to stay a free nation. China entered the fight on the side of the communists. Neither side was winning. So a cease-fire agreement was signed in 1953. But a peace treaty was never made. However, the war did keep South Korea from falling to the Communists.

*line of latitude

* Allied forces include United Nations, U.S., and South Korean troops

North Korea

1. What body of water lies to the west of North Korea?

a. the Atlantic Ocean

b. the Sea of Japan

c. the Yellow Sea

d. the Indian Ocean

2. Which one wanted the nation of Korea to be communist?

a. the Soviet Union

b. the United States

c. the Japanese

d. the United Nations

3. What happens if a woman has friends living on the opposite side of the 38th parallel?

a. She is considered a criminal.

b. She can get a pass to go across the border to visit them.

c. She can just walk across the border to visit them without needing a pass.

d. She cannot cross the border to visit them.

4. During the Korean War, “allied forces” referred to Soviet and Chinese troops. True or False? Explain.

5. How much time passed between the invasion of South Korea and the cease-fire agreement which ended the fighting? When did the two sides exchange prisoners? How long was Seoul under Communist control? Use facts from the time line in your answer.

6. Since the Korean War, North Korea and the United States have not been on friendly terms. Now North Korea is testing nuclear missiles. Should American leaders be concerned? Why or why not?