Theme: Korea Plan

Comparison of the two countries of Korea

Indicator	North Korea	South Korea
Capital	Pyongyang	Seoul
Official languages	Korean
Official scripts	Chosŏn'gŭl	Hangul
Government	Juche single-party state	Representative democracy
Formal declaration	9 September 1948	15 August 1948
Area	120,540 km^2	100,210 km^2
Population (2014/2013 est.)	24,851,627	50,219,669
GDP total (2011/2014 est.)	$40 billion	$1.755 trillion
GDP/capita (2011/2014 est.)	$1,800	$34,777
Currency	Korean People's won (sign: ₩, ISO: KPW)	Korean Republic won (₩, KRW)
Calling code	+850	+82
Internet TLD	.kp	.kr
Drives on the	right
Active military personnel	1,106,000	639,000
Military expenditure (2010/2012)	$10 billion	$30 billion

Notable public holidays in South Korea
Main article: List of public holidays in South Korea
Independence Movement Day, March 1st
Samiljeol, Independence Movement Day, commemorates Korea's declaration of independence from Japanese occupation on March 1, 1919. The name is derived from Korean 삼 "sam" 'three', 일 "il" 'one,' and 절 "jeol" 'day', the date of the uprising in 1919. Korea was annexed to the Empire of Japan on August 29, 1910 following the imposed Japan-Korea Treaty. On March 1, 1919, Korean presented their resistance towards Japan and Japanese occupation with a declaration of independence. Following the conclusion of World War II, Korea was liberated from Japan and its independence restored. The newly established Korean government set aside March 1 as a national holiday to commemorate the sacrifices borne in the long struggle for Korean independence.
Memorial day, June 6th
Hyunchoongil is the national holiday in Korea commemorating those who fought and died for the nation. In August 1948, only a few years after Korea achieved its independence from Japan, the Korean War, in Korea also known as the 6.25 war, broke out between North and South Korea. During this war, approximately 400,000 soldiers and some one million citizens were killed or injured. In 1953, North and South Korea agreed to a cease-fire, and three years later the Korean government established Hyungchoogil to commemorate the soldiers who fought in the Korean War. Subsequent to its establishment, Hyungchoogil was reinterpreted as a day of remembrance for those who died defending Korea in all conflicts, not only during the Korean War.