A Crazy Comparison Of Life In North Korea And South Korea

Contact Your Elected Officials

Adam Taylor / Business Insider ~ North and South Korea were separated at the end of World War II. They’ve walked quite different paths since then.

Under successive pro-American governments, the South has become an economic powerhouse, one of the G-20 major economies. South Korean companies like Samsung, Hyundai, and LG are renowned around the world.

The North, led by a family dynasty based on “Juche” philosophy of self-sufficiency, has turned into a bitterly poor and unpredictable nation.

The Guardian’s Data Blog has published some figures that show just how divergent the two nations are, economically and socially. Here are some of the crazier ones:

South Korea’s GDP (purchasing power parity) is $1,622 billion. North Korea’s is $40 billion.

South Korea’s GDP (real growth rate) is 2.7%. In the North it is 0.8%.
The GDP per capita is $32,400 in South Korea. In the North it is just $1,800.

South Korea exports total $552.6 billion, while the North’s are just $4.71 billion.

For every 1,000 live births in South Korea, 4.08 of the infants die on average. In the North, 26.21 die.

Life expectancy in the South is 79.3 years. In the North it is ten years less at 69.2.

81.5% of South Korea has access to the Internet. Less than 0.1% of North Koreans do.

The intentional homicide rate per 100,000 people is 2.6 in the South.
In North Korea it is 15.2.

One well-known statistic not featured by the Guardian โ€” the BBC reports that North Koreans tend to be 1.2 – 3.1 inches shorter than their South Korean counterparts.

So, judging by this it looks a lot like the South trumps the North. Except in one key area:

The South has 655,000 actively serving in the military service. The North has 1.19 million.

Of course, data isn’t everything โ€” one of the stranger factors in the North-South relationship is the surprising number of North Korean refugees who return to the North after living in the South for a while.
However, the wildly divergent figures certainly show what 50 years of economic policy will do.

It’s also likely to be a big factor if reunification ever becomes politically possible. When Germany was reunified, East Germany’s GDP per capita was 40% of that in the West. In North Korea, GDP per capita is barely 5% of that in the South.

See more data. along with sources and dates,ย over at the Guardian’s spreadsheet.

The Thinking Conservative
The Thinking Conservativehttps://www.thethinkingconservative.com/
The goal of THE THINKING CONSERVATIVE is to help us educate ourselves on conservative topics of importance to our freedom and our pursuit of happiness. We do this by sharing conservative opinions on all kinds of subjects, from all types of people, and all kinds of media, in a way that will challenge our perceptions and help us to make educated choices.

Both Left and Right Are Making Lists

The right admired Charlie Kirk for his faith and patriotism, while the left opposed him for dismantling their positions and narratives with ease.

Redemptionโ€™s playbook: The Senior

The Senior isnโ€™t your usual underdog tale, itโ€™s real, itโ€™s raw, and it flips every clichรฉ on its head with a playbook full of grit and plenty of aftermaths.

Kirk Assassination Oddities

Just like the assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler, PA, there are oddities that do not add up with the actual assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Pharma-Funded Medical Groups Threaten Anti-MAHA Physician Strike

โ€œA paradoxical pattern has been suggested in the literature on doctors' strikes: when health workers go on strike, mortality stays level or decreases."

Fauci Caught DEAD TO RIGHTS in Anti-FOIA Conspiracy, Per Newly Released Emails

Fauci told Congress in 2024 he never pressured staff to delete emails, but evidence shows otherwise, raising perjury concerns and calls for indictment.

Charlie Kirk Assassination Suspect Under โ€˜Special Watchโ€™ in Custody: Sheriffโ€™s Office

Suspected assassin of Charlie Kirk is on โ€œspecial watchโ€ in custody and held separately, the Utah Sheriffโ€™s Office spokesperson confirmed.

Employees Fired, Suspended for Celebrating Charlie Kirkโ€™s Death

Multiple U.S. companies warn employees they could lose their jobs if they post comments celebrating or mocking the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Turning Point USA Announces Memorial Service for Slain Founder Charlie Kirk

The conservative political nonprofit Turning Point USA has announced a Sept. 21. memorial service for its late founder, Charlie Kirk.

Latin American Leaders Pay Tribute to Charlie Kirk

Latin American leaders mourned the passing of Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated as he spoke to a crowd of students at Utah Valley University.

Trump Signs Memo Targeting Direct-to-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising

President Trump signed a memo to ensure drug ads give fair, balanced, and complete information to protect and inform American consumers.

Trump Runs out of Patience With China, Sharpens His Words

President Donald Trumpโ€™s recent remarks targeting China and its allies mark a noticeable shift in tone.

Trump Signs Order Renaming Department of Defense as Department of War

President Donald Trump on Sept. 5 signed an executive order renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War.

Trump Signs Executive Order Targeting Countries That Unlawfully Detain Americans

President Trump signed an EO on targeting the unlawful detention of American citizens around the world and to facilitate the release of hostages.
spot_img

Related Articles