ABSTRACT
When the Second World War ended in 1945, Korea gained independence from Japan, but it was immediately divided into North Korea and South Korea – the former under Soviet influence and the latter under US influence – as part of a global polarization into capitalism and communism (see Chapter 1). Relations between the two Koreas rapidly grew tense and hostile, resulting in border conflicts and subsequently in the Korean War (1950-3). Since then, virtually no communication between North and South Korea has been possible, except for intermittent high-level government dialogues (which only began in 1971 and then again in 1990). For this reason alone, the current language situation in Korea is highly unusual, if not unique. The situation in North and South Korea is often likened to that which existed in the former East and West Germany. This, however, is not a fair comparison since, even before the Berlin wall was torn down, East and West Germans knew about each other’s life and society, e.g. from television, radio and other sources. By contrast, North Koreans cannot watch South Korean television, and few dare to tune in to South Korean radio stations (at the risk of their lives). Neither do South Koreans have access to North Korean television, although they can nowadays view (edited) North Korean TV news programmes for an hour per week.
