Thirdly The Clash Of Civilizations: The Clash Of Civilizations

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Thirdly, the Clash of Civilizations is a theory by Samuel Huntington, which shows that the conflicts that North Korea and South Korea faces in the modern era are caused by differences. On one hand, the war was considered the clash of civilizations at one of two levels: the micro-level. It is when adjacent groups along the fault lines between civilizations struggle violently, over the control of territory and each other. It is clear that North and South Korea fought a gruesome war, and allies of both countries were involved (Huntington 29). The death toll had reached over 54,000, and this is a clear example of how two neighboring civilizations with different ideologies can clash with each other (CNN). On the other hand, there is a macro-level, …show more content…

In addition, the leader’s death was around two decades ago, yet there are over 500 statues of him (Bristow). It is remarkable that North Korea’s life and culture are different from South Korea’s. Bristow writes about these cultural differences between the isolated North and allows the reader to compare and contrast with the developed South. It is true that status symbolizes respect and honor for their past leaders, but North Korea’s massive erection of statues – coupled with the belief that the leader is still alive today – is an uncommon idea that is rooted in an isolated and repressive country. In terms of religion, North Koreans believe in Buddhism and Confucianism, whereas South Koreans believe in Buddhism and Christianity. The differences show that both of these countries stand on the opposite sides of the religious pole. North Korea favors a religion that is widely held by the Chinese, while South Korea embodies a religion that is expressed by the West. Confucianism, at its most basic principles, includes a leader ruling over its people, whereas Christianity pushes for individuals in a society to make important decisions. While …show more content…

According to him, “Civilization identity will be increasingly important in the future, and the world will be shaped in large measure by the interactions among seven or eight major civilizations” (Huntington 25). Two of the seven or eight civilizations include Confucian and Western. Huntington’s distinction between these religious entities show the difference between North Korea, which is a country that is driven by Confucian ideals, and South Korea, which is driven by Western religions like Christianity. Though Huntington claims that these are the products of centuries, the only modification to the case of North and South Korea is that the division was purely a result of the Korean War, which took place only 66 years

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