Two Koreas, two cultures: The ever-widening gap between North and South

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Podcasts Take Two

Oct 16, 2015

Listen • 8:29

Two Koreas, two cultures: The ever-widening gap between North and South

North Korea celebrated 70 years of Communism this week. But for Koreans on both sides of the divide, it's more than just a geographic difference.

In Pyongyang, North Korea, on Monday, soldiers marched past statues of founder Kim Il Sung and his son, former leader Kim Jong Il. North Korea celebrated Kim Il Sung's 101st birthday.

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North Korea celebrated 70 years of Communism this week. But for Koreans on both sides of the divide, it's more than just a geographic difference.

This week, North Korea marked 70 years of communist rule.

The government was established with the help of the Soviet Union at the end of World War Two.

North Korea has been isolated ever since, sealed-off from the South by a heavily-guarded barrier known as the DMZ or Demilitarized Zone.

But for Koreans on both sides, the divide is not just physical. There's now a wide cultural gap as well.

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, director of the USC Korean Studies Institute, joined the show to explain more.