In 1953, North and South Korea signed an armistice, which paused the Korean War, but did not officially end the conflict. Both countries are still prepared for a possible war.

‘There’s still this de-militarized zone at the 38th parallel,’ said Marc Simon, a political science professor at the University. ‘You’ve got troops at both sides looking at each other, ready to shoot.’

The de-militarized zone is the ‘no man’s land’ between North and South Korea. American troops are still stationed there, along with troops from South Korean’s army.

Much of the tension between North Korea and other countries, such as South Korea and the U.S., is because of nuclear weapons. Simon said North Korea has been working on a nuclear program since the 1990s.

North Korea tested its first atomic weapon in 2006. The second test was in May 2009.

The U.S., Russia, Japan, China and North and South Korea came together in 2003 for a series of six-party talks to discuss the nuclear situation in North Korea, but the talks halted over disagreements.

During the Clinton administration, Simon said North Korea agreed to stop their nuclear program and allow periodic U.S. nuclear inspections. In return, the U.S. promised to help support them with food, oil and assistance in constructing a nuclear power plant for electricity.

But Simon said most countries just use those kinds of agreements to pressure each other.

‘[North Korea gets] lots of international attention when they develop nuclear weapons,’ he said. ‘I think [Kim Jong Il] needs to demonstrate to his people that his government is being taken seriously.’

Since 1953, North Korea’s economy has slipped from industrialization to a dependence on South Korea for aid. Kyoo Hong Kim, a University economics professor from South Korea, said the North is still in turmoil from a famine in the 1990s.

But Kim said South Korean businesses began operating in North Korea after the South Korean president enacted the Sunshine Policy in the late 90s, which called for a peaceful cooperation with North Korea, as well as aiding them financially.

Freshman Kwang Min Lee, also from South Korea, said since he was young, South Korea supported North Korea. The southern government would send food and aid north, and they would also support refugees from North Korea who escaped to the south.

Lee said even though Korea is two countries, the people are all still Korean.

‘It’s the same blood, we speak the same language,’ he said.

With the Sunshine Policy, Kim said South Korean businesses began operating in the North. Many South Korean companies use the Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea for manufacturing space.

A tourist business also opened in North Korea, which Kim said many South Koreans took advantage of, before a North Korean guard shot a South Korean woman there.

Though the Kaesong complex is still active, the tourist business has halted, and the economic relationship between the two countries has stagnated, especially after North Korea’s two nuclear tests.

‘I don’t know why they’re doing it,’ Lee said. ‘It’s not good for anyone.’

The election in South Korea two years ago resulted in a change of presidency, and Kim said the current president, Lee Myung-bak, is much more conservative. He essentially ended the Sunshine Policy until North Korea began cooperating with South Korea.

‘Many South Korean people felt betrayed by the lack of cooperation in North Korea,’ Kim said.

He said there is no diplomatic relationship between the North and South anymore.

And if war breaks out, Kim said the U.S. government is legally obliged to help South Korea. Between 30,000 and 40,000 American troops are still stationed in the demilitarized zone.

University Junior Seung-woo Yang said North Korea is less interested in their southern neighbors than they are in U.S. affairs.

He said with American troops fighting in Iraq and Iran, the North Korean government is nervous about the prospect of more U.S. soldiers returning to Korea.

‘They are not concerned with South Korea,’ Yang said. ‘They don’t want to talk with us. They want to talk with the U.S.’

Every male Korean citizen must serve in the army. In South Korea, the term is two years, and in North Korea, soldiers serve for 10 years.

Yang finished his two-year tour in the South Korean army three years ago. He said both countries are ready to fight, and soldiers are trained and prepared for possible war.

But Yang said South Korean civilians don’t worry about invasion from the North.

‘Some people were going to the store for [supplies] because they were worried about war [in the ’90s],’ Seung-woo Yang said. ‘But today nobody is concerned.’

Kim visits South Korea once a year, and he said the people focus more on their own lives instead of thinking about what North Korea will do next.

‘Every year, every day, they hear North Korea is about to invade,’ Kim said. ‘It’s a fact of life. You can’t worry about all of it all the time.’