The reason why South Korea is so close to North Korea is a result of the Korean War. The Korean Peninsula was divided into two states in 1948, with North Korea receiving the north half and South Korea receiving the south. However, after a period of relative peace in the 60s and 70s, North Korea has now resumed its efforts for power and militarization. This has caused alarm in nearby countries such as China which has been pursuing plans to combat North Korea through military action.
In 2001, Kim Jong-il escalated tensions by sending missiles over Japan due to his anger with President Clinton criticizing Kim Jong-il’s human rights record during UN General Assembly meetings. This might have been a bluff because he felt that threats would not be taken seriously. After all, there was no prior history of this threat (such as in Iraq). Furthermore, he also said that if they continued to protest against him, he would “emptily shower them with rockets.” In response to this threat, then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi conducted joint exercises with American forces off Okinawa and issued warnings that this could escalate into an actual conflict (even though it didn’t). While there were many other reasons for North Korea launching these missiles at Japan (including their allies such as Iran), why did they launch them over Japan? The common idea is that they were testing out their capabilities or testing their new missile technology, but the real reason was simple; It was an intimidation tactic hoping that Japan would give up on pressuring them or provoking them since South Korea would be within reach from them if Japan gave in.
This aggression towards Japan led some people to consider taking military action against them. Still, because of how close South Korea is to already having indirect relations with North Korea due to their shared border, there are concrete plans such as building nuclear power plants on Ye.
While many people associate no cities considered to be within 500 km of the North Korean border, many other countries have cities in this range.
While many people associate no cities considered to be within 500 km of the North Korean border, many other countries have cities in this range. For example, China has Beijing and Shanghai, while Japan has Tokyo and Nagoya. Russia also has Vladivostok at 648 km from Pyongyang, and Australia is just over 1,000 kilometers away from South Korea at 1,049 kilometers away!
South Korea: Seoul – 660 km
Seoul is the capital and largest city of South Korea. As the most populous metropolitan area in East Asia, it’s also one of the world’s most densely populated cities. The city has become known for its vibrant art scene and modern architecture, including some of Korea’s tallest skyscrapers.
The city has an international airport that serves as a vital transportation hub for domestic and international travel throughout Asia, Europe, and North America; it connects to many other significant airports worldwide via direct flights provided by Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. In addition to being one of Asia’s largest metropolises with over 10 million inhabitants living within its borders today (2016), Seoul has been nicknamed “Silicon Valley East” due to its high-level innovation capabilities within business sector areas such as electronics manufacturing, software development/engineering consulting services; biotech research/development, etc…
Southern China: Xiamen – 1,600 km
Xiamen is a city in China, 1,600 km from North Korea. It’s the capital of Fujian province and is located on the southeast coast of China.
Northern China: Shenyang – 2,800 km
If you’re looking to leave the mainland and head north, your best bet might be to go through Shenyang. The city is in Liaoning Province, part of Northeast China (the other side of China). It’s also home to over 10 million people, making it one of China’s largest cities.
Shenyang was established as a treaty port during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) when it became an important trading center for Korea and Japan. Today, Shenyang remains an important industrial and commercial center for northeastern China.
Japan: Sapporo – 3,600 km
Sapporo is the largest city in Hokkaido, Japan. It is also the capital of Hokkaido and has 1,200,000 people. Sapporo was established in 1868 by the Japanese and houses one-third of all Japanese companies involved in shipping or fishing activities.
Sapporo is located on the Sea of Okhotsk near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, where you can find several volcanoes, including Mount Yotei (or “Mount Fuji”).
Western Russia: Minsk – 3,400 km
Minsk is the capital of Belarus and its largest city. As one of Europe’s leading centers for higher education, it has a population of more than 1 million people. The town lies on the Minsk River, which originates in Lake Dzerzhynsk (Dzierżyńsk), which lies just southeast of Minsk. It flows out into the Prypiat River at its meeting point with the Volga River near Polotsk District.
Minsk is located in northeastern Europe within an area known as Eastern Europe or the Baltic region, bordering Poland to its west and Lithuania to its east.
North Korea is closer than you think.
North Korea is in east Asia, right next to South Korea. It’s also closer than you think!
North Korea is a sovereign state in East Asia and has been independent since 1948. It was founded by Kim Il-sung, who ruled from 1948 until he died in 1994. North Korea shares borders with China on its west, Russia on its north, and South Korea on its south (although it doesn’t have any official relations with either). The country’s capital city is Pyongyang, but other major cities include Kaesong City (formerly known as P’yongyang) and Sinuiju City, located near China’s border with North Korea near Dandong Port City, where many tourists are visiting annually from all over the world, including US citizens that come here because this place offers excellent entertainment including beaches where you can swim or go fishing if you want something different than just sitting around eating hamburgers all day long 🙂
