Since South Korea was once ruled by the United States, they developed contrasting ideas compared to North Korea. Although South Korea was ruled by China, they were also ruled by the United States who introduced them to their culture and political ideas. After imperialism, South Korea became a republic and the people had religious freedom. Many Koreans practice confucianism, which was introduced to them by the Chinese. 25% of the population in South Korea practice Buddhism, which was also introduced to them by the Chinese and 20% of the population are Protestants. They were introduced to this religion by the United States. This demonstrates the impact of imperialism, even though it is the United States who affected Korea. After Japan modernized Korea's technology and machinery, South Korean lifestyle became westernized. They have the technology and clothes that a person in the United States has. The main problem South Korea is facing currently is the tension between themselves and North Korea. Both countries are distrustful of each other and when North Korea began testing nuclear weapons, the tension became worse. In 2010, a South Korean warship was allegedly sunk by a North Korean torpedo and North Korea fired upon Yeonpyeong, a small South Korean island in the Yellow Sea. Tension rose even more when North Korea began frequently threatening to destroy South Korea, Japan and the United States. Despite the threat of violence, imperialism benefited the people of South Korea because they became modernized and have sophisticated technology and lifestyles.
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