Korea is known as a nation separated by two states. A nation can be defined as a cultural group of people sharing the same traditions, the same history, the same language and often the same country; while a state is a legal unit with sovereignty over a territory and the population residing there. When the country was separated, it was divided along the latitudinal line known as the 38th parallel. Today, this border separating the North from the South is called the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and it is where officials from both sides meet to discuss inter-Korean relations. After the country's separation, North Korea adopted and retained a communist government. Communism is a totalitarian regime that shapes the interests and identities of its citizens with a coherent ideology that mobilizes support for the regime and restricts social and political pluralism. In a communist regime, the rich often exploit the poor, the government redistributes economic wealth, and a single party controls the state. On the other hand, South Korea, which had been created by an anti-communist authoritarian dictator, modernized economically to form a democratic state. Like the communist government in the North, the authoritarian regime in the South limited political pluralism, but did not concern itself with social pluralism or the use of coercive mobilization to shape the interests of its citizens and their support for the regime. . In 1985, South Korea officially became a democracy in which leaders would now be held accountable to the people. Despite all the similarities that Koreans share, what explains the different and enduring political regimes that each state has adopted? Scientific evidence has identified three possible factors as the source of the bottom...... middle of article ......Geography of the Koreas. (2014). Asian Society. Retrieved from http://asiasociety.org/countries/traditions/geography-koreas?page=0,0Hallen, C. and Lee, M. (1999). The history of the Korean language, overview. Brigham Young University. Retrieved from http://linguistics.byu.edu/classes/ling450ch/reports/Korean3.htmlKorea. (2013). Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th edition, 1-8. Korean culture. (nd) PBS. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/hiddenkorea/culture.htmLee, G. (2003). The political philosophy of Juche. Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs, 3: 1. Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/group/sjeaa/journal3/korea1.pdfPark, Y. (2014). Policies and ideologies of the Kim Jong-un regime in North Korea: theoretical implications. Review of Asian Studies, 38(1), 1. doi: 1080/10357823.2013.868864Schaff, M. (2009). Prelude to the Korean War. Prelude to the Korean War, 1-2.