How South Korea Left the North Behind

How South Korea Left the North Behind
In 1988, the last time South Korea hosted the Olympics, North
and South Korea were more alike than different, separated by an arbitrary line yet joined by history, language and the bonds of family.
Ultimately, two countries that appear so different, even from space — where the lights of the South far outshine
those of the North — have a shared history much longer than the three decades between Olympics.
Now, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea says he hopes the Pyeongchang Olympics could end a stalemate and propel the countries to talks.
In 1988, North Korea did not even participate in the Seoul Olympics, and it mounted a deadly terrorist attack 10 months before the Olympics.
Although North Korea’s economy started to grow moderately in recent years, devastating sanctions imposed by
the United Nations prohibit it from selling its leading exports, and the economy could be shrinking again.
At the time of the Seoul Games, South Korea had recently emerged from military dictatorship.