South Korea: Dubbed "the most wired country in the world" South Koreans enjoy their internet at four times the speed than that of the United States.
North Korea: Unlike other oppressive regimes which ban certain websites they don't approve of (I'm looking at you, China), North Korea simply doesn't get internet. According to the New York Times North Korea's domain suffix .kp remains unused.
Electricity
The top half of this picture is North Korea at night, the bottom half is South Korea.
Communication
South Korea: 90% of South Koreans own a cell phone, which they use to watch TV, buy stuff, and play those nerdy online videogames. South Korean companies Samsung and LG are two of three largest cell phone companies in the world.
North Korea: Cell phone were banned in North Korea until 2004. In 2008 a mobile phone service was launched but hardly anyone in North Korea can afford a cell phone anyway.
Transportation
South Korea: A fast, efficient subway system in each major city transports the busy population around; the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is one of the most used subway systems in the world. Signs in the cosmopolitan SK subways are written in Korea, English and sometimes Chinese. South Korea is the world's fifth largest automotive manufacture.
North Korea: Cars are a luxury in North Korea, with only around 20,000 cars in the entire country (less than 1 per 1,000 people). In fact, bikes are luxury in North Korea.
Government
South Korea: Full democracy with three branches of government not unlike our own.
North Korea: Oh boy. Officially led by the "Korean Worker's Party," North Korea is actually run by (Dear Leader) Kim Jong-il, son of the Eternal President Kim Il-sung. He can apparently control the weather with his mood.
Tourism
South Korea: With the best airport in the world just outside capital city Seoul, South Korea welcomes around six million tourists a year. Popular spots include historic Geongju,
tropical Jeju Island
and urban Seoul.
North Korea: The North Korean government recently imprisoned journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee for accidentally crossing the border into the country. Tours are available for people who want to visit North Korea, excluding South Koreans. This is actually a really interesting firsthand experience of the guided tour at the DMZ (demilitarized zone).
Stuff they have in common:
They both speak Korean (albeit very different dialects).
They both qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
So in summary: South Korea is a technologically advanced, first-world nation which welcomes tourists and has a healthy relationship not only with fellow Asian countries, but with the UN and the Western World alike. North Korea is a totalitarian regime that imprisons people in labor camps who happen to step across its border.
Can you guess which Korea I'll be going to?
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