The Korean peninsula. You guys know it as North Korea and South Korea. Two very different entities. That's how you differentiate them. One is making the life hell for it's people, always thinking about maximizing their power. Something what the modern culture might call hustling. While the other one is a peace loving, progressive country which is more successful through international trade.
Now these very polarizing two regimes are actually born from the same seed. The different outcomes are the living examples of what happens when you either forgive and forget or you hold your grudge.
Flashback time. 1945. The war is just over. No more old superpowers as in the ottomans, no Romans, even Britain is struggling. World's new two superpowers are USA and Soviet Union. And during the war, these two were friends. Good friends helping in the war effort. People thought if the biggest powers are friends, it's bound to be good for everyone, yes?
No. Their different ideologies made them enemies. Onwards and upwards with the communism vs capitalism. After the war, USA and Soviet Union liberated the Korean peninsula from Japan. Afterwards, they both shared the peninsula and ruled half of it each. Southern part was backed by USA, northern part was backed by Soviet Union. Leader of Korea during that period was Kim IL Sung. Who just so "happened" to like
Joseph Stalin's ideology. After getting Stalin's and Mao Zedong's support, Kim IL Sung attacked the southern, USA backed, capitalist South Korea. They thought USA wouldn't care. But all of UN peace keeper forces and US army rallied in.
It's 1950 and here's another war. A bloody war went on for 3 years as they finally signed a ceasefire in 1953, announcing the then Frontline as the new border, and 2 kilometers on either side of the border, a DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). A buffer to be exact. Now, during this war, the US Air Force completely demolished the northern Korean peninsula. With bombs more than they dropped in the war in the Pacific. That doesn't mean South Korea was spared by the Soviet Union. They too were demolished, Seoul was broken to the ground. But that Air Force part is important.
People of South Korea, a capitalist regime, moved on from the bloody Korean war, and all it's atrocities. Started anew. And they have prospered. You can see very well. While on the other side of the border, one family didn't move on. The family of Kim IL Sung. They have always hated America for all the monstrosities. They have always remembered their vulnerabilities as Americans made them look like sitting ducks.
This PTSD was passed on in the family an the latest to it is Kim jong Un. 80 years later North Korea are still upgrading their defenses, preparing nukes, all in a bid to be in the same conversation as the USA. All in because they do not want to be sitting ducks again. They might be a powerful country now, military wise, but the people living there are living in hell on earth.
North Korea never really plans to attack South Korea, they are the same breed of people. It's all to scare USA. But this mentality of eternal revenge is killing the country and all it's potential. While South Korea, a booming Asian economy. A visual representation of why moving on is always the better option. And that Korean war? That was the start of the Cold war.