The Republic of Korea, more commonly known as South Korea, was one of the “Asian Tigers” whose rapid economic and social development in the latter 20th century was critical in the global shift towards the Pacific in economics and politics. Despite its small size, the Republic of Korea is considered the most developed region of Asia in terms of Human Development (HDI) and with the highest annual median wage (~40,250 USD), outpacing both smaller and larger states–Japan, Singapore, China, India, etc.–in the region by many metrics, and vastly outperforming the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). The split between South and North Korea after the 1953 ceasefire of the Korean War has played a critical role in the geopolitics of East Asia ever since its inception, with South Korea becoming heavily tied to the United States and the western economies, while North Korea allied itself with China, the USSR and other communist states. Following the collapse of the USSR, North Korea has become increasingly isolated and hostile to South Korea, though it claims these actions are defensive and aimed at the imperialist / capitalist powers that control the South Korean government as a proxy state.