WI: West/East Korea

If, with the power of ASB, after the Korean war, the Korean peninsula was split between a western Soviet-friendly Korea and a US-friendly East Korea, with the border lying just east of Seoul, how strong would the economy be? Who would have the most strategic advantages? How could the Korean societies have developed?
 
The West Korean state would have the higher population and more/better farmland. It would have the two big West Korean population centers around Seoul and Pyongyang. It would also have most of the heavy industry.

East Korea would have a much lower population, and its highly populated urban centers would be strung along various eastern ports. There wouldn't be an obvious capital location that unites the country around its center. It would have more natural resources though - timber and minerals and more hydroelectric potential.

In terms of geographical barriers, West Korea would be more easily invaded. There aren't many natural barriers to invasion, and East Korea is more mountainous. At the same time, West Korea would be clearly the dominant half.

It would also be much harder to maintain a fortified DMZ across the length of the border, and the East Korean state would also have a border with China and the Soviet Union. It would be a defensive nightmare.
 
The West Korean state would have the higher population and more/better farmland. It would have the two big West Korean population centers around Seoul and Pyongyang. It would also have most of the heavy industry.

East Korea would have a much lower population, and its highly populated urban centers would be strung along various eastern ports. There wouldn't be an obvious capital location that unites the country around its center. It would have more natural resources though - timber and minerals and more hydroelectric potential.

In terms of geographical barriers, West Korea would be more easily invaded. There aren't many natural barriers to invasion, and East Korea is more mountainous. At the same time, West Korea would be clearly the dominant half.

It would also be much harder to maintain a fortified DMZ across the length of the border, and the East Korean state would also have a border with China and the Soviet Union. It would be a defensive nightmare.
I'm thinking Busan would be a nice capital for East Korea, being one of the most industrial cities on the peninsula pre-Korean War and also one of the main trading hubs of the Japanese empire, but it is also along the coast and would thus be strategically vulnerable.

Daegu is also an industrial hub and more protected, which could make it a good candidate as well.
 
Argh! If you use ASB to assume a situation, then post in ASB. You cannot decide "what would happen" in a situation if you dont know HOW it came about.
 
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