The Republic of South Korea

After widespread government corruption and massive riots rocked the nation of South Korea, General Jeong Yoon Kwan launched a coup d'etat on September 14, 2011, overthrowing the government and establishing a military junta. Kwan quickly went to work, suppressing the riots, suspending the constitution, seizing control of major industries and infrastructure, and establishing a system by which food, water, medicinal supplies, and shelter could be provided to the populace. However, just a few months after his coup, the Cambodian Virus (as it was called) swept across the world. Kwan acted swiftly, closing off the borders, shutting down all airports, and quarantining the few refugees that had fled from Japan. While this kept the virus at bay for a few years, the quarantine effectively ruined what was left of the already ailing South Korean economy. A massive depression hit the nation, causing widespread unemployment and civil unrest. In order to combat this crisis, Kwan started the Gaengsaeng (Rebirth) Initiative. The aim of this program was to retrain the Korean populace to work in the agricultural industry. Eventually, the Cambodian Virus made its way into the country. The first major incident occurred on May 23, 2021, when 500 people living in Masan came down with the virus. It quickly spread, despite government efforts to contain it, and would have spelled the death of South Korea had it not been for the work of two scientists: Seung Kyung Rhee and Myung Iseul Yi. Together, the pair was able to develop a vaccine capable of combating the virus. While the vaccine did not eradicate the virus, its severely cut its lethality, from 87% of cases down to 43% of cases. Kwan immediately poured billions into the development, manufacturing, and distribution of the vaccine. As a result, millions of Koreans lives were saved. Meanwhile, the nation's northern neighbor was coming apart at the seems. Poor harvests and rampant malnutrition had already weakened the population. So when the Cambodian Virus somehow found its way into the Hermit Kingdom, the death tolls were catastrophic. Even the most devout began to question the abilities of their Dear Leader, Kim Jong-un. Tensions reached the breaking point in 2043, when General Chang Sung-nam lead a revolution to overthrow the communist regime. North Korea descended into chaos, yet South Korea did not intervene, due to internal issues. In the year 2063, a new wave of discontent swept through the nation. Ironically, the initiatives that had saved South Korea also allowed several dissident groups to prosper right under the government's nose. People began to call for a return to democracy, citing that the storm clouds that had darkened the first half of the twenty-first century were lifting. The current leader, General Gyeong Eun Lee, refused to step down, and began to crack down on dissidents. However, he did not expect that the democratic movement would have infiltrated his own government. A young officer, Colonel Iseul Seung Rhee, launched a coup against Lee, replacing most of the members of the military junta with pro-democracy officers. In coordination with several democratic movements, a new constitution was ratified and adopted on November 3, 2063. Free election began soon afterwards on April 6, 2064, marking the beginning of the Seventh Republic. The first and most recent major event in the new republic's short history is the ongoing (as of 2069) reunification effort in the former nation of North Korea. Beginning in the year 2056, surveillance aircraft had been routinely monitoring the situation in North Korea. It became readily apparent that any form of unified government had long since disappeared, and had been replaced with anarchy. Plans were quickly drawn up for the successful occupation of North Korea. On June 5, 2067, Operation Tong-il (Unification) began. 35,000 troops made amphibious landings along the coast of North Korea, seizing key points such as Nampho, Wonsan, Panmunjom, and the former capital of North Korea, Pyongyang. The forces faced little resistance from the warlords and die-hard communists that still controlled the region, and for good reason. The population of North Korea had shrunk to 8.5% of what it was before Sung-nam's revolution. The majority of the populace were living in abject poverty, and welcomed the expeditionary forces. Soon, the whole of southern North Korea was in South Korean hands, and the arduous task of dismantling the DMZ (demilitarized zone) and rebuilding the region could commence.