The Peninsula

South Koreans who left behind their ancestral homes in North Korea when it was divided leave messages on ribbons at Imjingak Park in Paju, South Korea. The park near the South Korea-North Korea border commemorates the division of the two countries and the ongoing pain it has caused. (U.S. Army Garrison Red Cloud/Flickr Creative Commons)

The Korean War never really ended. Nearly 70 years after an armistice brought an uneasy peace to the Korean peninsula, talk of war has grown louder amid a volley of military exercises, missile testing and threatening rhetoric from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump alike. As South Korea continues its economic ascent and the world grapples with how to handle a nuclear North Korea, Seoul-based correspondent Kelly Kasulis offers insights from the ground and historical context for a longstanding conflict that now appears to be escalating.