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Squeezed between the Chinese and Japanese empires, the small Korean peninsula has rarely mastered its own destiny. As the last scar of the Cold War on earth, the 38th parallel reminds us that, to this day, it remains an important geo-strategical stake for the major powers. Unlike China, which has affirmed its power by assimilating foreign cultures, Korean nationalism, forged by resistance to the enemy as well as by a fierce determination to remain independent, still dominates hearts and minds in the North as well as in the South. It is also central to the historic rapprochement experienced today by the enemy brothers.