The Republic of Korea was a country in ruins before the Korean War. Today, South Korea is a country that has been growing exponentially since the early 1950s. They are technologically advanced, have a distinguished economy, a constitutionally developed government, and a modern military. Shortly after the North Korean People's Army invaded South Korea and crossed the 38th parallel, President Truman ordered the U.S. military to join the fight with South Korea in the war from Korea. North Korea, supported by the Soviets, became communist, and out of fear, the United States joined the fight to help South Korea win and remain anti-communist. With the United States of America and the USSR having completely different ideologies, Kia Motors just celebrated its 20th anniversary selling vehicles in the United States. Kia sold more than 580,000 vehicles in 2014, marking the third consecutive year of sales of more than half a million automobiles. Kia started out by selling fewer than 30,000 vehicles in 1995. Kia ranks as the eighth largest automobile brand in the United States. Hyundai Motors has been around since the mid-1980s and came to the United States in the early 1990s. Initially, Hyundai made a very unreliable automobile, but like its partner Kia, they transformed their brand. They have sold out the government which works primarily at the national level; however, many local ministries perform local government functions. With most stable three-limb systems, careful checks and balances are in place. Each branch partially names each other branch. South Korea maintains diplomatic relations with more than 170 countries. South Korea joined the United Nations in 1991, along with North Korea. South Korea is truly a rags to riches story. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, South Korea was one of the worst countries in the world per capita. They rank in the same classes as most of the poorest countries in Africa and Asia. Since the 1960s, South Korea has become one of the fastest growing economies in the world. As of 2014, they currently rank as the 12th largest economy in the world. The South Korean financial model has some problems. The country relies heavily on exports and the United States of America is the number one country they export to. Their exports represent more than half of their gross domestic GDP.