Ask them "which occupation zone was the first to hold an election after WWII ended?"
Ask the "which occupation zone has been a military dictatorship for most of its existence?"
Ask them "what percentage of the South Korean government spending was directly paid for by the US during the post war years?" And "can any country whose budget is almost completely dependent on another nation really call itself democratic?"
Homework for you: [Learn about People's Committees](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Committee_(postwar_Korea)#:~:text=The%20People's%20Committees%20(Korean%3A%20%EC%9D%B8%EB%AF%BC,August%201945%20to%20early%201946.) this article is from Wikipedia, even your most liberal friend will respect it. The main source this article draws information from is dogshit, but the main points are important to know.
Listen to Blowback Season 3 Episode 3 "The Blue House". You can hear about the first democratic experience of people in the North compared to South