Sim, embora não definitivamente para a Coreia do Sul.
Em uma entrevista com Marie Lu em bookyurt , ela dá as seguintes respostas:
Byrt: YES. And as for the whole country, you split it east/west?
Marie: I split it down the middle, from the Dakotas through Texas. The west half is called The Republic and the east is called The Colonies – and they hate each other!
Byrt: So were there any historical echoes in this project?
Marie: Definitely. The Eugenics movement that happened in the United States in the early 20th century was a big influence, as well as ancient Sparta and their habit of placing babies that were considered too weak to live out on a hill to die. North Korea was another big influence. It’s fascinating to see in real life how quickly a group of people can be brainwashed by their government, if the government has complete control over everything.
(ênfase minha)
Portanto, embora não mencione a Coréia do Norte e a Coréia do Sul, definitivamente diz que a Coréia do Norte e o controle do governo influenciaram o livro.