38th parallel north

Coordinates: 38°N 0°W / 38°N 0°W / 38; -0

The 38th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 38 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. The 38th parallel north has been especially important in the recent history of Korea.

Geography

Starting at the Prime Meridian heading eastwards, the 38th parallel north passes through:

Korea

The left side of the boundary in this image belongs to South Korea while the right side belongs to North Korea

The 38th parallel was first suggested as a dividing line for Korea in 1902. Russia was attempting to pull Korea under its control, while Japan had just secured recognition of its rights in Korea from the British. In an attempt to prevent any conflict, Japan proposed to Russia that the two sides split Korea into separate spheres of influence along the 38th parallel. However, no formal agreement was ever reached, and Japan later took full control of Korea.

After the surrender of Japan in 1945, the parallel was established as the boundary by Dean Rusk and Charles Bonesteel of the US State-War Navy Coordinating Committee in Washington during the night of 10-11 August 1945, four days before the complete liberation of Korea. The parallel divided the peninsula roughly in the middle. In 1948, the dividing line became the boundary between the newly independent countries of North and South Korea. On 25 June 1950, North Korean forces crossed the parallel and invaded South Korea, sparking the Korean War.

After the ceasefire that effectively ended the Korean War in 1953, a new border was established through the middle of the Demilitarized Zone, which cuts across the 38th parallel at an acute angle, from southwest to northeast. The 38th parallel was also the place where the ceasefire was called to end the fighting.