Division of Korea
In 1905, the Russo-Japanese War ended with Korea becoming a nominal protectorate of Japan. By 1910, Japan had fully annexed the Korean Empire and removed Emperor Gojong from power. Nationalist groups emerged in the following decades to struggle for independence. These groups diverged in their outlooks and approaches, failing to unite into one national movement. The Korean Provisional Government operated in exile within China but failed to obtain widespread recognition. Divergent strategies among these factions left the peninsula fragmented even before foreign powers intervened.
On the 10th of August 1945, two young officers named Dean Rusk and Charles Bonesteel were assigned to define an American occupation zone. Working on extremely short notice and completely unprepared, they used a National Geographic map to decide on the 38th parallel as the dividing line. They chose it because it divided the country approximately in half while placing the capital Seoul under American control. No experts on Korea were consulted during this hurried process. Rusk later stated that if he had known about previous discussions between Japan and Russia over the same parallel, he would have chosen a different line. The division placed sixteen million Koreans in the American zone and nine million in the Soviet zone.
When Soviet troops entered Pyongyang on the 24th of August 1945, they found a local branch of the Committee for the Preparation of Korean Independence operating under veteran nationalist Cho Man-sik. The Soviet Army allowed People's Committees to function despite their varying political compositions. In September 1945, the Soviet administration issued its own currency called the Red Army won. Colonel-General Terentii Shtykov took charge of the administration in 1946 and began lobbying the Soviet government for funds to support the struggling economy. His strong support of Kim Il Sung proved decisive in his rise to power. By February 1946, a provisional government called the Provisional People's Committee of North Korea formed under Kim Il Sung. Land reform programs redistributed land from Japanese collaborators to poor farmers without resorting to bloodshed.
Lieutenant General John R. Hodge landed in Incheon with his troops on the 8th of September 1945, marking the beginning of the United States Army Military Government in Korea. MacArthur ended up being in charge of southern Korea from 1945 to 1948 due to lack of clear orders or initiative from Washington D.C. None of the Americans in the military or State Department even spoke Korean during this period. Hodge refused to meet with delegations from the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea and outlawed the newly formed People's Republic of Korea on the 12th of December. Severe price inflation occurred until summer 1946 when rationing and price controls were imposed. Between 30,000 and 100,000 people died during left-wing insurgencies that followed, with most casualties resulting from the Jeju uprising.
In December 1945 at the Moscow Conference, Allies agreed that four powers would take part in a trusteeship over Korea for up to five years. This decision invigorated groups demanding immediate independence while the Korean Communist Party supported the trusteeship. A meeting held in 1946 and 1947 failed to make progress due to increasing Cold War antagonism and Korean opposition to the plan. On the 19th of July 1947, Lyuh Woon-hyung, the last senior politician committed to dialogue, was assassinated by Han Chigeun, a nineteen-year-old man. The division between zones deepened as policy differences polarized politics. In May 1946 it became illegal to cross the 38th parallel without a permit. At the final Joint Commission meeting in September 1947, Soviet delegate Terentii Shtykov proposed withdrawing both forces but this was rejected by the US.
The United Nations passed a resolution on the 14th of November 1947 declaring free elections should be held with foreign troops withdrawn. The Soviet Union boycotted voting and did not consider the resolution binding since they argued fair elections could not be guaranteed. UN-supervised elections were held in the south only despite objections from commission chairman K.P.S. Menon. General strikes protesting the decision began in February 1948. Jeju islanders rose up against looming division in April before full-scale rebellion developed. South Korean troops repressed the uprising which escalated from August 1948 following independence declaration. Between 25,000 and 30,000 people died while seventy percent of villages burned during the conflict. On the 10th of May 1948 the south held general elections amid widespread violence and intimidation.
North Korean forces invaded South Korea on the 25th of June 1950 triggering the Korean War that lasted until 1953. As North Korean forces drove back into the south, South Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel on the 1st of October followed by American and other UN forces a week later. China unleashed a counter-attack that pushed US-led forces back into the south after occupying northern territory. In 1951 the front line stabilized near the 38th parallel where both sides considered an armistice. Rhee demanded war continue until unified under his leadership while Communist side supported an armistice based on the 38th parallel. The UN position formulated by Americans went against consensus leading to tortuous negotiations. The Korean Armistice Agreement was signed after three years of war creating a buffer zone known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
Since the war ended in 1953, Korea has remained divided along the DMZ with opposing regimes claiming legitimacy over the whole country. On the 27th of April 2018 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the Demilitarized Zone. They signed the Panmunjom Declaration calling for end of military activities near border and reunification of Korea. Buffer zones were established across the DMZ starting the 1st of November 2018 stretching from Deokjeok Island to Cho Island in West Sea. No fly zones were also created during this period. In October 2024 the North Korean constitution was amended removing references to reunification and labeling South Korea a hostile state. This preceded destruction of roads connecting north to south in bid to completely separate two states.
Common questions
Who divided Korea along the 38th parallel in 1945?
Dean Rusk and Charles Bonesteel defined the American occupation zone on the 10th of August 1945. They selected the 38th parallel using a National Geographic map without consulting Korean experts.
When did Soviet troops enter Pyongyang during the division of Korea?
Soviet troops entered Pyongyang on the 24th of August 1945. Colonel-General Terentii Shtykov took charge of the administration in 1946 to support Kim Il Sung's rise to power.
What happened during the Jeju uprising between 1948 and 1949?
South Korean troops repressed an uprising that began in April 1948 following independence declarations. Between 25,000 and 30,000 people died while seventy percent of villages burned during the conflict.
How long did the Korean War last after North Korean forces invaded South Korea?
North Korean forces invaded South Korea on the 25th of June 1950 triggering the Korean War that lasted until 1953. The Korean Armistice Agreement created a buffer zone known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone after three years of war.
Why was the Panmunjom Declaration signed by Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in?
Kim Jong Un met South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the Demilitarized Zone on the 27th of April 2018 to sign the Panmunjom Declaration. They called for an end of military activities near the border and reunification of Korea.
All sources
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