38th parallel
Divides the Koreas
The 38th parallel is the circle of latitude 38 degrees north of the equator.
It gained significance as the boundary dividing Korea into North and South following World War II, established in 1945 when Soviet and American forces partitioned the peninsula.
The Korean War (1950–53) began when North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel, and the armistice roughly restored it as the border.
Tensions along the 38th parallel remain high.
- wireThin metallic conductor
- armisticeAgreement to cease hostilities
- Korean War1950s peninsula conflict
- Cold WarProlonged East-West standoff
- checkpointInspection station on route
crossing point · fence · Korean Peninsula · divided nation · DMZ · Truman · ceasefire agreement · Kim Il-sung · North Korea · trench · Seoul · latitude · 1945 · family separation · flag · demilitarized zone · no man's land · guard towers
- Korean historyJoseon dynasty, Three Kingdoms, DMZ, demilitarized zone, Korean DMZ
- KoreaSeoul, Korea, Busan, Incheon, South Korea
- bordersborder, boundary, border crossing, national borders, boundary line
- linesstraight line, line, dotted line, dashed line, solid line
- Disputed TerritoriesKashmir, Crimea, Taiwan, Kosovo, West Bank
- Korean DMZDMZ, demarcation line, armistice line, ceasefire line, buffer zone
38th parallelreunification
Restoring divided unity
German reunification · fall of the Berlin Wall · peace treaty · integration · unification
38th parallelnatural border
Terrain-created division between regions
coastline · Pyrenees · Rio Grande · Alps · English Channel
38th parallelUS-Canada border
Boundary between North American allies