38th parallel north
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| 38th parallel north | |
|---|---|
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| Korean name | |
| Hangul: |
삼팔선
|
| Hanja: |
三八線
|
| Revised Romanization: | Sampalseon |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Samp'alsŏn |
The parallel 38° north is an imaginary 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.
The parallel 38° north passes throughMianus, Portugal, Spain, the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily, Italy, the Ionian Sea, Greece, the Aegean Sea, Turkey, Iran, the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, China, the Yellow Sea, North Korea, South Korea, the Sea of Japan, Japan, the Pacific Ocean, the United States of America, and the Atlantic Ocean.
[edit] Korea
After surrender of Japan in 1945, the parallel was established as the boundary between the Soviet (north) and American (south) occupation zones in Korea, as Dean Rusk and Charles Bonesteel had earlier suggested. 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. At the end of the Korean War (1950-1953), 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 cease-fire was called to end the fighting
- See also: Division of Korea and Panmunjeom
