Korea was divided at the 38th parallel in 1945, and by 1948 two rival states each claimed the whole peninsula.
Korea had been a Japanese colony since 1910. In August 1945, the USA and USSR agreed to divide it temporarily at the 38th parallel to accept the Japanese surrender. Soviet forces occupied the north and US forces the south.
Plans for a single Korean government failed as the Cold War deepened. In 1948 two states were created. The Republic of Korea in the south was led by Syngman Rhee. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the north was led by Kim Il-sung.
Both leaders were nationalists who wanted to reunify Korea under their own rule. Fighting along the 38th parallel was frequent in 1949. Thousands died in these border clashes before the full war began.
Soviet and US occupation troops withdrew by 1949. The north had a stronger, Soviet-equipped army with tanks. The USA deliberately limited the south's weapons, partly because it feared Rhee would attack the north.
- Division
- August 1945, at the 38th parallel.
- Two states
- 1948: Republic of Korea (Rhee) and DPRK (Kim Il-sung).
- Border clashes
- Frequent fighting along the 38th parallel in 1949.
Worked example: Using local actors in an answer
A question asks whether the Korean War was a civil war or a Cold War conflict.
- Civil war: two Korean governments each sought to unite the country; border fighting began in 1949.
- Cold War: the division itself came from superpower occupation, and both states depended on outside support.
- Judgement: it was both, a civil war shaped and internationalised by the Cold War.
Watch out for this
The Korean War began suddenly in 1950 between two peaceful states.
Serious border fighting along the 38th parallel took place in 1949. The June 1950 invasion turned this conflict into full-scale war.
Check your understanding
Why did the USA limit the weapons it gave South Korea before 1950?
- It feared Syngman Rhee might try to reunify Korea by force.
- South Korea refused American help.
- The UN banned weapons in Korea.