Korean Reunification - Division

Division

The current division of the Korean peninsula is the result of decisions taken at the end of World War II. In 1910, Japan annexed Korea, and ruled over it until its defeat in World War II. The Korean independence officially occurred on 1 December 1943, when the United States, China, and Great Britain signed the Cairo Conference, which stated, “The aforesaid three powers, mindful of the enslavement of the people of Korea, are determined that “in due course” Korea shall become free and independent.” In 1945, the United Nations developed plans for trusteeship administration of Korea.

At midnight on 10 August 1945, two Army lieutenant colonels arbitrarily selected the 38th parallel as the dividing line, and the division of the peninsula into military occupation zones was agreed by the two superpowers — a northern zone administered by the Soviet Union and a southern zone administered by the United States. This was not originally intended to result in a long-lasting partition, but Cold War politics resulted in the establishment of two separate governments in the two zones in 1948 and rising tensions prevented cooperation. The desire of many Koreans for a peaceful unification was ended when the Korean War broke out in 1950. In June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea with Joseph Stalin giving the green light and Mao Zedong's agreement to support DPRK as backup troop, beginning the Korean War. After three years of fighting that involved China, the Soviet Union, and the United Nations led by the U.S., the war ended with an Armistice Agreement at approximately the same boundary. The two countries never signed a peace treaty.