While North Korea and South Korea have long been in existence, this hasn’t always been the case. Throughout the 1950s, a brutal war ravaged the Korean peninsula, traumatizing the population and creating a divide that has never been healed. This is how the Korean War created two countries whose bitter rivalry persists today.
Previously part of the Japanese Empire, Korea was no longer in this predicament following World War II, when Japan was dealt a severe defeat by the Allies. It was then that the time had come to decide what to do with the former empire’s assets. In August 1945, two aides from the US State Department divided the Korean peninsula along the 38th parallel.
In the north, communist dictator Kim Il Sung rose to power, enjoying the support of Soviet Russia. The South was ruled over by the anti-communist ruler Syngman Rhee, who enjoyed American support. Just as the Americans and the Russians battled for supremacy in the Cold War, the Korean dictators battled for dominance, neither of whom was content to remain on their side of the border. Soon enough, the cross-border skirmishes boiled over into all-out war.
North Korea invaded its southern neighbor, overwhelming the underprepared forces of Syngman Rhee. Still, the Americans amped up their support for South Korea, sending troops and supplies to bolster the war efforts. With neither side gaining the upper hand, a stalemate occurred. Still, the conflict was a bloody one, with almost five million people losing their lives. After an armistice was signed on July 27, 1953, a two-mile-wide demilitarized zone was created between North and South Korea that still exists today.