the 38th parallel

Eugene Clayton Statler, Jr. and the 38th Parallel Marker
Submitted by Sharon Statler
Eugene Clayton Statler, Jr., taken in 1954 in Korea just after the war's end.
Submitted by Sharon Statler, daughter
Ohio Korean War Korea Statler

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~lee24e/worldpol/background.html

apan occupied Korea since August 22nd of 1910 until August 15th of 1945. Korea gained independence from Japan due to Allies forces’ airdrop of atomic bombs in Japan in August of 1945. During this time, conflicts between super-powers with ideologies divided the Korean peninsula with the 38th parallel. Soviet Union occupied north part of the Korea peninsula, while United States took south part of it. A decision on trusteeship on Korea was carried out; South Korea established Republic of Korea (ROK) on August 15th of 1948 with Lee SyngMan as the first President, and North Korea set up Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on September 9th of 1948 with Kim IlSung as the Prime Minister. Eventually, the trusteeship settled the national division. Kim IlSung endeavored to communize the Korean peninsula with new weapons and Soviet Union’s support. North Korea attacked South Korea on June 25th of 1950 as Kim IlSung’s will. North Korean army took over Seoul within three days and came nearby NakDong river line within a month. “InCheon landing” was successful with General MacArthur's tactics and the United Nations grasped situation. This led to recapturing Seoul, WonSan, even PyeongYang. The Korean peninsula was almost unified, but People’s of Republic China’s (PRC) intervention in the Korean War caused long term of the battle. During the period of taken and take away of the 38th parallel, cease-fire was mentioned by United States and the United Nations. On October of 1951, Soviet Union accepted the U.N.’s proposal to hold a conference at PanMunjeom. After Armistice Agreement was signed, the Korean peninsula was divided; Korea became the only country having Demarcation Line (MDL) in the world.
(See Korean War Timeline)

Belligerents
United Nations
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea
People’s Republic of China
United States
Soviet Union
United Kingdom

Australia

Belgium

Canada

Colombia

Ethiopia

France

Greece

Luxembourg

Netherlands

New Zealand

Philippines

South Africa

Thailand

Turkey


Commanders
Lee SyngMan
Kim IlSung
Kwon ChungIl
Choi YongKun
Paik SunYup
Kim Chaek
Harry S. Truman
Mao Zedong
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Peng Dehuai
Douglas MacArthur
Joseph Stalin
Matthew Ridgway

Mark Wayne Clark

Clement Attlee

(Tables above are copied from "Wikipedia"))

* Two ideologies in the Korean War:
Not only the Korean War was a conflict within a nation, but also was a battle of Communism and Democracy. Democracy won against Communism from this war. The United Nations and United States supported South Korea to triumph in the combat and aggressed soldiers of North Korean, People’s Republic of China and Soviet Union from South Korea.

* 38th Parallel
Many people think the 38th parallel was set after the Korean War, but it was existed before the war. It caused to have two regimes in the Korean peninsula: South and North.

“The legendary 38th parallel (The Korean Demilitarized Zone, a buffer zone between North and South Korea) was first suggested as a dividing line for Korea in 1902 by the Japanese, after the First Sino-Japanese war (a war fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan over the control of Korea).”
In fact, two regimes had different ideologies and eventually attempted to build two governments in one nation. In the present, South Korea and North Korea are treated as separated countries. Korea is the only country that has two governments even though shares same cultures and languages. The 38th parallel reminds sad history to Koreans and people in the world. Currently, both South and North Korean soldiers stand along the 38th parallel facing each other with guns. Even though they are same race and family, there is tension between them instead of love.


http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/battles/korea/popup/policing.htm

Policing the 38th parallel
A member of the Royal Military Police beside a sign indicating the position of the 38th parallel, effectively the border between North and South Korea.

BF 10243 (May 1951)
Courtesy of the Imperial War Museum, London