38th parallel

American  

[thur-tee-eytth par-uh-lel, par-uh-luhl, thur-tee-eyth] / ˈθɜr tiˌeɪtθ ˈpær əˌlɛl, ˈpær ə ləl, ˈθɜr tiˌeɪθ /

Or 38th Parallel

noun

1. the line of latitude 38 degrees North (38° N), in East Asia, which roughly marks the border between North Korea and South Korea: set by the U.S. in 1945 as a military boundary, three years before these countries were officially established.

---

Etymology

Origin of 38th parallel

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

38th parallel

Japan occupied all of Korea before its 1945 surrender in the Second World War, after which the peninsula was divided into separate states along the 38th parallel.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

But instead of merely laying out strategic mistakes made by the U.S., she details how an imaginary border - the 38th parallel - dreamt up by the U.S. eventually divided her family.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 27, 2019

About 7,700 American service members are missing from the battlefields of the Korean War, including some 5,300 believed to have died north of the 38th parallel in what is now North Korea.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 2, 2018

The only North Korean athletes to qualify for the Games on merit have bonded with their competitors from across the 38th parallel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2018

MacArthur then pushed his luck, sending his army across the 38th parallel and racing toward the Yalu River.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau