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

The DMZ is a strip of land that has split the Korean peninsula in two along the 38th parallel since the Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953.

From Washington Times • May 18, 2022

Se-ri realizes just how privileged her life has been living south of the 38th parallel.

From Salon • Dec. 19, 2021

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

Four months later — June 25, 1950 — the Korean People’s Army began firing across the 38th parallel.

From Washington Post • Oct. 13, 2017

After the service, as the remaining worshippers gathered outside the church, news whipsawed through the crowd that North Korean troops had crossed the 38th parallel.

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