38th parallel

American  

[thur-tee-aytth par-uh-lel, par-uh-luhl, thur-tee-ayth] / 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.

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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

More remarkable is that the U.S. was again unprepared, without a tank on the peninsula when the North Koreans crossed the 38th parallel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025

And he grasped hands with Trump to welcome him across the 38th parallel into North Korean territory during their hastily arranged meeting at the Korean demilitarized zone in June.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 3, 2019

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

After Japan's defeat in 1945, control of the Korean Peninsula split down the middle, at the 38th parallel, a line that cut the nation neatly in half.

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