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.

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Etymology

Origin of 38th parallel

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

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

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

The Pentagon estimates nearly 7,700 U.S. troops are unaccounted for from the conflict, including 5,300 believed to have been killed north of the 38th parallel, which marks the border between the two Koreas.

From Washington Post • Jul. 4, 2018

On June 25, 1950, North Koreans swept across the 38th parallel in a surprise attack on South Korea.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

MacArthur's replacement, General Matthew Ridgway, managed to turn the tide against the enemy, with both sides settling once again along the 38th parallel.

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