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

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

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

The wounds of the postwar division from the north — in which Japan was ousted but the Soviets controlled territory above the 38th parallel, the United States south of it — were fresh.

From Washington Post • Feb. 7, 2018

The border between the two Koreas was set near the 38th parallel, almost where it had been before the war.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

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