The 38th parallel, near which the Military Demarcation Line runs, separates:

The Korean Peninsula is divided roughly along the 38th parallel of north latitude. The Military Demarcation Line (MDL), set up by the Korean Armistice Agreement of 1953, runs close to and across this parallel, separating North Korea and South Korea.

History of the division:

Korea was under Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945.

At the end of the Second World War in 1945, the USA and the Soviet Union agreed to divide Korea temporarily along the 38th parallel: Soviet forces accepted the Japanese surrender in the north and American forces in the south.

In 1948, two separate governments were formed: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea).

The Korean War:

• On 25 June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, starting the Korean War.
• The war involved United Nations forces led by the USA on the side of South Korea, and China on the side of North Korea, with Soviet support.
• Fighting ended with the Korean Armistice Agreement, signed on 27 July 1953 at Panmunjom.
• No peace treaty has been signed, so technically the war has not formally ended.

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ):

• A buffer zone about 4 km wide and about 250 km long runs along the Military Demarcation Line.
• It is one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world.

India's role:

India chaired the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission, headed by General K.S. Thimayya, which handled the exchange of prisoners of war after the armistice.

Other famous lines:

• The 17th parallel divided North and South Vietnam from 1954 to 1976.
• The 49th parallel forms a large part of the border between the USA and Canada.

Why not the other options?

• ✗China and Russia, Vietnam and Laos, and Japan and South Korea are not separated by the 38th parallel.