The Two Koreas

Since the beginning of the 20th century, Korea had been a part of the Japanese empire, and after World War II it fell to the Americans and the Soviets to decide what should be done with their enemy's imperial possessions. In August 1945, two young advisors at the State Department divided the Korean peninsula in half along the 38th parallel. The Russians occupied the area north of the line and the United States occupied the area to its south.
In the south, the anti-communist dictator Syngman Rhee (Ли Сын Ман) enjoyed the reluctant support of the American government; in the north, the communist dictator Kim Il Sung (Ким Ир Сен) enjoyed the slightly more enthusiastic support of the Soviets. Neither dictator was content to remain on his side of the 38th parallel, however, and border skirmishes (стычки, перестрелки) were common. Nearly 10,000 North and South Korean soldiers were killed in battle before the war even began.