Liberation & Division at the 38th Parallel (1945)

Korean Political History I: Colonization, Division & the Road to Democracy

Chapter 2 · Liberation & Division at the 38th Parallel (1945)

Chapter 1 ended with Japan's rule of Korea about to end. This chapter covers what replaced it: not one Korean government but two foreign occupations, split at a line drawn in Washington within days. It follows how the line was chosen, how the two occupation authorities governed differently, what Koreans tried to build in the meantime, and how the attempt to reunite the country through trusteeship failed. The chapter draws on reference summaries, which agree on most dates. Where they give conflicting dates for later events, it says so.

Drawing the Line

On 10 August 1945 Dean Rusk and Charles Bonesteel were assigned to define occupation zones for Korea. They used a National Geographic map and selected the 38th parallel. Rusk is later reported to have said that he "almost surely would have chosen a different line" had he known Korean history. The same day, the sources say, Soviet forces entered northern Korea.

A Decision Made Outside Korea The division was chosen by two American officers working from a map, in response to a wartime timetable, with no Korean participation in the source's account. That does not by itself show what the division later caused. It shows why Koreans across the spectrum came to regard it as imposed, a theme that recurs through the chapters that follow.
Date (1945)Event
10 AugustRusk and Bonesteel select the 38th parallel; Soviet forces enter northern Korea.
24 AugustSoviet forces secure Pyongyang; the Soviet Civil Administration begins in the north.
6 SeptemberThe People's Republic of Korea (PRK) is established.
8 SeptemberUS General John R. Hodge lands at Incheon.
9 SeptemberThe formal Japanese surrender ceremony is held in Seoul's Government Building, and the US Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) is established.
12 DecemberThe US outlaws the PRK.

The South: The US Military Government

The USAMGIK ran the south from September 1945 to August 1948 under Lieutenant General Hodge, with military governors including Archibald V. Arnold in 1945 and William F. Dean in 1947–1948.

Colonial Continuity

Hodge initially announced that the Japanese colonial government would remain intact, including its personnel. After public backlash he replaced the governor-general but kept former Japanese bureaucrats as advisors, a decision that is described as fueling resentment.

Political Suppression

The administration refused to recognize the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (the exile government from Chapter 1) and outlawed the People's Republic of Korea shortly after arriving, though the PRK is described as popular among Koreans.

Unrest and Hardship

An "Autumn Uprising" broke out in October 1946 after authorities fired on protesters in Daegu, killing workers. A 1947 State Department assessment concluded the US "has done little more than hold its own in South Korea."

One Striking Number, One Source The same source says free-market reforms on rice distribution backfired, causing profiteering and hunger despite increased crop yields, and that rice prices rose from 9.4 yen to 2,800 yen over the period. I could not check that figure against a second source, so read it as reported and not as a measured rate of inflation.

The North: The Soviet Civil Administration

The Soviet Civil Administration governed the north from 24 August 1945 to 9 September 1948, with General Terentii Shtykov as the de facto leader. A Provisional People's Committee for North Korea provided nominal governance, but the source says it "had no autonomy and merely executed the decisions made by the Soviet Civil Administration." Following the American ban on the PRK in the south, Soviet authorities co-opted local People's Committees on 8 February 1946, creating a centralized control structure. Soviet generals are described as installing Kim Il Sung as leader of a pro-Soviet regime. Chapter 3 covers his rise and the founding of the two states.

South (USAMGIK)North (Soviet Civil Administration)
PeriodSeptember 1945 – August 194824 August 1945 – 9 September 1948
Approach to local Korean bodiesOutlawed the People's Republic of Korea (12 December 1945)Co-opted the People's Committees (8 February 1946)
Approach to colonial administratorsInitially kept the Japanese government intact, then retained former bureaucrats as advisorsNot covered by the sources I read
Economic positionMostly agricultural landMost Korean industry

One source says the Soviets frequently cut power lines and supply connections to the south, which mattered because the division left most industry in the north and agricultural land in the south. I have only that one source for the cutoffs.

Trusteeship and the Joint Commission

At the Moscow Conference in December 1945 the Allies agreed a five-year, four-power trusteeship for Korea. The US–Soviet Joint Commission met in 1946 and 1947 and failed, which the source attributes to Cold War antagonism and Korean opposition to trusteeship. I did not find a source detailing Korean positions on trusteeship, so the chapter does not describe them.

A Killing at the Center On 19 July 1947 Lyuh Woon-hyung was assassinated by Han Chigeun. I have no source on his role or on the motive, so the chapter records the event and does not interpret it.

The United Nations and Two Elections

On 14 November 1947 a UN resolution called for separate elections in the south. Elections were held in the south on 10 May 1948, and the Republic of Korea was formally declared on 15 August 1948, ending the military government. American troops withdrew in 1949, according to the USAMGIK source.

Sources Disagree on the North's Founding One source says North Korea was established on 10 July 1948. The Soviet Civil Administration source says the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was proclaimed on 10 July 1948 but also says Kim Il Sung became premier on 9 September 1948 and that Soviet forces withdrew in December 1948. It also mentions August 1948 elections. These dates do not line up cleanly, and I could not resolve them here. Chapter 3 returns to this with better sourcing.
Looking Ahead Chapter 3 covers the founding of the two states, Syngman Rhee's Republic of Korea and Kim Il Sung's Democratic People's Republic. The occupation policies described here shaped both, so keep the two columns of the comparison table in mind.

Hands-On Exercises

Exercise 1

Using the timeline and the two occupation descriptions, explain how the US and Soviet authorities each treated the People's Republic and the People's Committees, and say what that suggests about their aims.

→ Solution
Exercise 2

A student writes "the US and USSR agreed to divide Korea at the 38th parallel after negotiating with Korean leaders." Identify what the chapter's sources do and do not support, and rewrite the sentence.

→ Solution
Exercise 3

Choose one figure or date in this chapter that is single-source or that sources give differently, explain why you would hesitate to repeat it, and say what evidence would settle it.

→ Solution

Quick Reference

  • 10 Aug 1945: Rusk and Bonesteel pick the 38th parallel from a National Geographic map; Soviet forces enter the north
  • 24 Aug: Soviets secure Pyongyang; 6 Sep: People's Republic established; 8–9 Sep: Hodge lands, surrender ceremony in Seoul, USAMGIK begins
  • 12 Dec 1945: US outlaws the PRK; 8 Feb 1946: Soviets co-opt the People's Committees
  • Dec 1945: Moscow Conference agrees a five-year, four-power trusteeship
  • 1946–1947: Joint Commission fails; Oct 1946: Daegu Autumn Uprising; 19 Jul 1947: Lyuh Woon-hyung assassinated
  • 14 Nov 1947: UN resolution for separate elections in the south; 10 May 1948: southern elections; 15 Aug 1948: Republic of Korea declared
  • Conflicting: the date and stages of the North's founding