What was the pre-Korean War boundary between North Korea and South Korea ?

The 38th parallel was established as the dividing line between North and South Korea in 1945 following the end of World War II and the defeat of Japan [c1][c2]. This latitude line served as the boundary between the Soviet-occupied northern zone and the United States-controlled southern zone [c2][t3]. It remained the official pre-war boundary until the North Korean invasion of the South in June 1950 [t2][t7]. While the Korean War (1950–1953) resulted in the creation of the Military Demarcation Line within a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the 38th parallel remains the historically significant pre-war border [t1][t2]. In contrast, the 17th parallel divided North and South Vietnam [t4], the 49th parallel serves as the border between the USA and Canada [t3][t4], and the Radcliffe Line demarcated the borders of India and Pakistan.

Sources

1. [1] Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Contemporary Centres of Power > South Korea > p. 27
2. [2] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 15: The World after World War II > The Korean War (1950-53) > p. 253
3. [3] https://www.neh.gov/article/korea-and-thirty-eighth-parallel