1945 - Liberation of Korea

August 15th, 1945 is one of the most famous dates in Korea currently. It is a national holiday, as it is the liberation of Korea from Japan. As well-known information, Japan lost to the US in the Pacific War, which led to the liberation of Korea. People busted out to roads and streets celebrating the liberation of Korea. However, this celebration didn’t last long. This time period was when the cold war happened between the USA and the Soviet Union. Both countries wanted to bring in their political system: democracy for USA and communism for the Soviet Union. The USA came to the south, and the Soviet Union came to the north, and the two were divided by the 38th parallel line. In the south, politicians started to clash for the new government. Some politicians wanted an establishment only in the South, while some wanted a unified government. The US supported the establishment of the South government, and on August 15th, 1948, the first-ever president, “Lee Seung man,” declared the establishment of the Republic of Korea. It was exactly 3 years after the independence. 1 month later, on September 9th, 1948, “Kim-il-Seung,” the leader of the north, declared the establishment of the Democratic people’s republic of Korea, with the support of the Soviet Union. Kim didn’t stop here, but he wanted a unified country. He got approval and military support from the Soviet Union, for a major event that would strike the Korean peninsula. June 25th, 1950, northern troops started to cross over the 38th parallel line. It was the outbreak of the Korean War. Northern troops were powerful by the support of the Soviet Union. South lost its capital, Seoul, in just 3 days after the war, and they withdrew until the southern part of the Korean peninsula in just 1 month. However, with the support of the UN, the South recovered, and the North was pushed back until the farthest north of the Korean territory. Right before the unification by the South, China started to send troops to the Korean war, which made the South fail to unify. 3 years later, an armistice was declared with a new line, called DMZ. This line still remains currently, with the war that did not end. Effects were devastating. Both countries lost many troops and citizens, with ruins covering the lands. The happiness of liberation vanished in a few years.