Drawing the Line: The DMZ
A ceasefire line that froze a war in place — and divided a people for seventy years.
How one event spilled into the next
The 38th parallel appears
Two colonels split Korea in thirty minutes, using a National Geographic map.
The spillover becomes war
North Korea invades; a UN force from 16 nations, and then China, are drawn in within months.
Armistice, not peace
The guns stop, but no treaty is ever signed — the buffer becomes permanent.
The world's most armed border
Over a million soldiers still face each other across a strip of land 4 km wide.
Where this comes from
- Bruce Cumings, The Korean War: A History (2010)
- Don Oberdorfer, The Two Koreas (1997)
Dates marked by tradition or legend are given as approximate.
Other sides of the story
Gathering perspectives…
What do you remember?
Preparing your quiz…
Every border, every spillover
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