August 15, 1945, a pivotal day when Japan officially surrendered, marking the end of World War II. While Germany, Italy, and Japan faced significant defeats, Korea, previously under Japanese rule, gained its freedom. This is why 15th August, is known as National Liberation Day in both North and South Korea, Back then, North and South Korea were not separate entities but one unified country, Korea.
The division occurred after World War II, when the Soviet Union and the United States agreed to split Korea into two parts. Southern Korea, under U.S. command, and northern Korea, under Soviet command. The plan was to put North and South Korea under trusteeship for a period of 5 years to assess Korea’s progress and determine their future.
The ultimate plan was to reunite Korea as an independent nation after 5 years. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. Tensions escalated between the United States and the Soviet Union, marking the beginning of the Cold War. In 1948, the United Nations attempted to conduct supervised elections in North Korea but that proved unfeasible.
Meanwhile, elections proceeded in the U.S.-controlled South Korea, and a new Constitution was adopted. And so, on August 15, 1948 the Republic Of Korea was born. A new, liberal, democratic nation. The next month, North Korea was declared a communist country under a dictatorship. 2 years later, in 1950, North Korea attempted to reunify the two Koreas not through a peaceful treaty, but through invasion into South Korea. This sparked a war a conflict that persisted for three years. The Korean War.
