Korea had been part of the Japanese empire, but after World War II it fell to the Americans and the Soviets to decide what should be done with their enemy’s imperial possessions. In August 1945, two young aides at the State Department divided the Korean peninsula in half along the 38th parallel. The Russians occupied the area north of the line and the United States occupied the area to its south. Korea is still divided today along the same lines of the 38th Parallel today and the tensions between the north and south are still an issue facing not only Korea, but the entire world.