Final answer:
The division of Korea along the 38th parallel resulted in the establishment of separate governments in the north and south, leading to the Korean War and the division that still exists today.
Step-by-step explanation:
The division of Korea along the 38th parallel after World War II resulted in the establishment of two separate governments, one in the north under Soviet control and one in the south under U.S. control. The Soviet Union established a pro-Soviet, communist government in the north while the United States supported a non-communist regime in the south.
This division eventually led to the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, when the communist forces from the north invaded the south. The war ended in a stalemate with an armistice signed in 1953, leaving the peninsula divided along the 38th parallel and creating the demilitarized zone.
Today, Korea remains divided, with the two nations having vastly different political systems and ideologies.