Final answer:
Korea was divided by external powers along the 38th parallel after World War II, leading to separate governments under U.S. and Soviet influences, while China's division resulted from an internal civil war leading to a communist victory.
Step-by-step explanation:
One significant difference between how China and Korea's divisions occurred lies in the geopolitical circumstances that led to each nation's separation. Korea's division was largely a consequence of World War II and the subsequent Cold War tensions, which resulted in an external agreement imposing a divide along the 38th parallel.
By contrast, China's internal political struggle between nationalist and communist forces culminated in a civil war, leading to the formation of the People's Republic of China and the subsequent support of Communist North Korea during the Korean War.
In Korea, the division was executed by two external powers — the United States and the Soviet Union — creating two separate governments, with the North being communist and aligned with the Soviet Union, and the South being capitalist and aligned with the United States.
Meanwhile, China's split was a result of an internal struggle where the communists triumphed over the nationalists, resulting in a single-party state that would later involve itself in Korea's situation by supporting North Korea in the Korean War.