The division of Korea, was a reason for the Korean war since it was after more than a millennium of being unified. It was seen as unacceptable and temporary by both regimes. The division of Korea into North and South comes from the 1945 allied victory of the world war II , ending Japan’s colonial rule over Korea. The United States and the Soviet Union agreed to temporarily occupy the country as a trustee ship with the zone of control located along the 38th parallel. The purpose of this trusteeship was to create a Korean provisional government which would become free and independent in the future.
Although free elections were scheduled, Soviet Union refused to cooperate and hence established a pro communist state in the North while the US established a pro-Western state in the South. This incident hence separated Korea into North and South in more than a millennium of unity. From 1948 to the start of the civil war in 1950, armed forces of both sides engaged in small skirmishes along the border. However, North Korea then invaded the South on June 25th which then started the Korean War for 3 years.
Causes of the war