<P> While UN intervention was conceived as restoring the border at the 38th parallel, Syngman Rhee argued that the attack of the North had obliterated the boundary . Similarly UN Commander in Chief, General Douglas MacArthur stated that he intended to unify Korea, not just drive the North Korean forces back behind the border . However, the North overran 90% of the south until a counter-attack by US - led forces . As the North Korean forces were driven from the south, South Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel on 1 October, and American and other UN forces followed a week later . This was despite warnings from the People's Republic of China that it would intervene if American troops crossed the parallel . As it occupied the north, the Republic of Korea, in turn, attempted to unify the country under its regime, with the Korean National Police enforcing political indoctrination . As US - led forces pushed into the north, China unleashed a counter-attack which drove them back into the south . </P> <P> In 1951, the front line stabilized near the 38th parallel, and both sides began to consider an armistice . Rhee, however, demanded the war continue until Korea was unified under his leadership . The Communist side supported an armistice line being based on the 38th parallel, but the United Nations supported a line based on the territory held by each side, which was militarily defensible . The UN position, formulated by the Americans, went against the consensus leading up to the negotiations . Initially, the Americans proposed a line that passed through Pyongyang, far to the north of the front line . The Chinese and North Koreans eventually agreed to a border on the military line of contact rather than the 38th parallel, but this disagreement led to a tortuous and drawn - out negotiating process . </P> <P> The Korean Armistice Agreement was signed after three years of war . The two sides agreed to create a four - kilometer - wide buffer zone between the states, known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). This new border, reflecting the territory held by each side at the end of the war, crossed the 38th parallel diagonally . Rhee refused to accept the armistice and continued to urge the reunification of the country by force . Despite attempts by both sides to reunify the country, the war perpetuated the division of Korea and led to a permanent alliance between South Korea and the U.S., and a permanent U.S. garrison in the South . </P> <P> As dictated by the terms of the Korean Armistice, a Geneva Conference was held in 1954 on the Korean question . Despite efforts by many of the nations involved, the conference ended without a declaration for a unified Korea . </P>

Where was korea divided after the korean war
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