The name “38th parallel” pertains to the line dividing North from South Korea during World War II. You can also see it being referred to as “latitude 38° N.” The line was crafted according to the Potsdam Conference in July of 1945 by US military planners. The 38th parallel helped mark the Japanese surrender to the US on one side and the USSR on the other. Today, the DMZ intersects the 38th parallel but does not follow it according to the post-war division. The west side of the Korean Demilitarized zone falls by the South end of the parallel, and the DMZ’s east end reaches the parallel to the North.