>>please explain the history behind your statement.
>
>38th parallel. But Japan is as much if not moreso to blame,
>and the other stuff he's talking about is just ridiculous.

the 38th parallel just scratches at the surface of america's role in dividing korea. first of all, with japan's collapse, the koreans ON THEIR OWN established their own provisional government (KPR) which had the support of people's committees throughout the peninsula. as soon as the americans came in, they repudiated the KPR and imposed the USAMGIK on the koreans, even having the audacity to give members of the LDP(whom the rest of korea saw as collaborators to the japanese colonial regime) key positions in government. while the u.s. was imposing government on the south, the soviets, while having influence, never imposed a military government of their liking on the north. then, of course, the americans used all types of manipulation to disencourage efforts at unity, even holding elections without north koreans' approval. IF the u.s. recognized the legitimacy of the KPR, koreans would have a government that was left of center, but not communist. and, it was because of the americans' systematic intervention, that north koreans reacted in increasingly radical ways ending up into what it is now.

the koreans were able to recover from japanese colonialism which was more focused on cultural imperialism. the problem of a divided korea is the result of american imperialism.