The 38th parallel is a military demarcation line located near 38 degrees north latitude on the Korean peninsula. At the end of World War II, the Allied Powers agreed on the 38° north latitude on the Korean Peninsula as the temporary demarcation line between the Soviet Union and the United States in their military operations against Japan and the scope of surrender. After Japan surrendered, it became a temporary dividing line between the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as the "38th Line".