Introduction

In 1945, the Soviet Red Army liberated Korea from Japanese rule. Days before Hirohito's speech, two mid-level American officials had drawn a line that would come to define life on the peninsula forever after. From 1945 to 1948, post-war Korea was occupied in the south by the United States and in the north by the Soviet Union. In this episode, we'll see how the typical American narrative of postwar Korea begins to fall apart. We'll also look at some of the authors who helped pave the way for today's Korean conflict.