[Photographs of the 38th Parallel]

Photographing Korea following World War II.

This rare collection of five photographs provides an aerial perspective along what is probably Korea’s Han River. Coordinates provided on one of the images (37°43’15.0″N 127°24’45.0″E) indicate a location east of Seoul, but a variety of geographic features, agricultural areas, and modern highways are also presented.

Each photo, likely originally used a a press image, is dated 1947 on the verso. The following year, ongoing negotiations between American and Soviet occupying forces about the temporary division of Korea would break down completely, leading to the establishment of two independent nations and the most heavily defended border on the planet.