Military Demarcation Line Armistice Agreement. Locals and foreigners will be allowed to cross the line at the Joint Security Area once this area is cleared. The DMZ runs near the 38th parallel, covering roughly . American and South Korean soldiers patrol this line along the South Korean side while North Korean soldiers patrol along the North Korean side. In Korean, the line is called the "Hyujeonseon" (휴전선), meaning "armistice line." It is also sometimes called the "Gunsa Bungye-seon" (군사분계선), which literally means "military demarcation line." However, in colloquial usage, the dividing line is more often called the "Sampalseon" (삼팔선, "38th parallel"), a name
United States in the Korean War late July 1950 Task Force Smith was overrun in the city of Taejon. Troops from the Army's 25th Infantry Division were deployed to Taejon to establish a new line and pullout the decimated 24th I.D. This addition of combat troops did not stop the North Korean advance and both American and South Korean troops were pushed further south. The first battle the Americans entered in the Korean War was the Battle of Osan, where about four hundred U.S. soldiers landed in Pusan airport on the first of July. The American troops were sent off to Taejon the next morning where