On September 7, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur issued a proclamation announcing U.S. military control over Korea south of the 38th parallel after Japan’s surrender. The order established English as the official language for the occupation government and set out the authority of U.S. forces. This occupation zone formed the basis of what would become the Republic of Korea in 1948. Tensions between the U.S.-backed south and Soviet-backed north eventually contributed to the Korean War. The proclamation marked the beginning of a long-term U.S. security and political role on the Korean Peninsula.
