GA 5th Grade Toolbox #5

CHAPTER 11
NAME: _____________________________________________
GEORGIA EXPERIENCE | GRADE 5 | UNIT 5
PRIMARY SOURCE ANALYSIS
TEACHER NOTES
Primary Source Analysis
Before World War II, Japan ruled the Korean peninsula as
its colony. When Japan lost the war, the Allies made Japan
give up its colony. But the Allies had to decide what to do
with the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. and the Soviet Union
agreed to divide the peninsula along the 38th parallel of
latitude. The Soviets occupied the northern half, and the
U.S. occupied the southern half.
In the Korean War, the north and south regions fought
over control of the whole peninsula. After three years, they agreed
to stop fighting. The ceasefire left the dividing line very close to where it had started, and even
though it does not run exactly along the 38th parallel, it crosses it.
To avoid constant fighting along the border, two kilometers on each side of the line that
separates North Korea and South Korea were designated as a demilitarized zone (DMZ).
This area is considered neutral, and it is off-limits to most people.
The areas north and south of the DMZ are heavily fortified. But inside this four-kilometer strip
that stretches across the peninsula, nature has taken over! The DMZ is one of the most natural,
undeveloped areas in Asia. Thousands of birds, fish, and mammals, many endangered, live here.
The boundary line is marked off by 1,292 identical signs, placed at intervals across the
peninsula. US COB 728MP stands for the U.S. 728 th Military Police Battalion Company B,
which has provided security and order along the border since the end of the Korean War.
The north-facing side of the signs are written in Korean and Chinese, and the south-facing
sides are written in Korean and English. Today, the signs are aging and rusting.
SAMPLE
POSSIBLE STUDENT OBSERVATIONS:
(You can prompt for some of these with questions if needed.)
• rural; evidence = no buildings
• hilly/mountainous
• dry; evidence = dust, no trees
• sign looks older than signs today
• trucks could be military or moving dirt and rocks
• sign is in English
With additional information from teacher notes, students can deduce:
• the trucks are traveling from North Korea to South Korea
• the trucks are probably military vehicles because the area is too dangerous for
anyone else to be allowed here
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