The division of Korea into North Korea and South Korea was a direct consequence of World War II. After Japan's surrender in 1945, the Korean peninsula was divided along the 38th parallel, with the Soviet Union administering the north and the United States administering the south. This division eventually led to the establishment of two separate countries: North Korea and South Korea. The other options (China and Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand, Russia and Ukraine) were not divided as a result of World War II.