The victorious U.S. forces occupied the southern part of the peninsula up to the 38th parallel, while Soviet forces occupied the northern half. The Korean peninsula was ruled by native kings for centuries. After the regime's founding, the Soviets withdrew their troops, and repeated border skirmishes with South Korean forces alongside the border led the North Korean leader to offer a speech warning that the South Koreans can be "crushed completely" if they tried to overthrow him. How has North K...