Back on August 8, 1945, the Soviet Union put a communist government in place in North Korea. Two years prior, the USSR had moved into North Korea and set up a communist regime with the goal of helping the country get back on its feet.

Opposition from the U.S., China and South Korea persisted throughout this period, and the occupation of the peninsula dragged on until 1953 — the point at which the country was finally able to stand independently. Even then, it would be another two decades before full sovereignty was achieved, with the establishment of an independent state coming in 1972.

It was actually in 1948 that the Soviets formally created the original North Korean state. The USSR's vision was to transform the country into a communist state, yet a significant number of Koreans harbored deep reservations about living under Chinese and Soviet control.

To this day, North Korea remains a communist nation. That said, the landscape has shifted considerably — the country has weathered decades of economic hardships since its founding.

Facts about August 8, 1945: USSR established a communist government in North Korea

  • When Japan surrendered in World War II, 1945, the Soviet Union moved onto the Korean Peninsula, bringing with it three zones of occupation. North of the 38th Parallel — the dividing line between North and South Korea — sat the Soviet zone. Until Japan's defeat in World War II, the southern half of Korea had been under Japanese control.

  • While the Soviets were willing to let North and South Korea govern on their own, they ultimately stepped in with force in an effort to bring the two halves together.

  • Following June 25, 1948, North Korea received what the Soviet Union characterized as "aid" — military equipment and training.

  • The Soviets also introduced a collective leadership policy during this period. In reality, though, this arrangement meant that a single man held power over North Korea.

  • Once Kim Il-Sung consolidated a one-party dictatorship in North Korea in 1948, South Koreans mounted resistance against their government in a push to reclaim democracy and freedom.