Country bordering Russia, China, and South Korea. Formed in 1948 when the area where Soviet troops had accepted the surrender of the Japanese forces after World War II, the northern part of the peninsula, refused to let United Nations election inspectors in for its election. (The southern part did, and became a republic, at least in name, rather than a communist country. eliserh considers South Korea originally a republic "in name only. South Korea remained under fascist rule until the early eighties, and still has many remnants of fascism in its legal system." ) North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, starting the Korean War.