would impact virtually every sector of Korean society. Korean agriculture prospered as farming technology advanced. The cultivation of special crops such as tobacco and ginseng became possible, providing new and profitable trade products which consequently improved the standard of living for peasants drastically. The government began to mint coins and collect farm rent in cash. Markets were established across the country, creating a national trade network. Scholars switched focus from theory and speculation to matters of practical relevance, including the needs of society and state, while popular literature and artistic works also came into fashion. At the onset of World War II in 1941, Japan attempted to obliterate Korea as a nation. Hundreds of thousands of Koreans were drafted to fight and work for Japan during the war while the Japanese continued to commit numerous atrocities upon the Korean populace. The Korean provisional government organized the Korean Restoration Army to fight alongside Allied forces in China until August of 1945, when Japan surrendered. The end of Japanese rule caused great political confusion among the liberated Korean population. The U.S. and the U.S.S.R. supervised the permanent removal of Japanese forces and government from Korea, dividing it along the 38th parallel and sharing the task. The Soviet army, however, was accompanied by a group of expatriated Korean Communists who were placed into key positions of power. The Soviet Union installed a Communist-controlled government in the North, which adopted the political structure of the Soviet Union. This new agency became the only lawful Korean government recognized by the U.S.S.R, essentially declaring war upon South Korea. South Korea was largely unprepared to resist a total invasion; aware of this, the U.S. Congress approved monetary and military aid to support South Korea. The resulting war lasted for approximately three years, but in that time over two-fifths of Korea's industrial facilities, and one-third of its homes were destroyed. On July 27, 1953 an armistice was arranged establishing a cease-fire and a demilitarized zone between the two Korean factions, which still exists today.