The Korean War

The Japanese had been in control of Korea from 1876 to 1945 because of the Treaty of Ganghwa.  However, after World War II ended, the Japanese north of the 38th parallel surrendered to the Soviets. The Japanese south of the 38th parallel surrendered to the Americans. In 1948 the Republic of Korea (South Korea) was established in the zone that had been occupied by the United States. The U.S. put Syngman Rhee as head of the government in South Korea, and the Soviets established the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in their territory (and Pyongyang as the capital) and put Kim Il Sung as head of the government. 

After WWII, the U.S. cut back their forces in South Korea and by June of 1949, only about 500 U.S. soldiers remained. The Soviets saw their chance to take over the entire penninsula, thinking that the U.S. would not fight to defend South Korea. The Soviets backed North Korea with tanks, planes, and lots of funds. 

On June 25th, 1950, North Korea surprise attacked South Korea which initiated the Korean War. Within the first couple of days, North Korea penetrated deep into South Korea and captured the capital, Seoul. South Korea pleaded for aid from the United Nations. When the U.N. Security Council held a meeting to pass a of military action, the Soviet Union was not present to protest the recognition of Taiwan. Therefore, the U.N.'s plan passed. 

On June 27th, 1950, Truman order American troops in Japan into South Korea to support them and Truman also sent a U.S. fleet into the ocean between China and Taiwan. In all, 16 nations with a combine 520,000 troops went to help South Korea (90% of those soldiers being American). With an additional 590,000 South Korean soldiers, all 1,110,000 soldiers were under the command of General Douglas MacArthur.

In September 1950, with the help of the Chinese, North Korea pushed South Korean troops south to the perimeter of Pusan. When the U.N. troops landed at Inchon, they helped the South Korean army push back up north from Pusan. The attack drove North Korea out of South Korea and the U.N. troops and South Korea took Pyongyang and advanced into the Yalu River. China however, wanted North Korea as a Communist buffer state to protest their northeastern provinces that made up Manchuria, so the Chinese drove the U.N. troops south in Korea, outnumbering their troops by 10 to 1. From November of 1950 to January of 1951, U.N. and South Korean troops retreated across the 38th parallel. 

The territories looked exactly the same before the Korean War started, and MacArthur wanted the extension of war into China and use nuclear weapons to break the stalemate. Truman heavily rejected to this use, and General Omar N. Bradley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also agreed, quoting "it was the wrong war, place, and time." Instead, Matthew B. Ridgway led the U.S. Eighth Army as a spearhead to take back Seoul on April 1951. 

MacArthur still wanted a war with China, and was unhappy with the unchanged territory. Truman still disagreed and fired him on April 11, 1951. At first, citizens were outraged by MacArthur's firing but later, they followed Truman and MacArthur gradually faded away.

On June 23, 1951, the Soviet Union requested a ceasefire and truce talks began the following month in July. Finally The S.U. and the U.S reached an agreement and the location of the ceasefire line was at the 38th parallel. The battle line established a demilitarized zone between the opposing sides. On July 1953, they signed the armistice, but the War has never officially ended. 

 

Alee & Bohsen