The Korean War

The Korean War originally begins with the division of Korea into the two separate countries. In 1910, Japan annexed Korea and ruled it separately until August 1945. Then, at the end of World War II, the Japanese troops north of the 38th parallel (the 38`° latitude line) surrendered to Soviet Russia, while the troops south of the parallel surrendered to the Americans. This resulted in a split country; the northern half was communist, while the southern half was democratic. Then in 1948, America established the Republic of Korea, based in Seoul (South Korea) and headed by Syngman Rhee. At the same time, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, led by Kim Il Sung, was set up in Pyongyang (North Korea). At this point, America felt confident in the stability of the country and withdrew troops in the area, leaving only about 500 soldiers by June of 1949. The Soviet Union noticed this and decided that America would not try to defend South Korea, and began giving supplies and arms to North Korea to prepare them to invade South Korea. Then, on June 25, 1950, the North Koreans launched a surprise attack and invaded South Korea. Although they claimed that the South Koreans crossed the border first and they were invading to arrest Syngman Rhee, the United Nations voted unanimously to stop North Korea, now considered an aggressor. On June 27, President Truman ordered that troops in Japan relocate to South Korea to assist the effort. These troops were placed under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, a World War II veteran and war hero. At this point, the Republic of Korea’s forces were pushed almost entirely down to the southern tip of Korea, around a town named Pusan. When the United States’ forces came to aid South Korea, General Douglas MacArthur made an amphibious attack on North Korea behind enemy lines at Inchon, a coastal town near Seoul. Not many North Korean soldiers were stationed at Inchon, making the attack less difficult. MacArthur captured Seoul.
Together, the UN, South Korea, and U.S. conquered many lands like Wonsan, Iwon and Pyongyang. The North Korean army was failing and the North Koreans were worried that MacArthur and his troops would spread to China. MacArthur thought it would be a good idea to invade China because the North Koreans were being supplied by China, but Truman did not want China to be attacked and cautioned MacArthur when he got close to the Chinese border.
Mao decided to fight back and helped push the North-South border down to the 38th parallel again, and on November 1, 1950 the Chinese surrounded the US and South Korean troops. A truce line was drawn, and North and South Korea became separate independent nations.

By Michael B. Chun and Julia Schubert