KOREAN WAR*

BY: KIRTI & MAEHEK*

1950-1953

INTRODUCTION*

After the Japanese left Korea when they surrendered and world war two came to an end, Korea was divided into two parts from something called the 38th parallel. North Korea, under the communist influence of the Soviets invaded the non communist south Korea which was influenced by America. The Korean war is a civil war that the Soviets and Americans used to battle each other instead, in other words.

TIMELINE*1950• June 25: North Korean forces cross the 38th parallel. The United Nations, in absence

of U.S.S.R adopts a resolution calling for the North Korean forces to the parallel.• June 29: North Korean Army captures Seoul.• July 1: First U.S combat troops arrive on Korea.• July 21: U.S troops fight out of burning Taejon.• July 26–29: Hundreds of fleeing civilians reportedly killed by U.S. troops at No Gun Ri.• September 15: U.S X Corps makes a successful assault on Inchon, enabling them to

break through the Pusan Perimeter and push toward the 38th-parallel.• October 8: Mao Tse Tung secretly orders Chinese “volunteers” into Korea.• October 25: Chinese forces fight with South Korean troops less than 40 miles south of

the Yalu River.1951• January 1: North Korean and Chinese offensive begins.• January 4: U.S and U.N forces evacuate Seoul.• April 3: Eighth Army crosses the 38th parallel.• July 10: Armistice negotiations begin at Kaesong.

Timeline continued

1952• January–April 7: Disorder in prison camps on both sides.• May 7: Both sides announce a stalemate over POW issue.1953• June 8: POW issue settled on the principle of voluntary

repatriation.• June 17: Revised demarcation line settled.• July 27: Armistice signed at Panmunjom.

How did it start? & Why did it happen?

• After the Japanese surrender and the end of world war two, Korea was divided in half by the 38th parallel

• The soviets took control of northern Korea & the south became influenced by the United States of America

• Due to being influenced by the soviets, the northern part of Korea became communist and soon invaded the south

• War had begun with the Soviets supporting the north (who later got help from the Chinese communists) and the Americans supporting the south with the help of the united nations

• The war lasted three years, starting in 1950 and ending in 1953

Who was involved? How did they get involved?

• The people involved were the Soviet union, North & South Korea, the United States of America, the UN, and China

• Soviets and Americans were involved because they were the two countries which were influencing North and South Korea

• North & South Korea was involved because it was a civil war in their country

• The UN was involved because they helped the United States

• China got involved by helping the communist Soviets

How & why did it end?• A ceasefire stopped the fighting on July 27, 1953. There was an agreement signed

by North Korea, China and the UN but not South Korea. Korea was then still split into North Korea, which is communist, and South Korea which is non-communist.

• Before the agreement was signed, talks had gone on for nearly 2 years. Eisenhower had compromised that if he was elected in the election of 1952, he would go to Korea and end the war going on. Talks had collapsed in October 1952. In 1953, the US threatened to bomb China, but eventually a ceasefire was declared between UN forces and Korean/Chinese forces.

• The "De-Militarized Zone" which designates the border between North and South Korea has remained one of the most heavily-armed stretches of land in the world. The stability of the region is threatened by the development of nuclear weapons in North Korea.

Consequences & Effects!• Finally, the Korean War demonstrated the new terms of the new era, and

showed how difficult it would be to fight a limited war under those terms. Although the United States attempted to keep the war on a very small scale, it quickly went out of proportion, involving China, at times seeming as if it might become a World War III. Looked at another way, though, the Korean War can be considered a success: although the war did at times get out of hand, the US and the USSR were able to avoid direct confrontation, especially since the USSR fought mainly by proxy. Perhaps most importantly of all, though it was fought just five years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed, the Korean War was not an atomic war, avoiding both immediate nuclear holocaust (since the USSR by then had its won bombs) and setting a pattern that would continue throughout the Cold War.

CONCLUSION*

• The peace negotiations took a turn when there was a change of leadership for both sides. In January of 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower took office. Two months later, Josef Stalin died. Within a week after the new negotiations, the first exchange of prisoners occurred. On June 28th an estimate 25,000 Korean and Chinese prisoners were allowed to escape by their South Korean jailers. Later, on July 27th an armistice was signed, and the Korean War came to an end. The UN forces had suffered more than 94,000 dead, About 55,000 of those were American. Approximately 1 million South Koreans and 2 million North Koreans died. Neither side could claim victory. The United States had thwarted an communist government over Korea. But had failed to unify Korea under one government. The Chinese were successful in maintaining a Communist border, but were unable to drive the UN forces from Korea all together.

Bibliography*

• http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001291.html• http://asianweek.com/1999_12_23/feature_timeline.html• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War• http://www.coldwar.org/articles/50s/korean_war.asp• snapshots in history; The Korean War “American’s Forgotten

War” by Brian Fitzgerald. • http://asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/pro-korean_war.htm