The Korean War

What was the Korean War?

The Korean War was fought between North and South Korea and was the first flashpoint of the Cold War in Asia.

Where did the Korean War take place?

In Korea, which is between China to the west and Japan to the east.

When was the Korean War?

The Korean War began in June 1950 and finished in 1954.

What were the key phases of the Korean War?

There were 5 main phases to the war, including:

• ❖ North Korea invaded South Korea on 25th June, 1950.
• ❖ A UN army, made up mostly of American military and led by General Douglas MacArthur, arrived in Korea in September 1950 to push back against the North Korean invasion.
• ❖ In October 1950, UN forces advanced into North Korean territory.
• ❖ On 25th October, China entered the war. Together with the North Korean army, they pushed the UN forces back below the 38th parallel. This resulted in a stalemate for over two years.
• ❖ After peace talks on 27th July, 1953, the UN, China and North Korea signed a peace treaty.

What were the long-term causes that led to the Korean War?

Several important long-term events led to the Korean War, including:

• ❖ The history of Korea was shaped by many wars over who would control it. Both China and Japan ruled the nation for significant periods of time.
• ❖ Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was controlled by Japan. This changed at the end of the Second World War.
• ❖ At the end of the Second World War, the Japanese in the north surrendered to the USSR, and those in the south to the USA.

At the end of the Second World War, what was the situation that led to the Korean War?

At the end of the Second World War, when Japan surrendered and Korea was occupied by Soviet troops in the north and American troops in the south, the following happened:

• ❖ The country was divided into two separate zones along the 38th parallel, a circle of latitude that runs across the middle of Korea.
• ❖ The division of Korea was supposed to be temporary. The aim was for it to be a united and independent country. The United Nations was to organise elections that would achieve this.
• ❖ Instead of free elections, the Soviets in North Korea enabled Korean communist Kim II-Sung to take control of the nation without being elected.
• ❖ There was an election in US-controlled South Korea, and USA supporter and capitalist figure Syngman Rhee became its leader.
• ❖ At this point, North and South Korea became two different nations. The USSR zone in the north became the People's Republic of Korea, and the US zone in the south became the Republic of Korea.
• ❖ While the leaders in both North and South Korea were nationalists and wanted a united country after the war, they wanted the nation to be led by different ideologies - capitalism in the south and communism in the north.

Who ran North Korea at the time of the Korean War?

After 1947, the government in North Korea was the communist Democratic People's Republic led by Kim Il-Sung. The capital was Pyongyang.

Who ran South Korea at the time of the Korean War?

After 1947, the government in South Korea was the non-communist Republic of Korea led by Syngman Rhee. Its capital was Seoul.

What were the key events in the build-up to the Korean War?

The leaders of North and South Korea each saw themselves as the legitimate and rightful ruler of the whole nation. Events in the build-up to the Korean War included:

• ❖ Due to the attitude of superiority from both sides there were a number of clashes on the border between North and South Korea.
• ❖ Kim II-Sung, the leader of North Korea, visited Stalin in 1949 to ask for his support in an invasion of South Korea. He felt this would be welcome in the south as an effort to reunite the two nations.
• ❖ Stalin did not think it was the right time as he did not want a fight against US troops still stationed in South Korea.
• ❖ In 1950, Stalin's circumstances had changed. The US troops had left South Korea; communists were in power in China; and the USSR had its own nuclear weapons and had cracked the secret codes used by the USA to talk to other nations. As a result, Stalin felt any future actions in Korea would not meet American opposition.
• ❖ Stalin began sending tanks, artillery and aircraft to North Korea and gave the go-ahead for an invasion of the south.
• ❖ Stalin stated USSR soldiers would not be directly involved, and if further supplies were needed North Korea should ask China.

What started the Korean War?

The Korean War broke out when North Korea invaded South Korea on 25th June, 1950.

Why did the UN get involved in the Korean War?

When the south was invaded, the USA brought the matter to the UN which passed a resolution calling for North Korea to withdraw. When it did not, the UN sent international troops - mostly American - to force it out. In this way the USA could argue it was acting against international aggression rather than following its containment policy.

Why did America get involved in the Korean War?

There were 3 key reasons America got involved in the Korean War:

• ❖ President Truman was concerned communism was spreading in Asia.
• ❖ China's fall to communism in 1949 heightened this fear.
• ❖ Truman was also concerned about Stalin's use of Cominform to encourage countries to turn to communism.

What was America's role in the Korean War?

America had 2 main roles in the Korean War:

• ❖ United Nations troops, mainly American and led by US General Douglas MacArthur, were sent to Korea. The North was supported by the Soviet Union.
• ❖ UN forces were able to push North Korea back to the Chinese border, but in late 1950 China joined the war and the UN had to retreat.

What ended the Korean War?

After three years of fighting an armistice was agreed, which re-established the border between North and South Korea.

What effect did the Korean War have on America?

There were 5 main consequences of the Korean War:

• ❖ It demonstrated the USA's commitment to containing communism and led to a tripling of military spending to prevent its spread.
• ❖ To stop the spread of communism in Asia, the Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) was set up in September 1954. Britain, Pakistan, USA, Thailand, France, Australia, the Philippines and New Zealand all joined.
• ❖ The sacking of General MacArthur over his proposal to deploy nuclear bombs against North Korea underlined the USA's caution with regard to using nuclear weapons.
• ❖ The Soviet Union doubled the size of the Red Army, from 2.8 million in 1950 to 5.6 million in 1955.
• ❖ As the war did not escalate further, it showed neither superpower was prepared to engage in direct military confrontation with the other, preferring instead to fight proxy wars.

Who were the winners and losers of the Korean War?

Given the cost to human life, and that the Korean War was a 'war within a war', it is difficult to assign victory to one side or the other. North Korea, South Korea, the USA, the United Nations, the USSR and China all experienced gains and losses, and were therefore both winners and losers.

How could Korea be seen as a winner in the Korean War?

Historians see neither South Korea nor North Korea as a winner of the conflict; the two nations remain divided to this day.

How could the USA be seen as a winner in the Korean War?

The USA can be seen as a winner as it successfully contained communism and stopped it spreading throughout Asia. The Truman Doctrine was a success.

How could the United Nations be seen as a winner in the Korean War?

The UN's predecessor, the League of Nations, had crumbled in its efforts to stop aggression before the Second World War. The UN's actions in Korea proved this kind of organisation could successfully halt conflict in the world. Its accomplishments gained it great respect.

How could the USSR be seen as a winner in the Korean War?

As a result of the Korean War, the USSR developed a closer alliance with communist China.

How could China be seen as a winner in the Korean War?

The Korean War brought China a reputation as one of the world's leading military powers and enabled it to develop a closer alliance with the USSR.

How could Korea be seen as a loser in the Korean War?

Korea can be seen as a loser in the war for a number of reasons:

• ❖ There was a huge human cost - more than 800,000 North and South Korean civilians lost their lives.
• ❖ Approximately 80 per cent of both North and South Korea's industrial buildings were destroyed.
• ❖ Much of Korea's housing and transportation infrastructure was bombed.
• ❖ There was a desperate housing shortage in North Korea. Many people had no option but to live in caves.

How could the USA be seen as a loser in the Korean War?

The USA could be seen as a loser for a number of reasons:

• ❖ It was responsible for the huge loss of civilian life in Korea and had used weapons such as napalm, which damaged its reputation.
• ❖ It had increase military spending by a huge amount in order to fight the war.
• ❖ It failed to defeat communism in North Korea.
• ❖ The Korean War cost the USA its relations with China.

How could the United Nations be seen as a loser in the Korean War?

Due to the USA's significant involvement in the war, some people started to question if the United Nations was a 'puppet' controlled by America. In some ways, therefore, the war damaged its reputation.

How could the USSR be seen as a loser in the Korean War?

The war led to increased tensions with the USA, the Soviet Union's rival in the Cold War. It also led to a weapons build-up, with both nations entering the arms race. This became a huge economic burden to the USSR.

How could China be seen as a loser in the Korean War?

China was poor compared to the other world powers, and the war proved a huge economic burden. It failed to help North Korea unite the 2 nations under communism, and its involvement led to the USA cutting off all trade and political links with China for 25 years.

What happened in the Korean War?

The fighting in Korea took place in mountains, ravines and swamps - terrain that was more familiar to the Koreans and Chinese than the UN. They also had to contend with terrible cold and snowstorms in winter.

What were the main events of the Korean War?

The Korean War progressed in a number of stages:

• ❖ Between September and October 1950, the UN was successful in pushing North Korean troops back out of South Korea.
• ❖ Between October and November 1950, the UN troops crossed over the 38th parallel and pushed the North Korean troops north in an attempt to defeat the communists and reunite the country.
• ❖ Between November 1950 and January 1951, Chinese forces launched a counteroffensive and pushed the UN troops back past the 38th parallel.
• ❖ The UN counter-attacked between January and July 1951 and retook Seoul.
• ❖ The war then settled into a stalemate which lasted for two years, from July 1951 to July 1953.

How successful was the UN in Korean War?

In the initial stages of their involvement, UN troops were successful in pushing back the North Korean troops.

• ❖ Some UN troops joined the South Korean forces in Pusan and pushed past the Pusan perimeter.
• ❖ Others, led by General MacArthur, invaded behind the communist lines at Inchon.
• ❖ Seoul was liberated from the communists and North Korean troops were pushed back to the 38th parallel.

Why did the UN invade North Korea during the Korean War ?

From October 1950, after UN troops had liberated South Korea, they began to invade North Korea.

• ❖ The UN troops crossed the 38th parallel in an attempt to achieve the UN objective of a 'unified, independent and democratic government' for all of Korea.
• ❖ Pyongyang was captured on 19th October.
• ❖ By November, some American forces had reached the Yalu River on the border with China.

How did China get involved in the Korean War?

There were 4 key events:

• ❖ As UN troops approached its borders, China feared an invasion of its territory and launched a huge counter-attack of 200,000 soldiers.
• ❖ UN forces were driven south, back over the 38th parallel.
• ❖ Seoul was recaptured by communist forces.
• ❖ The UN forces eventually stabilised around the 37th parallel.

How did the UN react to the Chinese invasion of Korea during the Korean War?

In January 1951 the UN counter-attacked the Chinese and North Korean forces, pushing them back to the 38th parallel and retaking Seoul.

What was the stalemate in the Korean War?

Between July 1951 and July 1953, while negotiations were ongoing, fighting continued along a fortified frontier near the 39th parallel. This cost many lives but gained little territory.

Why was the Armistice signed in the Korean War?

In July 1953 an armistice was signed that agreed a border very similar to that of the 38th parallel. This was for a number of reasons.

• ❖ Eisenhower had replaced Truman as president and was keen to end the war.
• ❖ Stalin's death in 1953 made China and North Korea less confident.

How many people were killed in the Korean War?

There were a number of costs to the Korean War:

• ❖ 30,000 American troops were killed.
• ❖ 4,500 UN troops from other countries were killed.
• ❖ Approximately 70,000 South Korean soldiers died.
• ❖ About 500,000 South Korean civilians were killed.
• ❖ An estimated 780,000 North Korean and Chinese soldiers and civilians died in the war.

What was the fighting like in the Korean War?

The fighting in Korea took place in mountains, ravines and swamps - terrain that was more familiar to the Koreans and Chinese than the UN. They also had to contend with terrible cold and snowstorms in winter.