USA's Involvement with the Korean War

What was America's response to the invasion of South Korea?

The USA put pressure on the United Nations to condemn the North Korean invasion. It took control of the subsequent UN invasion and supplied by far the largest number of troops.

Why did America defend South Korea during the invasion?

America had a number of reasons for wanting to defend South Korea, and for pressuring the UN to become involved:

• ❖ It had been involved in establishing the Republic of Korea.
• ❖ It was determined, under its policy of containment, to prevent further communist expansion.
• ❖ It was concerned the invasion of South Korea might encourage a Chinese attack on Formosa (Taiwan) and lead to a massive shift in world power from capitalism to communism.
• ❖ If the UN had failed to act, it is likely America would have taken action on its own to prevent this.
• ❖ Truman wanted to avoid the mistakes of the 1930s. There would be no appeasement and the USA would support the UN to ensure it did not fail as the League of Nations had.

How was the UN influenced by America in the invasion of South Korea?

The United Nations' action in Korea was very much influenced by the USA.

• ❖ The UN forces were commanded by General MacArthur, an American.
• ❖ Half the ground forces were American.
• ❖ America contributed more than 90% of the air forces.
• ❖ 85% of the naval forces were American.

Why did the USA's response to the invasion of South Korea lead to some people calling it 'America's war'?

Some people called the Korean War 'America's war' for the following reasons:

• ❖ The amount of troops the USA sent to support UN forces - 302,483 soldiers in total. The UK sent the second highest number of troops, but that was only 14,198.
• ❖ An American, General MacArthur, led the UN army in Korea.
• ❖ It was widely known the forces took their orders from the USA rather than from the United Nations.