Introduction to the Korean War
The Korean War is often referred to as the Korean Conflict or a Police Action. For the individuals who fought there, it was a war. For the purposes of this report, it will be referred to as the Korean War.
The Korean peninsula has struggled to be an independent nation. China was a major influence for centuries. Japan occupied the peninsula after its war with Russia in 1905 and took full control in 1910. China supported internal and external forces against the Japanese occupiers without success. As World War II developed, the Japanese occupation of Korea became more harsh.
During World War II, the Soviet Union did not declare war against Japan choosing to focus its efforts against Germany. The German surrender occurred on May 8, 1945. The war against Japan raged on until the atomic attack on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. On August 8, the Soviets declared war on Japan in accordance with a previous agreement. By August 10, the Red Army had moved troops into the northern part of Korea.
Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945. Occupation zones were created with the Soviet Union controlling areas north of the 38th parallel and the United States controlling areas to the south. The plan was to eventually have a united and independent Korea.
The Soviets and North Korean Communists opposed free elections and riots broke out protesting the lack of independence. Finally, South Korea (The Republic of Korea) was established on August 15, 1948, creating an independent South Korea. About the same time, the Soviets agreed to the establishment of a communist government in North Korea led by Kim Il Sung.
This time period also saw the conflict in China between the Communists and the Nationalists resulting in a Communist victory in 1949 led by Mao Zedong. Meanwhile, the communists in North Korea were encouraging and participating in insurgent attacks to destabilize the South Korean republic. In 1950, the Soviet Union successfully detonated their first nuclear bomb. All these factors resulted in Soviet and Chinese approval of North Korea’s aggression.
On June 25, 1950, North Korea attacked across the 38th parallel in force. South Korea was unprepared for this massive attack and North Korean forces quickly advanced southward. After two months of fighting, South Korea was holding only a small area in the southeast known as the Pusan perimeter. The United Nations voted to fight against the invasion led by the United States. Troops began landing at Pusan to stabilize the perimeter.
In September, 1950, UN forces landed at Inchon west of Seoul in a daring move. The landing was successful and cut off North Korean supply lines and isolated their troops in the south. UN forces then invaded North Korea and pushed all the way to the Yalu River which is the North Korean border with China.
On October 19, 1950, China attacked across the Yalu and pushed UN forces back down the peninsula. In the spring of 1951, the front essentially mirrored the 38th parallel where the war began. Fighting continued through 1952 and into 1953 with no significant movement. The Korean Armistice Agreement was signed on July 27, 1953, bringing the fighting to an end. No peace treaty was ever signed leaving the conflict unfinished. The DMZ (demilitarized zone) remains tense to this day.