The Korean War began on June 25,1950, when
troops from Communist-ruled North Korea invaded South Korea. The UN called the
invasion a violation of international peace and demanded that the Communists
withdraw from South Korea. After the Communists kept fighting, the UN asked
its member nations to give military aid to South Korea. Sixteen UN countries
sent troops to help the South Koreans, and 41 countries sent military equipment
or food and other supplies. The United States sent more than 90 per cent of the
troops, military equipment, and supplies. China fought on the side of North
Korea, and the Soviet Union gave military equipment to the North Koreans.
The Korean War ended on July 27,1953, when
the UN and North Korea signed an armistice agreement. A permanent peace treaty
between South Korea and North Korea has never been signed.
The Korean War was one of the bloodiest
wars in history. About a million South Korean civilians were killed and
several million were made homeless. About 580,000 UN and South Korean troops
and 1,600,000 Communist troops were killed, wounded, or reported missing.
Causes of the war. The Japanese gained control of Korea in 1895 and made it part of Japan
in 1910. The Allies defeated Japan in World War II (1939-1945), and U.S. and
Soviet forces moved into Korea. After the war, Soviet troops occupied Korea
north of the 38th parallel of north latitude. American troops occupied Korea
south of this line.
In 1947, the UN General Assembly declared
that elections should be held throughout Korea to choose one government for
the entire country. But the Soviet Union would not permit elections in North
Korea. On May 10, 1948, the people of South Korea elected a national assembly.
The assembly set up the government of the Republic of Korea. On September 9,
North Korean Communists established the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Both North and South Korea claimed the entire country, and their troops clashed
near the border several times from 1948 to 1950. After the United States removed
its last troops from Korea in 1949, the Communists believed the time was right
for military action.
The land war. U.S. ground forces were ordered into action against the invading North
Koreans at the end of June 1950. Troops from other UN countries began arriving
in South Korea soon afterward. The North Koreans captured Seoul, the capital of
South Korea. UN forces were pushed back to the Pusan Perimeter, a battle line
in the southeast corner of Korea, but prevented a North Korean breakthrough. ^
In September, the UN landed troops from
the sea at Inchon, on the northwest coast of South Korea. The Allied troops
succeeded in cutting off the North Koreans in the southeast from those north of
Inchon. The Allies recaptured Seoul. In the autumn of 1950, the UN forces moved
into North Korea, and captured Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, in October.
As UN forces advanced toward the Chinese border, U.S. and Chinese troops
clashed. The UN commander, General Douglas MacArthur, underestimated the size
of the Chinese armies and believed that UN superiority in naval and air forces
would end the war quickly.
However, in November, China sent huge
forces against the UN and forced the Allies to retreat into South Korea. In
January 1951, the Communists captured Seoul. The Allies fought back, and by the
spring of 1951 the war had changed as both sides dug in and began fighting
along a battle line north of the 38th parallel.
In April 1951, U.S. President Harry Truman
removed General MacArthur from command and replaced him with General Matthew
Ridgway. General MacArthur had called for "all-out measures,"
including the bombing of China.
The air war. The Korean War marked the first battles between jet aircraft. The Soviet
Union supplied North Korea with MiG-15 jet fighters to combat the U.S. F-86
Sabre jets. All the dogfights between these jets took place over North Korea.
Helicopters also played an important part in the war.
The truce talks. A cease-fire was proposed by the Soviet Union in June 1951. The two
sides agreed that the existing battle line would be the dividing line between
North and South Korea. An armistice was signed in July 1953 and fighting ended.
Prisoner exchanges were completed in September 1953. But in 1954, talks held
in Geneva, Switzerland, failed to draw up a long-term peace plan. No permanent
peace treaty was signed.
Related articles in World Book include:
Korea (History): Harry S. Truman, Douglas MacArthur,
United Nations, Panmunjom
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