Historical
Following the collapse of the Japanese empire and the end of World War II, Korea became a problem that America and the Soviet Union had to deal with. The two sides decided to split Korea along the 38th parallel, with the Russians taking the side of the Democratic People’s Party of Korea (DPPK) in the North and the United Nations, including the United States, supporting the Republic of Korea (ROK) in the South. With this division, the Cold War had officially spread to Korea. The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 when 75,000 troops from North Korea crossed the 38th parallel and invaded the South, which was the first military action of the Cold War.
American troops had entered the war on behalf of South Korea by July. Americans and other global powers didn’t believe this was just a war about a border dispute. It was believed that this was the Soviet Union’s first step in a communism campaign that would spread through the world, America’s biggest fear during the entire Cold War. Prior to the Korean War, America took a stance of “non-intervention” to contain communism, which was no longer an option after the start of the war.
At first, the Allies had to fight a defensive war- try and get the communists
out of the South. This did not go well for the Allies, as North Korea’s army was well-trained and more equipped to fight. President Truman and General MacArthur, the commander in charge, created a new strategy to “liberate” the North from communists, making the war for the Allies an offensive one. This proved a success at first, as the American troops were able to push the North Koreans out of Seoul and back across the 38th parallel. As the troops began pushing closer to China, leader Mao Zedong sent Chinese troops into North Korea and warned Americans to stay away unless they wanted full-out war.
In July 1951, President Truman started peace talks at Panmujon. The fighting along the 38th parallel continued as talks stalled with differing views on how to deal with the prisoners of war returning to their countries. The differing sides did agree on a ceasefire at the 38th parallel. After more than two years of negotiations, the sides signed an armistice on July 27, 1953. The agreement allowed POWs to go where they wanted, drew a new boundary line near the 38th parallel that gave South Korea extra land, and created a demilitarized zone that still exists today. Though the Korean War was relatively short, nearly 5 million people died, and more than half of these were civilian deaths. Almost 40,000 Americans died, with another 100,000 wounded. Though the country was still divided, the Korean War did serve to encourage the US policy of containing communism, and would set the stage for how the US would deal with other countries at the threat of communism.
Information retrieved about the historical background was retrieved from these websites below
http://www.history.com/topics/korean-war
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/korean-war-2
American troops had entered the war on behalf of South Korea by July. Americans and other global powers didn’t believe this was just a war about a border dispute. It was believed that this was the Soviet Union’s first step in a communism campaign that would spread through the world, America’s biggest fear during the entire Cold War. Prior to the Korean War, America took a stance of “non-intervention” to contain communism, which was no longer an option after the start of the war.
At first, the Allies had to fight a defensive war- try and get the communists
out of the South. This did not go well for the Allies, as North Korea’s army was well-trained and more equipped to fight. President Truman and General MacArthur, the commander in charge, created a new strategy to “liberate” the North from communists, making the war for the Allies an offensive one. This proved a success at first, as the American troops were able to push the North Koreans out of Seoul and back across the 38th parallel. As the troops began pushing closer to China, leader Mao Zedong sent Chinese troops into North Korea and warned Americans to stay away unless they wanted full-out war.
In July 1951, President Truman started peace talks at Panmujon. The fighting along the 38th parallel continued as talks stalled with differing views on how to deal with the prisoners of war returning to their countries. The differing sides did agree on a ceasefire at the 38th parallel. After more than two years of negotiations, the sides signed an armistice on July 27, 1953. The agreement allowed POWs to go where they wanted, drew a new boundary line near the 38th parallel that gave South Korea extra land, and created a demilitarized zone that still exists today. Though the Korean War was relatively short, nearly 5 million people died, and more than half of these were civilian deaths. Almost 40,000 Americans died, with another 100,000 wounded. Though the country was still divided, the Korean War did serve to encourage the US policy of containing communism, and would set the stage for how the US would deal with other countries at the threat of communism.
Information retrieved about the historical background was retrieved from these websites below
http://www.history.com/topics/korean-war
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/korean-war-2