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The Korean war
• The Korean War began with a
surprise attack June 25, 1950,
when eight divisions and an
armored brigade (90,000
soldiers) of the North Korean
People's Army (NKPA)
attacked in three columns
across the 38th parallel and
invaded the Republic of Korea
(ROK).
Reasons for the War
• Fearing that the Soviet
Union intended to
"export" communism
to other nations,
America centered its
foreign policy on the
"containment" of
communism
Reasons
• In 1950 the Korea
Peninsula was divided
between a Sovietbacked government in
the north and an
American-backed
government in the
south.
Reasons
• In August of 1945 the Soviet Union invaded
Korea, which had been under Japan's
control since 1910.
• Fearing that the Soviets intended to seize
the entire peninsula from their position in
the north, the United States quickly moved
its own troops into southern Korea.
War
• War broke out along
the 38th parallel when
the North attacks on
June 25, 1950.
• South Korean forces
had been pushed into
the far southern tip
of the Korean
peninsula.
War
• •The U.S. and its
allies, fearing
Communist ambition,
agreed to help defend
the South under the
United Nations banner
• The UN forces push
back across the 38th
parallel
War
• General Douglas
MacArthur led U.N.
forces into Korea.
• MacArthur landed troops
at Inchon far behind North
Korean lines. The result
was a rout of enemy
forces, and the North
Koreans were pushed back
nearly to China.
War
•
China enters the War
• Fearing an invasion of
its territory, China
joined the war and
launched a full-blown
counterattack.
• Eventually a stalemate
was reached near the
38th parallel, where
Korea had been
initially divided.
Call for the end of the War
• Eager to end the conflict
and avoid further
escalation, President
Harry Truman called for a
truce.
• . MacArthur, publicly
questioning Truman's
commitment to American
principles, advocated a
full-blown retaliation
against China.
General is Fired
• Truman fired
MacArthur on April
10, 1951, for
insubordination.
• Upon returning to the
U.S., MacArthur was
accorded a hero's
welcome and Truman's
popularity plummeted.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur's "Old Soldiers Never Die"
address to Congress, 19 April 1951
•
The final agreement
• The Korean conflict
dragged on for another
two years until an
armistice was signed
on July 27, 1953, that
ended the fighting and
created a demilitarized
zone between North
and South Korea.
The “Forgotten War”
• The United States
Armed Forces suffered
33,665 Americans killed
in action in Korea
• There were 92,134
Americans wounded in
action
• A total of 1,789,000
Americans served in the
Korean War