The Korean Conflict:The Forgotten War

1950-1953

Origins• Korea was invaded and

ruled by Japan from 1910 until 1945

• After WWII, Korea was split into two-North(USSR) and South(US) at the 38th parallel

• An election was going be held to eventually unify Korea

• The United Nations held an election in 1948.

• The Soviet Union refused to allow participation in the election in their occupied zone.

• Instead, they handed over power to the North Korean Communist Party under Kim IL-Sung.

• The South elected the nationalist exile Syngman Rhee.

Kim Il-Sung

Syngman Rhee

• US government stated in January, 1950 that Korea was “outside of our defense perimeter”. What does this mean?

• This encouraged North Korea to be aggressive.

• South Korean President Syngman Rhee and North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung both wanted to reunite Korea under their own systems.

• Because of the US withdrawal, the North Koreans were the ones able to go on the offensive

• The People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union were wary of a war in Korea.

• Mao and Stalin were concerned that it would encourage American intervention in Asia after just leaving.

• Kim was able to manipulate both Mao and Stalin into supporting their invasion of South Korea

Stalin and Mao

The War Begins

• On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces invaded the South.

• Using Soviet equipment, their surprise attack was very successful.

• Within days South Korean forces were in full retreat.

• Seoul was captured by the North Koreans in early July.

• Eventually the South Korean forces, and the small number of Americans in Korea, were driven into a small area in the far South around the city of Pusan.

• With the aid of American supplies and air support the South Korean forces managed to stabilize this area.

• Although more UN support arrived it looked as though the North could gain control of the entire peninsula.

• The invasion of South Korea came as a complete surprise to the United States.

• On hearing of the invasion, Truman agreed to use U.S. airstrikes against the North Korean forces.

• General Douglass MacArthur was put in charge of American forces in the Pacific.

United Nations Police Action

• United Nations Security Council voted to send troops to help South Korea.

• US, Great Britain, France, China and the Soviet Union were permanent members that could veto the “police action”.

• Why didn’t the USSR and/or China veto this proposal?

UN Forces vs. Communist Forces

• US, South Korea, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, Thailand, Greece, the Netherlands, Ethiopia, Colombia, the Philippines, Belgium, and Luxembourg

• North Korea, Soviet Union, China

Troop Strengths

• Peak strength for the UNC was 932,964 on July 27, 1953 -- the day the Armistice Agreement was signed:

• Republic of Korea 590,911 • Columbia 1,068 • United States 302,483 • Belgium 900 • United Kingdom 14,198 • South Africa 826 • Canada 6,146 • The Netherlands 819 • Turkey 5,453 • Luxembourg 44 • Australia 2,282 • Philippines 1,496 • New Zealand 1,385 • Thailand 1,204 • Ethiopia 1,271 • Greece 1,263 • France 1,119

UN Attacks• In order to take pressure off of the Pusan Perimeter,

MacArthur ordered an amphibious landing far behind the North Korean troops at Inchon.

• United Nations troops landed at Inchon and faced only mild resistance and quickly moved to recapture Seoul.

• The North Koreans, finding their supply lines cut, began a rapid retreat northwards from the Pusan Perimeter.

• UN and S.K. forces drive northward from the Pusan Perimeter to unite with the Inchon troops.

• The United Nations troops drove the North Koreans back past the 38th parallel.

• Due to the victory at Inchon, The goal of saving South Korea had been achieved

• The US/UN decided to continue into North Korea to try and unite the country.

• This greatly concerned the Chinese, who worried that the UN forces might not stop with North Korea and might continue into China.

• Many in the west, including General MacArthur, thought that spreading the war to China was a good idea.

• Truman and the other leaders disagreed. • MacArthur was ordered to be very cautious when

approaching the Chinese border.• Eventually, MacArthur disregarded these concerns.

China Retaliates• The Communist Chinese said they would react if the

UN forces encroached upon the border at the Yalu River.

• Mao wanted Soviet help and saw intervention as defensive: "If we allow the U.S. to occupy all of Korea… we must be prepared for the US to declare… war with China", he told Stalin.

• Mao’s forces invaded North Korea on October 19 th. • Soviet assistance was limited to providing air support

for the Chinese.• The Soviet role was known to the U.S. but they kept

quiet to avoid any international and potential nuclear incidents.

Yalu River

• 380,000 Chinese troops pushed the United Nation troops back to the 38th parallel, the pre-conflict border.

• The Chinese assault caught U.S. troops by surprise, as war between China and the United States had not been declared.

• On January 4, 1951, Communist Chinese and North Korean forces re-captured Seoul.

• Due to the tough situation, MacArthur mentioned that atomic weapons might be used, much to the alarm of America's allies.

• In March, 1951, UN Forces succeeded in repelling the North Korean and Chinese troops from Seoul.

MacArthur Removed

• MacArthur was removed from command by President Truman on April 11, 1951.

• Why?

• MacArthur was succeeded by General Matthew Ridgeway.

• He was able to slowly drive back the enemy to the 38th parallel.

MacArthur and Ridgeway

• The rest of the war involved little territory change and lengthy peace negotiations.

• Even during the peace negotiations combat continued.

• For the South Korean and allied forces the goal was to recapture all of what had been South Korea.

• Eventually a cease-fire was established on July 27th, 1953 near the 38th parallel.

• A demilitarized zone (DMZ) was established around it, which is still defended today by North Korean troops on one side and South Korean and American troops on the other.

• Newly-elected U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower fulfilled a campaign promise by going to Korea to find out what could be done to end the conflict.

• No peace treaty has been signed to date.

Results/Outcomes/Casualties• The Korean War was the first armed

confrontation of the Cold War, and it set a model for many later conflicts.

• It created the idea of a limited war, where the two superpowers would/could fight without using nuclear weapons.

• It also expanded the Cold War, which to that point had mostly been concerned with Europe.

• The total number of deaths, including all civilians and military soldiers from UN Nations and China, was about 2,000,000.

• US had 54,000 deaths.

• More than 80% of the industrial and public facilities and transportation networks, three-quarters of the government offices, and one-half of the houses were destroyed.

• Pyongyang (the capital of North Korea) was bombarded with more than one thousand bombs per square kilometer.

• When the armistice was settled, there were only two buildings left in the city where 400,000 people had lived.

• The war left the peninsula permanently divided with a pro-Soviet, Communist party led state in North Korea and a pro-American capitalist one in the South.

• American troops(28,500) remain on the border today, as do a large number of Koreans. It is the most heavily defended border in the world.

North Korea vs South Korea

• Korea Split

• Korean Conflict(War)

• Communism vs. Democracy

• Economic and Social Comparisons(graph)

North Korean Leaders

• Kim Il Sung

• Ruled 1948-1994

• Kim Jong il• Ruled 1994-2011

• Kim Jong-un• Took office in 2011

after dad died• Nuclear

aggressiveness• “Deadly

Nuclear Catastrophe” with US-January 2014

• Killed his uncle in December 2013

North Korea Nuclear Timeline• In 1993(and reiterated in 2003), North

Korea announced its withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

• In 1994, US and NK sign deal where US would help build two nuclear power reactors in NK

• In 2002, President Bush charges that NK, Iraq and Iran are an “Axis of Evil”

• In 2002, NK admits to having a nuclear weapons program and nullifies 1994 deal

• In 2003, the Six Party Talks start(US, SK, NK, China, Russia, Japan)

• In 2005, NK agrees to halt nuclear weapon program in exchange for security and economic and trade benefits

• Shortly thereafter, NK backs out of the deal

• In 2006, North Korea announced it had successfully conducted its first nuclear test(underground)

• Later in 2006, NK agrees to resume talks with the Six Party Talks

• In 2007, a new deal is reaches in which NK would halt production of nuclear weapons in exchange for $400 million of fuel and aid

• In 2008, NK destroys it’s biggest nuclear weapons plant

• In 2008, NK complains that President Bush still had not removed NK from a list of “states that support terrorism”. Bush does so the next month.

• In April, 2009, NK launches a rocket which NK says is for testing space satellite technology. Most countries don’t buy explanation.

• In May, 2009, North Korea conducted it’s second nuclear test(underground)

• In June, 2009, the United Nations put tougher economic sanctions on NK

• In February, 2013, North Korea conducted it’s third nuclear test(underground)

• In March, 2013, the United Nation put tougher sanctions on NK

• Current Six Party Talks negotiations

• In February, 2014, The United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights publishes a report on widespread human rights abuses in North Korea.

• Dennis Rodman’s Basketball Diplomacy-2014

• Kim Jing-Un Missing-Not!

• Kenneth Bae Released-November 2014

•December 19, 2014 - The FBI says it has concluded the North Korean government is responsible for a cyberattack on Sony Pictures.

– In November, hackers broke into Sony's servers, published private emails and information and threatened to attack movie theaters screening "The Interview," a comedy film about an assassination plot on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

•April 23, 2015 – China says that North Korea is expanding nuclear weapons arsenal(20 to 40 in the next year).