The Korean War began in 1950 when North Korean forces invaded South Korea, starting a three-year conflict. The United States led a United Nations coalition to defend South Korea, while China supported North Korea. Over two million military personnel and civilians died in the fighting before an armistice halted major combat operations in 1953, leaving Korea divided along the 38th parallel. The war demonstrated the military confrontation between the Western and Communist blocs during the Cold War and permanently split the Korean Peninsula into the democratic South Korea and communist North Korea.

1. KOREAN CONFLICT Submitted by:
Mishaal Sajjad
Dep of Peace and conflict
NUML ISB

3. CONFLICT BACKGROUND
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

4. KIM IL-SUNG
SYNGMAN RHEE

5. THE END OF WWII (1945)
 On August 6 and 9, 1945 the United States dropped two atomic bombs
on Japan and ended World War II.
 The Soviet Union sent troops into Korea to liberate the peninsula from
Japan.
 The United States had no troops near Korea and feared that the USSR
would take control of Korea.

6. CONFLICT
Following WWII, Korea was divided along
the 38th Parallel
US backed the South (Republic of Korea)
USSR backed the North (People’s Republic
of Korea)
Soviet-backed North Korean troops
invaded the South

7. DIVISION OF KOREA (1945-1989)
This tension between the Soviet Union and the United States led to what was
called the Cold War. This tension ultimately contributed to the outbreak of the
Korean War.
 After WWII Russian troops remained in Eastern.
Europe. The U.S. took this as a sign that the Soviet Union was not to be trusted
and was spreading communism.
After the tremendous losses in the war the Soviet Union wanted Eastern
Europe to protect them from further invasions.

8. UNITED NATIONS INVOLVEMENT
Truman secures UN support for a “police
action” against North Korean aggressors
No congressional approval, no declaration
of war
U.S. made up 50% of troops, South Korea
made up 40%

9. U.S. PRESIDENT, HARRY TRUMAN
(1945-1953)
Truman – “Korea is the Greece of the Far East”
Stop the spread of communism
Since the Soviet Union occupied Eastern Europe after the War,
President Harry Truman established the Truman Doctrine to contain
communism
Europe to stop aggression Truman also created the Marshall Plan
to help the economic recovery of Western Europe.
The U.S. supported the creation of NATO, a military alliance with
Western The Europe to stop aggression

10. US WITHDRAWAL
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

11. WAR BEGUN
On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces invaded the South.
Using Soviet equipment, their surprise attack was very successful.
Within days South Korean forces retreated.
Eventually the South Korean forces, and the small number of Americans in Korea, were driven into
a small area in the South(Pusan Perimeter)
With the help of US 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

12. INVASION OF SOUTH KOREA
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.

13. US-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”.
UN Forces vs. Communist Forces
North Korea, China, USSR
US, South Korea, Canada, Australia, New
 Zealand, the United Kingdom, France, Turkey,
 Thailand, Greece, the Netherlands, Ethiopia,
 Colombia, the Philippines, Belgium, and Luxembourg

14. UNITED NATION ATTACK
 In order to help troops in Pusan Perimeter, MacArthur ordered an amphibious landing far behind the North
Korean troops further North- at Inchon.
United Nations troops landed at Inchon and faced mild resistance and quickly recaptured 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

15. CAUSALITIES
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.

16. DESTRUCTIONS
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.