The Korean War began in 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea, sparking a war between communist and capitalist forces on the Korean peninsula. Key players included North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union on one side, and South Korea, the United States, and other United Nations forces on the other. The war resulted in massive casualties and atrocities committed by both sides before a ceasefire was reached in 1953, though a peace treaty was never signed.

1. By Kyle CowartDrayton MercureCody BlackwellAndrew AnglinKorean war

2. In the next few minutes you will learn about the background and specific controversies regarding the Korean War.Enjoy!Introduction

3. Who- United States, South Korea, and the United Kingdom vs. North Korea, China, and the Soviet UnionWhat- North Korea crossed the 38th parallel and attacked South Korea, sparking the Korean WarWhen- June 1950 through July 1953 when the cease fire was called (technically the war is still in effect)Where- The Korean war obviously took place in North and South Korea. Both North and South Korea are located East of the north point of China and is surrounded by the Yellow Sea.Who, what, when, where, why

4. Why- During World War II, Japan occupied the Korean Peninsula along with other outlying countries. Japan lost control after their defeat in 1945. The US was able to occupy South Korea while the North was occupied by USSR. North Korea wanted communism while the South didn’t. Political tension rose and skirmishes broke out along the 38th parallel. The skirmishes escalated to the Korean War on June 25, 1950.North Korean leaders Syngman Rhee and Kim Il-Sung wanted to unify North and South Korea under one flag and United States feared that the North Koreans were being controlled by Moscow.Who, what, when, where, why

6. Who was Kim Il Sung? Was he a revolutionary or a maniac?

7. Kim Il Sung was the communist leader of North Korea During and after the Korean war until June 8, 1994 when he died.He used the Cult of Personality (using media to influence the population) and autocracy to rule the communist North KoreaChildhood:Born April 15, 1912 in P'yongi, Korea as Kim Sung-juSon of a schoolmasterIn 1925 Kim Il Sung’s family sought refuge in Manchuria, located in North China, from Japan’s harsh colonial rule in Korea.He spent the next fourteen years in ManchuriaHe was arrested for being affiliated with a radical communist youth group.

8. Fighting Japanese Rule:Fought as a guerrilla against the Japanese near the boarder of Korea and ManchuriaWas an important member of the Chinese Communist forceAcquired the name “Kim Il Sung” which was the name of a famous anti-Japanese warrior from the beginning of the century.Sung went to the Soviet Union when Chinese forces were defeated by the Japanese in ManchuriaThere he received political and military training.It has been said that he may have fought along side the Russian in WWIIAt the end of WWII, Korea was liberated from Japan and split into two countries long the 38th parallel, the South occupied by the US and the North by the Soviet Union.Kim Il Sung had gone back to Korea with the Russians and assumed power of North Korea.Kim Il Sung

9. Korean war:When Kim Il Sung took power, he began to dream of reuniting the two KoreasAround 1950, Kim Il was able to win over Stalin’s favor and became allies with him.Although Stalin allegedly disagreed to not fight, fearing the encounter of head on fighting with the Allies, North Korea was able to get Soviet supplies by purchasing them or using what the Soviets had left behind in Korea.However, China, feeling threatened by the Allies’ presence, decided that it was necessary to join sides with North Korea and fight for CommunismWhen the cease-fire was signed at the end of the war, Kim gave up the dream of unification and focused more on crushing the South Korean governmentKim Il Sung

10. After Korean War:Kim Sung had built a government with a military powerhouse that feared no oppositionHe deeply followed in the footsteps of his idol, Stalin.Kim even performed purges like that of the Bolsheviks, but instead of having a trial, Kim would have people who were opposed to the government killed without hesitation.Kim Il Sung

12. Did Allies massacre civilians in the Korean war?

13. There is no concrete evidence that the US or other Allies killed civilians.They did however turned a blind eye to or even allowed South Koreans to do so.South Koreans killed political prisoners, prisoners of war, and suspected opposition to their government.South Koreans would shoot down dozens of civilians as they tried to escape to North Korea while the Allies just watched.According to an article from the Associated Press found on Rawstory.com “A North Korean newspaper said 1,000 prisoners were slain in Inchon, just west of Seoul, in late June 1950” a report partly corroborated by a declassified U.S. Eighth Army document of July 1950 saying "400 Communists" had been killed in Inchon.” A US officer allegedly gave the command.

14. Pictures were taken as about 3,000 to 7,000 people were massacred in Daejeon by South Korean police and military.People were systematically killed and buried in mass graves.Some believe that they are not responsible for all of the deaths.Apparently, Allied soldiers just supervised the extermination.Daejeon Massacre

15. After almost half a century, information has been declassified about the brutality of the Korean War.What were we Hiding?

16. What did the Russians do in the war and who were the Russian aces?

17. What did the Russians do in the war? While Russia remained neutral through the Korean war, they supplied the North Korean’s and the Chinese with machine guns, tanks, and fighter jets T-34s, MiG-15s, and AK- 47s were all sent to both North Korea and China to be battlefield tested for the Soviet Union

18. Russian involmentAlong with giving the North Koreans weapons and armored vehicles, the Russians trained the Koreans to use them In the Korean War, along with MiGs, the Russian sent some of their pilots to help inflate the MiG regiments, implemented some of their pilots. Russian AcesNikolai, Lev,Sergei, and other Russian pilots flew sorties against American Sabers in MiG ally. Since many of the Russians fought together with the Americans against the Germans, they never saw the Americans as enemies but more as enemies.

19. Russian AceRussian pilots were being paid extra money (approx. 1,500 rubles) for every air victory the gotPlus, the gun camera footage was so horrible if the gun camera operator even saw an enemy airplane that plane was counted as a killBecause the Soviet Union was not officially in the war, they wanted to keep their pilots a secret

20. Russian AceAmerican pilots started to notice that several pilots were much better then Oriental pilots, thus starting the increasing suspicion that North Korea was receiving outside help. In order to keep Russia’s involvement a secret, downed pilots often committed suicide, or were strafed by friendly aircraft so none of them were captured and Americans found out which would have sparked a even bigger war

21. To us Kim Il Sung was revolutionary. Although is actions were harsh to say the least, he was just a man with a communist frame of mind and high hopes. His actions were necessary to build his country into a major military power.We do not believe that Allied troops killed civilians, however they did stand by and watch South Koreans kill civilians, and that it was unacceptable for the UN to let this goThe Russians were involved in the war, and took part in military air engagements and the deaths of American livesGroup’s point of view

22. The Korean war was a war of confusion and atrocities. Many died senselessly or without a good purpose. The U.S. fought to get rid of communism, North Koreans fought for control of Korea, the South fought for freedom and the Soviets fought to spread communism.The Allies stood by and watched the South Koreans kill civilians.Kim il Sung was a communist dictator and some thought, he was a visionary and others thought he was crazy.The Russians used the Korean war and later the Vietnam war to test their own weaponry without actually having to go to war even though some of Russia’s pilots did.Conclusion

23. "AP: U.S. Okayed Korean War Massacres ." The Raw Story. N.p., 2010. Web. 13 May 2010. <http://rawstory.com/news/2008/AP_U.S._Okayed_Korean_War_Massacres_0705.html>.Korean War Reference Library. Ed. Sonia G. Benson and Gerda-Ann Raffaelle. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2002. 23. 2 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 13 May 2010. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/ i.do?id=GALE|CX3411100052&v=2.1&u=cant48040&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w>. Evanhoe, Ed, comp. The Korean War. N.p., 15 Mar. 2010. Web. 11 May 2010. <http://www.korean-war.com/>. Isserman, Maurice. "Conversations With Stalin." Korean War. New York: Facts on File, 2003. Print. Works cited