The Korean conflict

1. The Korean Conflict:
The Forgotten War

3. 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

4. • 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.

5. Kim Il-Sung

6. Syngman Rhee

8. • 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

9. • 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

10. Stalin and Mao

11. 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
retreated.
• Seoul was captured by the North Koreans
in early July.

12. • 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.

14. • 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.

15. 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?

16. 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

17. Troop Strengths
• Republic of Korea 590,911
• United States 302,483
• Columbia 1,068
• 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

18. UN Attacks
• In order to help troops in Pusan Perimeter, MacArthur
ordered an amphibious landing far behind the North
Korean troops further North- at Inchon(See next slide).
• 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.

21. • 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.

22. 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 19th
.
• 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.

23. Yalu River

24. • 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.

25. 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.

26. MacArthur and Ridgeway

27. • 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.

28. • 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.

32. 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.

33. • 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.

34. North Korea vs South Korea
• Korea Split
• Korean Conflict(War)
• Communism vs. Democracy
• Economic and Social Comparisons(graph)

35. North Korean Leaders
• Kim Il Sung
• Ruled 1948-1994

36. • Kim Jong il
• Ruled 1994-2011

37. • 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

38. 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

39. • 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

40. • 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

41. • 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

42. • 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

43. •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).