The Korean War began in 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea, sparking a war between communist and capitalist forces on the Korean Peninsula. The United Nations backed South Korea and coordinated an international effort to defend it from the North Korean invasion. Key events included the Pusan Perimeter stabilizing the front line in the south, the amphibious invasion at Inchon turning the tide, Chinese forces intervening on North Korea's side, and an eventual stalemate developing around the 38th parallel border. Over 2 million military casualties resulted and Korea remains divided to this day without a peace treaty ending the war.

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).