The Korean War began in 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea in an attempt to reunify the Korean Peninsula under Communist rule. The US intervened on behalf of South Korea to prevent the spread of communism. After initial success pushing North Korea back, China entered the war in support of North Korea. The war eventually reached a stalemate and an armistice was signed in 1953, dividing Korea along the original 38th parallel border. The Korean War was a proxy conflict in the early Cold War between the US and Soviet-backed forces.

1. THE KOREAN WAR: 1950-1953
A WAR OF PROXY

2. PRE-WAR KOREA BASICS
 Located in Eastern Asia
 Annexed by Japan in 1910, and
remained so until 1945 (the end
of World War II)
 During WWII, Koreans were
forced by the Japanese in to
labor camps and the sex trade

3. THE DIVISION OF KOREA
 The end of World War II saw the
division of Korea
 Land north of the 38 th Parallel
became an occupation of the
Soviet Union
 Land south of the 38 th Parallel
became an occupation of the
United States
 The US did not want to Soviets
to occupy all of Korea as it may
have eventually led into Soviet
occupation of Japan

4. THE 38 TH PARALLEL

5. POST-DIVISION ELECTIONS
1948 marked elections in both North Korea
and South Korea
North Korea held Parliamentary elections;
established Communist North Korean
government
South Korea held national general elections;
established “The Republic of Korea”
Election time and after was plagued by violent
resistance on both fronts

6. WAR BEGINS
Early 1950 – Newly elected North Korean
leader Kim Il-sung meets with leaders of
Soviet Union and China to discuss
invasion of South Korea in attempts to
unify the country under communist rule
June 25th 1950 – North Korean People’s
Army (KPA) crosses 38 th Parallel to
invade South Korea

7. US INTERVENTION
President Harry
Truman commits US
naval and military
forces to support
South Korea on June
29 th , 1950, condemni
ng North Korea and
its actions
But Why?

8. WHY THE US WAS INVOLVED
 Cold War insecurities concerning communism were on the rise
 The Korean conflict was an opportunity for the US to publically
support a noncommunist government from communist
invasion
North Korean
anti-American Propaganda

9. BASIC TIMELINE: JULY-NOVEMBER 1950
• North Korean armies make it to the southern peninsula of
Korea
North Korea
Advances South • UN declares N. Korea an aggressor and sends troops
• US General MacArthur leads troops victoriously in Inchon to
push the North Korean armies out of South Korea
North Korea
Retreats • War wages over land and air
• November 1950 Chinese armies intervene as UN troops move
closer to their territory
China gets
involved • UN and S. Korean troops are pushed back towards 38th Parallel

10. IMPORTANT FACTORS IN WARFARE
Naval forces
Ground troops
Air Power and
raids (most
important)
Advanced
weapons
Trench warfare
became
prominent in
mid-
1951

11. STALEMATE AND RESOLUTION
 By mid-1951, land battles were at a stalemate so
both sides agreed to go to the bargaining table
 Talks went on for 2 years
 A main hang-up was the outcome of thousands of
POWs
 July 1953 marked Operation Big Switch where
thousands of prisoners from both sides were freed
 A Demilitarized Zone was established at the
North/South Korean border with a UN commission
put in place to supervise
 This essentially marked the end of the war

12. APPROXIMATE DEATH TOLLS
 2.5 million North Korean soldiers and civilians
 1.5 million South Korean soldiers and civilians
 1 million Chinese soldiers and civilians
 55 thousand American soldiers
 500 Canadian soldiers
 300 Australian soldiers
 A further 5000 UN soldiers from a number of
different countries all lost their lives in the Korean
war
 Stats from History Channel

13. KOREAN WAR AS A PROXY WAR
The Korean War marked the rise of the two
super-powers of the Cold War: the Soviets and
the US
This proxy war set the
stage for the rest
of the Cold War
This was the first war
with UN involvement

14. KOREA POST WAR
South Korea’s economy was able to
stabilize and it has become one of
the fastest growing in the world
North Korea remained a “hermit
state” and is still underdeveloped by
modern standards