Key Figures

Kim II Sung: He was the dictatorial leader of North Korea from shortly after WWII until his death in 1994. In the early years of the Cold War, Kim wanted to reunify Korea under his own communist leadership.

Douglas MacArthur: He was one of the most powerful military officers in modern American history. He commanded all American forces in the Korean War until being relieved of his command by President Harry Truman in April 1951.

Syngman Rhee: An American-educated Korean exile who returned to his country to become the first president of South Korea in 1948. A believer of anticommunist, he was also an unpopular autocrat. Rhee led his nation—rather ineffectually—throughout the Korean War.

Harry S. Truman: He was the 33rd President of the United States upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in April 1945. He was only the Vice President for 82 days before Roosevelt's death. He inherited the task of leading the United States through the end of WWII and the beginning of the Cold War.