Korean War

Causes of the War

Two years after the split of the Korean peninsula, the US adopted the policy of containment by the Truman Doctrine in 1947, stating they will protect vulnerable states from the spread of communism.

There was a big improvement in the North Korean army as well as China’s successful transition to communism and the USSR’s first nuclear tests. Understanding the threat communism imposed over Asia, the US announced they would protect countries that fell within a specific defense perimeter which prioritized protecting Japan against a potential Soviet pursuit.

This perimeter notably excluded Korea. The US deemed their resources to be more useful in Japan, so they withdrew troops from Korea, reducing troops from 40,000 to around 7,500 men.

However, this led the North to believe that no matter what happened to the South, the US wouldn’t intervene. In hopes to reunite Korea by force, North Korean leader Kim Il Sung marched 75,000 troops into South Korea on June 25, 1950.

Start of the War

Overwhelming the South Korean army, they successfully captured Seoul and the rest of the nation except Busan.

This is when South Korea appealed for support, and the US pushed for a resolution in the UN Security Council to help. With the absence of the USSR, who had veto power yet was boycotting at the time, and a pro-US Chinese seat, the Security Council approved an international army led by American General Douglas MacArthur. The UN ordered North Korea to withdraw from the South but was ignored.

UN troops landed at Busan early July but were pushed back by North Korean forces, so they waited until August for reinforcements. On September 15th, the US led an amphibious assault, forcing North Korea to retreat. South Korea was fully returned to UN forces by the end of September. Although the US was afraid of China joining the war, MacArthur moved into North Korea on October 7th, and by October 12, took over Pyongyang and the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China.

China, in fear of the UN making its way into Chinese territory, retaliated and sent 250,000 troops to support North Korean forces. This overwhelmed UN troops and pushed them out of the North with heavy losses. By January 1951, China and North Korea captured Seoul once again. General MacArthur was dismissed from his position, because he opposed the Truman administration, stating he wanted to drop atomic bombs on China and criticizing the administration. MacArthur was replaced by Matthew Ridgeway.

Peace Talks

By June 1951, more UN troops were sent to South Korea and eventually sent North Korean forces behind the parallel, stabilizing the front. However, this resulted in a stalemate on the ground. Peace talks began in July 1951 but went for 2 years without any resolution. In the meantime, the US Air Force fought against the Soviet Union fighter planes.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower assumed office in January 1953 and was determined to put an end on the Korean War. On July 27, 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed at Panmunjom by the US, North Korea, and China, promptly ending the war and officially declaring a Demilitarized Zone along the 38th parallel that divides the peninsula into two.

Some Comments:

South Korea was not a signatory of the armistice, because President Rhee could not accept the fact that he failed to reunite the Koreas by force.

Additionally, without an official peace treaty, the Korean War is still technically ongoing. The only thing that ended was physical battles, but foreign intervention and tensions still exist.

Sydney P