1. The Korean War 1950-1953

2. Occupation In 1945 Korea was occupied by Soviet forces in the north and American forces in the south. The line that was chosen to separate the two was the same one that Japan and Russia used in the early part of the 20th century. It was called the 38th parallel. Kim Il-Sung-North Korean Leader (Communist) Syngman Rhee-South Korean Leader (Democracy)

3. Divided Korea North Korea was led by communist leader Kim Il Sung (Communist Government established) South Korea was led by Syngman Rhee and called itself the Republic of Korea (Democratic Government established) Kim Il Sung http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Il-sung Syngman Rhee http://en.wikipedia.org/wi ki/Syngman_Rhee

4. Syngman Rhee

5. Kim Il-Sung

6. Leading Causes of the Korean War Cold War Stalin encouraged the spread of communism as long as it did not result in a war with America. He soon realized that nuclear war might be a possibility and wanted to avoid that and beat the USA using more indirect means. The Domino Effect/Theory – Eisenhower and Truman believed that if Korea fell to communism, Japan (a major trading partner) would follow. Domino theory felt that if one country was allowed to fall to communism, the neighboring countries of the new communist nation would eventually fall to communism eventually. Containment: The Truman Doctrine stated that the USA would lend aid to any country not wishing to be suppressed by the political ideals (communism) of any other country. April 1950 the American National Security Council issued a report recommending direct involvement (a proxy war) against communism. Stalin saw that the Korean War Was a chance for a war by proxy. Kim II Sung visited Stalin to persuade him that he could conquer South Korea.

7. This map is from an American magazine from 1950. This shows how much the US feared communism in the far east.

8. U.S. Involvement South Korea was unstable economically The United States feared that South Korea would fall to communism U.S. government helped to build up the South Korean military (Containment Policy/Truman) Both the U.S. and the Soviets removed their troops from Korea in 1949.

9. Fighting Begins North Korea invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. The UN became involved and asked for an immediate cease fire The Soviets were boycotting the U.N. due to the denial of admittance of China to the world governing body

10. The Start of the Korean War Role of the United States South Korea was where the United States had to take a stand against Communist aggression. Truman ordered American naval and air forces to support Korean ground troops. Truman asked the United Nations to approve the use of force to stop the North Korean invasion. Role of the United Nations The UN Security Council supported the use of force in Korea. Truman sent ground troops to Korea. The troops sent to Korea were to be a United Nations force. Instead of calling this a war, the whole effort was referred to as a UN police action.

11. Support for South Korea June 27 th -The U.N. Security Council labeled North Korea as an aggressor and offered support to South Korea The U.S. sponsored this resolution U.S. forces entered South Korea under the direction General MacArthur 15 other countries gave military and monetary support, however no other country gave the same support that the United States did.

12. Soviet Union-Indirectly Involved Soviets sold Chinese military equipment, including artillery and MIG fighter planes. The USSR also provided advisers and military hardware to the North Koreans. Soviet pilots flew MIGs against US planes. However, Stalin was unwilling to become involved with the United States in a war over Korea.

13. Split Power By September the North Koreans had pushed the U.S. and South Korean forces into a retreat September 15, 1950, General MacArthur led a counterattack and recaptured Seoul, which is South Korea’s capital The UN and U.S. forces were hit with a counterattack from the North Koreans and eventually had to settle with a defensive line at the 38 th parallel

15. China’s Involvement China aided North Korea in late November. Due to China’s involvement, General MacArthur called for a major expansion of the war. His proposal included: Blockading China’s coast Invading the interior of China

16. Conflict Regarding the Plan Supporters of MacArthur’s plan said it would overthrow the Communist regime in China Opponents argued that blockading China could entice the Soviets to become involved

17. What happens next? October 14 to November 1, 1950 Chinese send 180,000 of the People’s Volunteer Army to cross Yalu River They pushed the American forces back November 2 UN realizes that the attack was done by Communist China

18. Why did China enter the war? UN forces pushed north to China Crossed 38th parallel Yalu River and border with China Mao Zedong already made it clear that China would not tolerate foreign forces on border

19. Truman’s Response President Truman opposed MacArthur’s plan Truman removed MacArthur from his position in April 1951 The war had reached a stalemate by the summer of 1951. The war became a hot button issue in election of 1952 Truman decides NOT to run for re-election

20. General MacArthur Is Fired MacArthur said that the UN faced a choice between defeat by the Chinese or a major war with them. He wanted to expand the war by bombing the Chinese mainland, perhaps even with atomic weapons. Lieutenant General Matthew Ridgway stopped the Chinese onslaught and pushed them back to the 38 th parallel—without needing to expand the war or use atomic weapons. MacArthur disagreed with President Truman about the direction of the fighting and challenged the authority of the president. Truman fired MacArthur. Many Americans were outraged at the firing of MacArthur.

21. Election of 1952 Republican candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower Democrat candidate Adlai Stevenson Eisenhower promised to end the Korean war yet still resist the spread of Communism Eisenhower won the electoral college 442-89 President Eisenhower http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/preside nts/de34.html

22. The War Ends Eisenhower stayed true to his word to end the war Bombing raids increased by the U.S. in North Korea in May of 1953 July 27 th, 1953 an armistice was agreed upon. The outcome of the war was the same dividing line that was present before the start of the war, approximately around the 38 th parallel

23. The Korean War Armistice Designed to insure an end to warfare and all acts of armed force in Korea until a definitive peaceful could be achieved It was signed on July 27,1953 Covered issues such as - exchange of prisoners of war - location of a demarcation line Intended as a temporary measure, but the 38 th parallel remains standing even today.

24. There was an armistice signed by North Korea, China, and the UN but not by South Korea. The armistice was NOT a peace treaty, just a temporary cessation of hostilities.

25. Korea is still split up into North Korea (communist) and South Korea (non-communist) The border between the two countries has remained one of the most heavily-armed stretches of land on Earth

26. Map of Korea

27. DMZ – Demilitarized Zone an area where military equipment and activity are prohibited Pictures of the DMZ (scroll down & note there are a few pages of pictures) Korean DMZ Pictures After the Korean War (June 25 1950 – July 27 1953), South Korea and North Korea established a border that cut the Korean peninsula roughly in half. The border is the Korean DMZ. Because the Korean war ended in a stalemate and of hostility between the North and the South, large numbers of troops are still stationed along both sides of the line, each side guarding against potential aggression from the other side. The DMZ is 155 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. Sporadic outbreaks of violence due to North Korean hostilities killed over 500 South Korean soldiers and 50 U.S. soldiers along the DMZ between 1953 and 1999. However, despite the fact that this is the most heavily armed border in the world, it is extremely rare that any fighting takes place.