The Korean Conflict QUESTION: When is a war NOT a war?

Why was it NOT a war?  The UN Participation Act: An act that required all member nations to participate in global conflict.  However – the Participation Act ALSO says that nothing can be done without the action of Congress. Congress is the only branch of government that can declare war.  Truman used the spirit of the Participation Act to send troops to Korea without Congress approval.  Congress never declared war on the North Koreans and Chinese, as required by Article 1, Section 8 of to the Constitution. Therefore, this cannot Constitutionally be considered a war, only a conflict or police action.

When the Cold War became a global conflict.  In 1945, Korea was freed from the Japanese. The country was split at the 38 th parallel.  NORTH KOREA: led by Kim Il Sung, was communist.  SOUTH KOREA: led by Syngman Rhee, was capitalist.  The two countries hated each other.

What caused this conflict?  Truman was interested in the Far East – so was Stalin.  Domino Theory: Europe was not the only place where communists were coming to power. In the Far East the communists were also gaining power. China turned in  Truman believed that if one country fell to Communism, others would follow. He worried that if Korea fell, the Communists would capture Japan.

Cold War Politics  Truman realized the USA was in a competition for world domination with the USSR.  Communist Containment: By supporting South Korea, America would be able to fight Communism without directly attacking Russia.

 Stalin, also, was involved in the Far East.  Kim Il Sung (North Korea) visited Stalin.  In 1949, he persuaded Stalin he could conquer South Korea. Stalin did not think America would dare get involved, so he agreed. Joseph Stalin – Soviet Union

Start of the Korean War  1950:Syngman Rhee boasted of his plan to attack North Korea. It was a good enough excuse for the North Koreans to invade South Korea. This started the Korean War.

Events of the War JUNE-SEPT 1950 On June 25, 1950, the North Koreans successfully attacked & easily defeated the Republic of Korea (ROK). They captured most of the South. June 27, 1950: US persuades the UN to pass a resolution supporting ROK (though the Soviets were boycotting the UN); the Americans send troops to Pusan.

SEPT-NOV 1950  September 15, 1950: General MacArthur leads UN landing at Inchon. Of 300,000 UN troops, 260,000 were Americans.  The NKPA (North Korea) retreated and the Americans recaptured South Korea. 125,000 NKPA prisoners were taken.  October 7, 1950: MacArthur invades North Korea & advances as far as the Yalu River, at the Chinese border.

NOV 1950-FEB 1951  On November 25, 1950, 200,000 Chinese troops attack MacArthur.  On December 31, 1950, 500,000 more Chinese troops entered the war – “human wave” tactics.  They recaptured North Korea & advanced into South Korea.

FEB-MARCH 1951  America sends more troops. Bombing began. China admits to 390,000 casualties; UN figures place the numbers at 1 million Chinese dead and 500,000 North Koreans lost.  America succeeds in driving China back, but loses 54,000 soldiers in the process.  MacArthur reaches the 38 th parallel in March, 1951.

MARCH  Truman orders MacArthur to stop. After publicly criticizing the president, MacArthur is fired.  In 1953, Eisenhower is the new US president. The US threatens atomic warfare & the Chinese agree to a truce, signed on July 27,  It is estimated that 10 million lives were lost in Korea.

Korea Today  The country is still divided at the 38 th parallel.  No peace treaty has ever been signed between the Koreas and the US, ending the Korean conflict.

 Korean War Poster Activity 10 points  Read pages  Take notes on all the sections in RED, including subsections titled in BLUE. Make note of names, places, dates, and events. Using that information, you will design and color a KOREAN WAR poster. All aspects are required to receive full credit.  I will give you the information you need to use to color your poster correctly.