The Korean war

• The Korean War began with a surprise attack June 25, 1950, when eight divisions and an armored brigade (90,000 soldiers) of the North Korean People's Army (NKPA) attacked in three columns across the 38th parallel and invaded the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Reasons for the War

• Fearing that the Soviet Union intended to "export" communism to other nations, America centered its foreign policy on the "containment" of communism

Reasons

• In 1950 the Korea Peninsula was divided between a Soviet-backed government in the north and an American-backed government in the south.

Reasons

• In August of 1945 the Soviet Union invaded Korea, which had been under Japan's control since 1910.

• Fearing that the Soviets intended to seize the entire peninsula from their position in the north, the United States quickly moved its own troops into southern Korea.

War

• War broke out along the 38th parallel when the North attacks on June 25, 1950.

• South Korean forces had been pushed into the far southern tip of the Korean peninsula.

War

• •The U.S. and its allies, fearing Communist ambition, agreed to help defend the South under the United Nations banner

• The UN forces push back across the 38th parallel

War

• General Douglas MacArthur led U.N. forces into Korea.

• MacArthur landed troops at Inchon far behind North Korean lines. The result was a rout of enemy forces, and the North Koreans were pushed back nearly to China.

War

•

China enters the War

• Fearing an invasion of its territory, China joined the war and launched a full-blown counterattack.

• Eventually a stalemate was reached near the 38th parallel, where Korea had been initially divided.

Call for the end of the War

• Eager to end the conflict and avoid further escalation, President Harry Truman called for a truce.

• . MacArthur, publicly questioning Truman's commitment to American principles, advocated a full-blown retaliation against China.

General is Fired

• Truman fired MacArthur on April 10, 1951, for insubordination.

• Upon returning to the U.S., MacArthur was accorded a hero's welcome and Truman's popularity plummeted.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur's "Old Soldiers Never Die" address to Congress, 19 April 1951

•

The final agreement

• The Korean conflict dragged on for another two years until an armistice was signed on July 27, 1953, that ended the fighting and created a demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.

The “Forgotten War”

• The United States Armed Forces suffered 33,665 Americans killed in action in Korea

• There were 92,134 Americans wounded in action

• A total of 1,789,000 Americans served in the Korean War