The Korean war

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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).

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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

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Reasons

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

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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.

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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.
  

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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

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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.

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War

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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.
  

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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.
  

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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.
  

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

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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.
  

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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
  

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