Korean War

background

-After WWII, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel:

• North Korea occupied by the Soviet Union (became Communist)

• South Korea occupied by the United States (became non-Communist)

-Both claimed to be the rightful government; border clashes were common

War begins

-June 25, 1950: North Korea invades South Korea with Soviet-supplied weapons

-South Korean and American forces are pushed back to the Pusan Perimeter

UN (united nations) response

-Truman sees the invasion as a test of containment

-UN approves military action since the USSR was boycotting the Security Council and could not veto

-U.S. troops, led by General Douglas MacArthur, are sent from Japan

turning the tide

-Battle of Inchon (Sept. 1950): MacArthur launches a surprise amphibious landing behind North Korean lines

-North Korean forces collapse and retreat back across the 38th parallel

-Truman allows UN forces to pursue into North Korea

China enters the war

-As UN troops near the Yalu River (border with China), China warns them to stop

-China attacks with hundreds of thousands of troops (Nov. 1950)

-UN forces are pushed back below the 38th parallel

MacArthur vs. Truman

-MacArthur wants to expand the war:

• Bomb China

• Blockade Chinese ports

• Use Nationalist Chinese forces

-Truman refuses—supports a limited war to avoid WWIII

-MacArthur publicly criticizes Truman → Truman fires him for insubordination (1951)

Stalemate and Ceasefire

-By mid-1951, the war becomes a stalemate near the 38th parallel

-Armistice signed July 1953 (after Truman leaves office; Eisenhower in office)

-Korea remains divided roughly where it began

Results and Impact

-About 36,500 Americans killed

-The war marks:

• A major U.S. military buildup in the Cold War

• Expansion of containment into Asia

• U.S. military alliances in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Australia

• Increased U.S. support for French forces in Vietnam