Course + Outcome of the War (1950-53)
Date | Event | Expand |
June 1950 | NK advances + captures Seoul SK pushed to small area around Pusan | |
July- Sept 1950 | US sends troops to help SK US appeals to UN, who send troops for SK | USSR could not veto as they were boycotting for Mao. |
Sep-Oct 1950 | UN forces under Gen. McArthur land in Inchon and push NK back, get back Seoul | McArthur assures: China will not enter. |
Oct 1950 | Push back forces to the Yalu river. Mao’s China enters the war. | Yalu is too close to China + Stalin encourages intervention. |
Jan 1951 | Communists recapture Seoul UN troops fall back behind 38th Parallel | |
Jan-March 1951 | UN forces launch counter-offensive, take back Seoul. | Continue into NK |
April 1951 | McArthur asks Truman to approve nuclear attach on China. Truman refuses (fear of Stalin) and fires McArthur after repeatedly being questioned. In a press conference, Truman suggests A-bomb could be used. Atlee flies to US and is assured it won’t. | No bombs:
|
July 1951 - July 1953 | Truce talks begin between UN and Communists but don’t go far. War on land at stalemate Air fighting continues. Nov 1952: Eisenhower becomes President, vowing an end to war. Stalin dies in 1953.
| Not much information about Korea reaches the US- the interest is not like Vietnam. Growing in unpopularity. |
The POW problem:
US pushes for POWs to choose where to go rather than just repatriation.
21, 839 communist POWs refuse repatriation
347 UN POWs refuse repatriation
Outcome:
Korea remained divided, with NK and SK
Demilitarised zone along the 38th Parallel
around 300,000 military deaths in both SK and NK
Estimated millions of civilian deaths
50,000 US military deaths