What is korean war

The Korean War was one of several military conflicts that occurred during the Cold War, as the United States and its allies attempted to stop the spread of communism. After the war, Korea became two countries. By invading South Korea, North Korea hoped to reunite the two nations as a single country under communism.

Although many of the soldiers sent to South Korea were members of the United States military, they were under the direct control of the United Nations. Because of this and because the United States never formally declared war on North Korea, many people contend that the Korean War should be called the Korean Conflict rather than referred to as a war.

Technically, these people are right from the American perspective, yet North and South Korea were clearly engaged in a war. The American troops, as well as those from other countries, were hoping to protect South Korea from communism and thus were participating in the Koreans' war. These forces continued to attack the North Korean military, hoping to free North Korea from communist control.

Fears that Rhee might initiate an offensive to achieve reunification explain why the Truman administration limited ROK military capabilities, withholding tanks, heavy artillery, and warplanes.

Moreover, by June , the US policy of containment in Korea through economic means appeared to be experiencing marked success. As important, the ROK army virtually eliminated guerrilla activities, threatening internal order in South Korea, causing the Truman administration to propose a sizeable military aid increase. Communist victory in China in fall pressured Stalin to show his support for a similar Korean outcome.

In January , he and Kim discussed plans for an invasion in Moscow, but the Soviet dictator was not ready to give final consent.

Significantly, Mao also voiced concern that the Americans would defend the ROK but gave his reluctant approval as well. The president immediately named MacArthur, who was required to submit periodic reports to the United Nations on war developments.

The ad- ministration blocked formation of a UN committee that would have direct access to the UNC commander, instead adopting a procedure whereby MacArthur received instructions from and reported to the JCS. Despite these American commitments, UNC forces initially suffered a string of defeats.

State Department officials began to lobby for forcible reunification once the UNC assumed the offensive, arguing that the US should destroy the KPA and hold free elections for a government to rule a united Korea. The JCS had grave doubts about the wisdom of landing at the port of Inchon, twenty miles west of Seoul, because of narrow access, high tides, and sea- walls, but the September 15 operation was a spectacular success. A month earlier, the administration had abandoned its initial war aim of merely restoring the status quo.

On September 11, , Truman had approved NSC, a plan to cross the thirty-eighth parallel and forcibly reunify Korea. Invading the DPRK was an incredible blunder that transformed a three-month war into one lasting three years. US leaders had realized that extension of hostilities risked Soviet or Chinese entry, and therefore, NSC- 81 included the precaution that only Korean units would move into the most northern provinces.

He also wanted to repay the DPRK for sending thou- sands of soldiers to fight in the Chinese civil war. On August 5, Mao instructed his northeastern military district commander to prepare for operations in Korea in the first ten days of September. Having been wrong in doubting Inchon, the JCS remained silent this time.

He was infuriated upon learning that the British were advancing a UN proposal to halt the UNC offensive well short of the Yalu to avert war with China, viewing the measure as appeasement.

In several public pronouncements, MacArthur blamed setbacks not on himself but on unwise command limitations. In response, Truman approved a directive to US officials that State Department approval was required for any comments about the war. The JCS, despite later denials, considered implementing these actions before receiving favorable battlefield reports.

Early in , Lieutenant General Matthew B. Soon, UNC counterattacks restored battle lines north of the thirty-eighth parallel. Finally, in July , the Korean War came to an end. In all, some 5 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives in what many in the U. The Korean peninsula is still divided today. In August , two young aides at the State Department divided the Korean peninsula in half along the 38th parallel. The Russians occupied the area north of the line and the United States occupied the area to its south.

By the end of the decade, two new states had formed on the peninsula. In the south, the anti-communist dictator Syngman Rhee enjoyed the reluctant support of the American government; in the north, the communist dictator Kim Il Sung enjoyed the slightly more enthusiastic support of the Soviets.

Neither dictator was content to remain on his side of the 38th parallel, however, and border skirmishes were common. Nearly 10, North and South Korean soldiers were killed in battle before the war even began.

Even so, the North Korean invasion came as an alarming surprise to American officials. As far as they were concerned, this was not simply a border dispute between two unstable dictatorships on the other side of the globe. Instead, many feared it was the first step in a communist campaign to take over the world. For this reason, nonintervention was not considered an option by many top decision makers.

As the North Korean army pushed into Seoul, the South Korean capital, the United States readied its troops for a war against communism itself. At first, the war was a defensive one to get the communists out of South Korea, and it went badly for the Allies. Also, it was one of the hottest and driest summers on record, and desperately thirsty American soldiers were often forced to drink water from rice paddies that had been fertilized with human waste. Despite two prisoner of war exchanges , Operation Little Switch and Operation Big Switch, 7, Americans are still missing in action, while South Korea is still searching for over , servicemen.

Korea was now seen as a war that had successfully stopped the Chinese communist expansion in Asia. Tensions between the United States and North Korea are ongoing. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault.

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