Korean War (1950-1953)

Korean War (1950-1953) was the first war in which the United Nations (UN) played a military role.

The Korean War began on June 25,1950, when troops from Communist-ruled North Korea invaded South Korea. The UN called the invasion a violation of interna­tional peace and demanded that the Communists with­draw from South Korea. After the Communists kept fighting, the UN asked its member nations to give mili­tary aid to South Korea. Sixteen UN countries sent troops to help the South Koreans, and 41 countries sent military equipment or food and other supplies. The United States sent more than 90 per cent of the troops, military equipment, and supplies. China fought on the side of North Korea, and the Soviet Union gave military equipment to the North Koreans.

The Korean War ended on July 27,1953, when the UN and North Korea signed an armistice agreement. A per­manent peace treaty between South Korea and North Korea has never been signed.

The Korean War was one of the bloodiest wars in his­tory. About a million South Korean civilians were killed and several million were made homeless. About 580,000 UN and South Korean troops and 1,600,000 Communist troops were killed, wounded, or reported missing.

Causes of the war. The Japanese gained control of Korea in 1895 and made it part of Japan in 1910. The Al­lies defeated Japan in World War II (1939-1945), and U.S. and Soviet forces moved into Korea. After the war, So­viet troops occupied Korea north of the 38th parallel of north latitude. American troops occupied Korea south of this line.

In 1947, the UN General Assembly declared that elec­tions should be held throughout Korea to choose one government for the entire country. But the Soviet Union would not permit elections in North Korea. On May 10, 1948, the people of South Korea elected a national as­sembly. The assembly set up the government of the Re­public of Korea. On September 9, North Korean Commu­nists established the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Both North and South Korea claimed the entire country, and their troops clashed near the border sev­eral times from 1948 to 1950. After the United States re­moved its last troops from Korea in 1949, the Commu­nists believed the time was right for military action.

The land war. U.S. ground forces were ordered into action against the invading North Koreans at the end of June 1950. Troops from other UN countries began arriv­ing in South Korea soon afterward. The North Koreans captured Seoul, the capital of South Korea. UN forces were pushed back to the Pusan Perimeter, a battle line in the southeast corner of Korea, but prevented a North Korean breakthrough.  ^

In September, the UN landed troops from the sea at Inchon, on the northwest coast of South Korea. The Al­lied troops succeeded in cutting off the North Koreans in the southeast from those north of Inchon. The Allies recaptured Seoul. In the autumn of 1950, the UN forces moved into North Korea, and captured Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, in October. As UN forces ad­vanced toward the Chinese border, U.S. and Chinese troops clashed. The UN commander, General Douglas MacArthur, underestimated the size of the Chinese ar­mies and believed that UN superiority in naval and air forces would end the war quickly.

However, in November, China sent huge forces against the UN and forced the Allies to retreat into South Korea. In January 1951, the Communists captured Seoul. The Allies fought back, and by the spring of 1951 the war had changed as both sides dug in and began fighting along a battle line north of the 38th parallel.

In April 1951, U.S. President Harry Truman removed General MacArthur from command and replaced him with General Matthew Ridgway. General MacArthur had called for "all-out measures," including the bombing of China.

The air war. The Korean War marked the first battles between jet aircraft. The Soviet Union supplied North Korea with MiG-15 jet fighters to combat the U.S. F-86 Sabre jets. All the dogfights between these jets took place over North Korea. Helicopters also played an im­portant part in the war.

The truce talks. A cease-fire was proposed by the Soviet Union in June 1951. The two sides agreed that the existing battle line would be the dividing line between North and South Korea. An armistice was signed in July 1953 and fighting ended. Prisoner exchanges were com­pleted in September 1953. But in 1954, talks held in Ge­neva, Switzerland, failed to draw up a long-term peace plan. No permanent peace treaty was signed.

Related articles in World Book include:

Korea (History): Harry S. Truman, Douglas MacArthur, United Nations, Panmunjom