Korean war

• The Korean War was fought between North and South Korea and was the first flashpoint of the Cold War in Asia
• The Korean War took place in Korea, which is between China to the west and Japan to the east
• Key phases of the Korean War

  1. North Korea invaded South Korea on 25th June, 1950

  2. A UN army, made up mostly of American military and led by General Douglas MacArthur, arrived in Korea in September 1950 to push back against the North Korean invasion

  3. In October 1950, UN forces advanced into North Korean territory

  4. On 25th October, China entered the war. Together with the North Korean army, they pushed the UN forces back below the 38th parallel. This resulted in a stalemate for over two years

  5. After peace talks on 27th July, 1953, the UN, China and North Korea signed a peace treaty
• Long-term causes that led to the Korean War

  • The history of Korea was shaped by many wars over who would control it. Both China and Japan ruled the nation for significant periods of time
  • Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was controlled by Japan. This changed at the end of the Second World War
  • At the end of the Second World War, the Japanese in the north surrendered to the USSR, and those in the south to the USA
• Situation at the end of the Second World War that led to the Korean War

  1. The country was divided into two separate zones along the 38th parallel, a circle of latitude that runs across the middle of Korea

  2. The division of Korea was supposed to be temporary. The aim was for it to be a united and independent country. The United Nations was to organise elections that would achieve this

  3. Instead of free elections, the Soviets in North Korea enabled Korean communist Kim II-Sung to take control of the nation without being elected

  4. There was an election in US-controlled South Korea, and USA supporter and capitalist figure Syngman Rhee became its leader

  5. At this point, North and South Korea became two different nations. The USSR zone in the north became the People's Republic of Korea, and the US zone in the south became the Republic of Korea

  6. While the leaders in both North and South Korea were nationalists and wanted a united country after the war, they wanted the nation to be led by different ideologies - capitalism in the south and communism in the north
• North Korea


  The communist Democratic People's Republic led by Kim Il-Sung. The capital was Pyongyang
• South Korea


  The non-communist Republic of Korea led by Syngman Rhee. Its capital was Seoul
• Key events in the build-up to the Korean War

  1. Due to the attitude of superiority from both sides there were a number of clashes on the border between North and South Korea

  2. Kim II-Sung, the leader of North Korea, visited Stalin in 1949 to ask for his support in an invasion of South Korea. He felt this would be welcome in the south as an effort to reunite the two nations

  3. Stalin did not think it was the right time as he did not want a fight against US troops still stationed in South Korea

  4. In 1950, Stalin's circumstances had changed. The US troops had left South Korea; communists were in power in China; and the USSR had its own nuclear weapons and had cracked the secret codes used by the USA to talk to other nations. As a result, Stalin felt any future actions in Korea would not meet American opposition

  5. Stalin began sending tanks, artillery and aircraft to North Korea and gave the go-ahead for an invasion of the south

  6. Stalin stated USSR soldiers would not be directly involved, and if further supplies were needed North Korea should ask China
• The Korean War broke out when North Korea invaded South Korea on 25th June, 1950
• When the south was invaded, the USA brought the matter to the UN which passed a resolution calling for North Korea to withdraw. When it did not, the UN sent international troops - mostly American - to force it out. In this way the USA could argue it was acting against international aggression rather than following its containment policy
• Reasons America got involved in the Korean War

  • President Truman was concerned communism was spreading in Asia
  • China's fall to communism in 1949 heightened this fear
  • Truman was also concerned about Stalin's use of Cominform to encourage countries to turn to communism
• America's role in the Korean War

  1. United Nations troops, mainly American and led by US General Douglas MacArthur, were sent to Korea. The North was supported by the Soviet Union

  2. UN forces were able to push North Korea back to the Chinese border, but in late 1950 China joined the war and the UN had to retreat
• After three years of fighting an armistice was agreed, which re-established the border between North and South Korea
• Effects of the Korean War on America

  • It demonstrated the USA's commitment to containing communism and led to a tripling of military spending to prevent its spread
  • To stop the spread of communism in Asia, the Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) was set up in September 1954. Britain, Pakistan, USA, Thailand, France, Australia, the Philippines and New Zealand all joined
  • The sacking of General MacArthur over his proposal to deploy nuclear bombs against North Korea underlined the USA's caution with regard to using nuclear weapons
  • The Soviet Union doubled the size of the Red Army, from 2.8 million in 1950 to 5.6 million in 1955
  • As the war did not escalate further, it showed neither superpower was prepared to engage in direct military confrontation with the other, preferring instead to fight proxy wars
• Given the cost to human life, and that the Korean War was a 'war within a war', it is difficult to assign victory to one side or the other. North Korea, South Korea, the USA, the United Nations, the USSR and China all experienced gains and losses, and were therefore both winners and losers
• Historians see neither South Korea nor North Korea as a winner of the conflict; the two nations remain divided to this day
• How the USA could be seen as a winner


  It successfully contained communism and stopped it spreading throughout Asia. The Truman Doctrine was a success
• How the United Nations could be seen as a winner

  The UN's predecessor, the League of Nations, had crumbled in its efforts to stop aggression before the Second World War. The UN's actions in Korea proved this kind of organisation could successfully halt conflict in the world. Its accomplishments gained it great respect
• How the USSR could be seen as a winner


  As a result of the Korean War, the USSR developed a closer alliance with communist China
• How China could be seen as a winner

  The Korean War brought China a reputation as one of the world's leading military powers and enabled it to develop a closer alliance with the USSR
• How Korea could be seen as a loser


  • There was a huge human cost - more than 800,000 North and South Korean civilians lost their lives
  • Approximately 80 per cent of both North and South Korea's industrial buildings were destroyed
  • Much of Korea's housing and transportation infrastructure was bombed
  • There was a desperate housing shortage in North Korea. Many people had no option but to live in caves
• How the USA could be seen as a loser


  • It was responsible for the huge loss of civilian life in Korea and had used weapons such as napalm, which damaged its reputation
  • It had increase military spending by a huge amount in order to fight the war
  • It failed to defeat communism in North Korea
  • The Korean War cost the USA its relations with China
• How the United Nations could be seen as a loser

  Due to the USA's significant involvement in the war, some people started to question if the United Nations was a 'puppet' controlled by America. In some ways, therefore, the war damaged its reputation
• How the USSR could be seen as a loser

  The war led to increased tensions with the USA, the Soviet Union's rival in the Cold War. It also led to a weapons build-up, with both nations entering the arms race. This became a huge economic burden to the USSR
• How China could be seen as a loser


  China was poor compared to the other world powers, and the war proved a huge economic burden. It failed to help North Korea unite the 2 nations under communism, and its involvement led to the USA cutting off all trade and political links with China for 25 years
• The fighting in Korea took place in mountains, ravines and swamps - terrain that was more familiar to the Koreans and Chinese than the UN. They also had to contend with terrible cold and snowstorms in winter
• Main events of the Korean War

  1. Between September and October 1950, the UN was successful in pushing North Korean troops back out of South Korea

  2. Between October and November 1950, the UN troops crossed over the 38th parallel and pushed the North Korean troops north in an attempt to defeat the communists and reunite the country

  3. Between November 1950 and January 1951, Chinese forces launched a counteroffensive and pushed the UN troops back past the 38th parallel

  4. The UN counter-attacked between January and July 1951 and retook Seoul

  5. The war then settled into a stalemate which lasted for two years, from July 1951 to July 1953
• In the initial stages of their involvement, UN troops were successful in pushing back the North Korean troops
• From October 1950, after UN troops had liberated South Korea, they began to invade North Korea. The UN troops crossed the 38th parallel in an attempt to achieve the UN objective of a 'unified, independent and democratic government' for all of Korea. Pyongyang was captured on 19th October. By November, some American forces had reached the Yalu River on the border with China
• How China got involved in the Korean War

  1. As UN troops approached its borders, China feared an invasion of its territory and launched a huge counter-attack of 200,000 soldiers

  2. UN forces were driven south, back over the 38th parallel

  3. Seoul was recaptured by communist forces

  4. The UN forces eventually stabilised around the 37th parallel
• In January 1951 the UN counter-attacked the Chinese and North Korean forces, pushing them back to the 38th parallel and retaking Seoul
• Stalemate in the Korean War

  Between July 1951 and July 1953, while negotiations were ongoing, fighting continued along a fortified frontier near the 39th parallel. This cost many lives but gained little territory
• Reasons the Armistice was signed in the Korean War

  • Eisenhower had replaced Truman as president and was keen to end the war
  • Stalin's death in 1953 made China and North Korea less confident
• Costs of the Korean War

  • 30,000 American troops were killed
  • 4,500 UN troops from other countries were killed
  • Approximately 70,000 South Korean soldiers died
  • About 500,000 South Korean civilians were killed
  • An estimated 780,000 North Korean and Chinese soldiers and civilians died in the war