THE KOREAN WAR

Liberation day

■ At the end of the WW2 in 1942,

Korea was freed from Japenese
control.

1942
alliance

North Korea was occupied by the Soviets.

While The south was occupied by

American forces.
separation
Cliquez sur l'icône pour ajouter une image

By 1948, the country was

divided in half at the 38parallel.
The 38 38

■ THE 38 PARALLEL
LINE.
capital

With the capitalist south

SYNGMAN RHEE.

AND THE COMMUNIST

NORTH BY KIM IL SUNG.
 ■ THE SOVIET WITHDREW FROM
NORTH KOREA IN 1948.

AND THE US FORCES WITHDREW

FROM THE SOUTH IN 1949.
 ■ HOWEVER, NORTH
borders
AND SOUTH KOREA
borders AS ENEMIES OF ONE
ANOTHER AOULD
NOT ACCEPT THE
BORDER BETWEEN
THEM AS
PERMENANT.
 ■ THE NORTH KOREAN ATTACKED
SOUTH KOREA ON JUNE 25TH 1950,
ADVANCING ACROSS THE 38TH
bb
PARALLEL.
■ AROUND 75000 TROOPS OF THE
NORTH KOREA PEOPLE’S ARMY
bb
DEFEATED THE REPUBLIC OF
KOREA’S ARMY WITH SUCCESS
CAPTURING THE CAPITAL CITY OF
SEOUL, THEN OCCUPYING THE
WHOLE OF SOUTH KOREA EXCEPT
FOR PUSAN.
■ THIS WAS A PROBLEM, AS PRESIDENT
TRUMAN AND THE US WANTED TO
CONTAIN THE SPREAD OF
COMMUNISM BY PREVENTING THE
DOMINO EFFECT THAT IS IF KOREA
FELL, SO WOULD OTHER COUNTRIES
TO THE IDEOLOGY.
 ■ SOUTH KOREA APPEALED FOR
SUPPORT, AND THE UNITED STATES
titi
PUSHED A RESOLUTION THROUGH
THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY
COUNCIL.
■ THE USSR DID NOT USE ITS VETO
POWER AS IT WAS BOYCOTTING THE
COUNCIL BECAUSE THE NEW
hh COMMUNIST CHINA WAS NOT
ACCEPTED.
■ IN CHINA’S SEAT WAS THE PRO US
CHINESE NATIONALIST
GOVERNMENT OF TAIWAN.
hh

■ AN APPEAL WAS MADE BY THE

SECURITY COUNCIL FOR NORTH KOREA
hihi TO WITHDRAW ITS TROOPS BUT IT WAS
IGNORED.
■ AS A RESULT, AN APPROVAL WAS
GRANTED FOR THE U.N ARMY MADE OF
INTERNATIONAL FORCE OF 16 NATIONS
TO SEND HELP TO SOUTH KOREA .
COMMANDED BY GENERAL MAC
ARTHUR.
 ■ THE U.N TROOPS COMPOSED MAINLY BY
AMERICANS, LANDED IN SOUTH KOREA IN
EARLY JULY BUT WERE SOON PUSHED BACK
ON DEFENSE BY THE NORTH KOREAN
FORCES.
■ FORMING A PERIMETER AROUND PUSAN TO
hh
DEFEND THE LINE UNTIL REINFORCEMENTS
ARRIVED IN AUGUST.
■ NOW THAT THEIR POSITION WAS
hh

STRENGTHENED , MAC ARTHUR WENT ON

THE OFFENSIVE
■ ON SEPTEMBER 18TH , THE US MARINES
XCORPS LAUNCHED AN AMPHIBIOUS
ASSAULT IN INCHON.
■ THE NORTH KOREA TROOPS WERE PUSHED
BACK ON THE RETREAT OVER THE
38PARALLEL AND SOON SEOUL WAS
RECAPTURED ALONG WITH THE WHOLE OF
SOUTH KOREA BY THE END OF THE MONTH.
 ■ NOW , MAC ARTHUR WAS TO GO
BEYOND THE INITIAL IDEA OF
hh
CONTAINMENT.
■ TRUMAN, WORRIED OF THE CHINESE
RESPONSE NEVERTHELESS
hh
APPROVED AND UN TROOPS MOVED
INTO NORTH KOREA ON OCTOBER
7TH 1950.
■ ON OCTOBER 12TH THEY CAPTURED
PYONGYANG, THE NORTH KOREAN
CAPITAL AND THEN YALU RIVER ,
WHICH WAS THE BORDER WITH THE
COMMUNIST CHINA.
 ■ CHINE RETALIATED BY HELPING THE
NORTH KOREANS SENDING 250000
CHINESE TROOPS.
■ THE U.N TROOPS , OVERWHELMED BY
THIS NEW FORCE , WERE PUSHED OUT
OF THE NORTH KOREA WITH HEAVY
LOSSES.
■ BY JANUARY 1951, CHINESE AND
NORTH KOREAN TROOPS HAD
h CAPTURED SEOUL.
h

■ GENERAL MAC ARTHUR WANTED TO

USE THE ATOM BOMB ON CHINA AND
WAS DISMISSED FOR
INSUHADINATION BY THE PRESIDENT
TRUMAN, WHO WENT BACK TO A
POLICY OF CONTAINEMENT.
 ■ IN JUNE 1951, MORE UN TROOPS
WERE SENT TO KOREA EVENTUALLY
DRIVING THE NORTH KOREANS TO
THE 38TH PARALLEL AND
h
STABILIZING THE FRONT.
■ IN JULY , PEACE TALKS BEGAN, BUT A
COMPROMISE COULD NOT BE FOUND.
■ MEANWHILE, FIGHTING CONTINUED
h
AND AMERICAN PILOTS FOUGHT IN
THE AIR AGAINST SOVIET PILOTS
USING CHINESE JET FIGHTERS AND
WEARING CHINESE UNIFORMS.
 ■ GENERAL DWIGHT DEINENHOWER
TOOK OVER AS PRESIDENT IN THE
EARLY 1953 AND SOUGHT AN END TO
THE WAR.
h
■ AFTER TWO YEARS OF
h NEGOTIATIONS, AN ARMISTICE WAS
SIGHNED ON JULY 27TH 1953 ON THE
38TH PARALLEL.
■ A DEMILITARIWED WONE WAS SET UP
, WHICH STANDS TO THIS DAY.