Name: Carmirlyta Despeignes

11
th
grade
World History II Honors
Date: may 30
th
, 2014
The Korean War
The Korean War which was a war between South Korea and North Korea lasted for 3
years. It started on June 1950 and ended on July 1953. This war was the first military action of
the cold war and it was a result of the division of Korea by an agreement of the victorious allies
at the end of the Pacific War at the end of WWII. The cold war was a war between the United
States and the Soviet Union. There wasnt any real fight between the two countries. The cold
war took place after World War II. The first cause of the cold war was that the Americans feared
the spread of communism and the Soviet Union disliked capitalism. The Soviet Unions aim was
to spread communism throughout the world. At some point, the United States refused to share
its nuclear secrets and the Soviet Union feared that the united States attack them. Because the
two parties were suspicious about what the other party was planning on doing, it led to the
cold war.
As the Korean War began, the Soviet Union was with North Korea and the United States
was with South Korea. On June 25, 1950, North Korea attacked South Korea and invaded it. The
United Nations demanded a withdrawal of North Korea from South Korea to avoid more attack.
The United States stepped in and authorized the use of American land, sea, and air forces in
Korea. After months of heavy fighting, the main purpose of the conflict returned to the
separation at the 38th parallel, where it remained for the rest of the war. Ive chosen some
bibliographies which basically describe how the Korean War happened, the causes of it, and the
results of it.
To begin with, the war began when North Korea attacked and invaded South Korea. The
United States and the United Nations got involved to withdraw the North Korean troops out of
South Korea. They gathered the forces necessary to defeat the North Koreas army and respond
to the global military challenge in the communist world. The United States gave all aids to
South Korea. After the withdrawal of North Korean soldiers in South Korea, in mid-September
1950, an invasion at Inchon destroyed the North Korean machine. The United Nations pushed
through North Korea and China intervened openly while the Soviet not-so openly (Naval
History and Heritage).
Even though the Korean War was not as intense as the Vietnam War, 54,000 Americans
were killed and 103,000 wounded. Total casualties for the war reached 1.9 million (Spotlight
biography: Korean War). The person that is best recognized for his participation in the war was
Douglas MacArthur. He first led a troop in WWI where he earned honors for his bravery. After
the war, forces from North Korea which were placed under Russian supervision after World
War II, invaded the U.S.-controlled south (Spotlight Biography: Korean War). The United States
was afraid of the communist pressure and decided to help South Korea. By the time General
MacArthur organized the movement of troops; South Korean forces had been pushed into the
far southern tip of the Korean peninsula. MacArthur placed a troop at Inchon and North Korea
was pushed all the way near China. Fearing an invasion of its territory, China intervened by
launching a counterattack.
Korea was considered as the ancient invasion route of Japan into the Asian continent.
This basically means that Korea is where the three great power triangles meet in Asia. After the
United States wanted to be separated from the Soviet, the general assembly of the United
Nations demanded that the United States and the Soviet withdraw themselves from Korea.
However, North Korea didnt allow the United Nations commission to verify this claim (South
to the Naktong). While these events were taking place, internal troubles increased in South
Korea. After the establishment of the Rhee government in the summer of 1948, civil disorder
spread below the 38th Parallel. There was a campaign from North Korea designed to overthrow
the Rhee government and replace it by a Communist one. Armed incidents along the 38th
Parallel, in which both sides were the aggressors and crossed the boundary, became frequent
(South to the Naktong).
This quote means that there were protests near the 38
th
parallel. The people from North
Korea reject the establishment of the Rhee government and replaced it by a communist one. A
lot of incidents occurred along the 38
th
parallel because South Korea and its ally (the United
States) disagreed with the communist government.
In March 1950, North Korea activated two new divisions: the 10th and the 15th with
men from three youth-training schools and veteran Communist officers and noncommissioned
officers. In early June, the 10th Division was activated and the last one was activated before the
invasion of South Korea. Then when the war came to a point near the 38
th
parallel, the United
States provoked incidents that cease the gun fires. The Unites States military claimed that the
Communists brutally murdered 5,500 American prisoners. The Communists didnt want to
explain what exactly happened to the prisoners. The press reported that there could be
American bombing and naval blockade of China if Korea talks failed. The death of Stalin and
the replacement of Truman Eisenhower as the US president were the two things that helped to
move the talks. In 1953, an armistice (the cease fire) was signed. This was not a treaty, but it
reflected the realization that neither side had the right to compel the other side to submit to its
political agenda.
As results of the Korean War, many American and South Korean soldiers lost their lives.
The United States saved South Korea from communism, but failed to liberate North Korea. US
troops are still stationed there to protect the south against another attack from the
north. Russia achieved closer relationship with China and China in turn gained the respect of
Asian communism. The cost of the war was immense for China and it failed to win South Korea
for communism. Because of this war, China was isolated by America in trade and politics. The
United Nations gained respect by taking direct action and by using combined forces to stop
aggression. Because of this war, Korea ended up splitting at the 38
th
parallel: North Korean and
South Korea.
In conclusion, the Korean War was the first military action that marked the cold war.
The war was cold because there was no major fighting between the two sides. The United
States stood and fought with South Korea against the communists who included North Korea,
China, and Russia. They were fighting to either spread communism or capitalism throughout
the world. They couldnt agree to which type of government they wanted. The United States
wanted to be separated from the Soviet because they opposed each others ideas and to avoid
the attack of North Korea on South Korea.
The reason why the two powers were distrustful of each other was because they had
different views or perspectives. The United States was a capitalist while the Soviet Union was a
communist. The United States thought that the ones who could thrive were the ones that
survived and bred whereas the Soviet Union thought that everybody should help everybody.
This lack of mutually understanding would lead the world to a dangerous path. That is the
reason why atomic bombs and weapons of great destructive capability are built to utterly
destroy a country that has a different perspective comparing to them. Because of the Korean
War, The United States constituted a huge military. Because of this war, the united Stated built
a larger military. The war ended the global imperialism for the Soviet Union and communism in
some countries.
I strongly believe that North Korea is the reason why the Korean War occurred, the
death of many soldiers, and the building of atomic weapons. The Soviet Union wanted to be
separated from the United States because South Korea refused to be a communist. They were
the first one to invade South Korea and caused many incidents. They refused to withdraw their
troops in South Korea until they were separated at the 38
th
parallel.