The worst war for Korean people Korean War The worst war for Korean people

Before it began After the Korean Independence in August 15th, 1945, Korea was divided into two by USA and USSR into North and South. North Korea became a communist, and South Korea became a dictator-controlled republic.

The Invasion - 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea over the 38th parallel. The South Korean government, led by Syngman Rhee the dictator, ran away to Busan in Southern South Korea. While doing so, the South Korean government lied to its people that they were winning. Syngman Rhee broke down all the bridges in the Han River to live only for himself. The North Korean Army, well-trained for the war, continued to move south until they had more than 4/5 of South Korea.

The Counterattack - 1950 USA, afraid that USSR/NK communist government would take over Northeastern Asia, went into the Korean War with President Truman. With General MacArthur and the USA, South Korea retrieved their land with Incheon Landing and started pushing north. South Korea went up to nearly the North Korea/China border. In two months, North Korea was in trouble.

The Balance – 1951~1953 Kim Il Seong (North Korea Dictator) was afraid that south Korea would take up North Korea, so he went to China for help. China pushed down to the 38th parallel and the force was balanced. 2 Years went on with the balance, pushing and pushing back.

The End - 1953 USSR, China, USA, and North Korea wanted to end the war like this after a negotiation, but not South Korea. Syngman Rhee wanted to be the president of the whole Korean Peninsula. After Stalin (USSR dictator)’s death, the negotiation and the end of the war was getting closer. The negotiation was done with North Korea and UN, but not South Korea. The war ended with Korea still divided by the Military Demarcation Line.

The Aftermath North Korea attacked the South a lot of times, sending fighters to the South (even during the 2002 World Cup). South Korea, after the war, was one of the poorest countries in the world. Both the North and the South still want to be together, but the North want communist, and South want Republic. Some Koreans think the division is because of USA and USSR. South Korea had 984,400 dead, wounded, missing, and at least 10,000 captured, but President Truman thought of it only as a “police act” because the Congress did not declare war but only sent troops.

Interesting Facts Kim Il Seong North Korea did a lot of torturous things to the captured South. In the South, Kim Il Seong is treaded as he is the worst guy ever in the world, but in the North, Kim Il Seong is still known as a hero. Korean War was the first military act of the cold war. Almost every country that is wealthy helped the UN and the South except for China and USSR. United States bought weapons from Japan, which helped Japan stand up from the ruins of WWII. North Korea still has 5th military force in the world; Korea 7th. Kim Il Seong