 North Koreans pushed UN and South Korean forces to the area of Pusan  Amphibious landing at Inchon  com/video/clip/ _02 6.do com/video/clip/ _02 6.do  Success at Inchon leads to political problem: achieved objective of chasing North Koreans out of South Korea – what to do now  The decision to cross the 38th parallel into North Korea

DECISION TO CROSSDECISION NOT TO CROSS  Communist control into South Korea intolerable due to potential threat to other countries  Democratic, unified, independent Korea  Thought was China would not intervene  Show the Soviet Union US resolve to stop spread of communism  North Korea continue to invade South Korea  Restore international peace  Risk general war or possible WWIII  Leave the UN and Korea in a stalemate – let the country be  China may intervene  US/UN felt did not have control over MacArthur  Bring democracy at a later time

 General MacArthur leads the UN forces and South Korean troops into North Korea  Approach North Korea and Chinese border at the river of Yalu  November 25, 1950: 300,000 Chinese forces cross Yalu River forcing troops to retreat  January 4, 1951: Seoul lost for second time  2 years of fighting - stalemate

 1950 – appointed commander of the United Nations forces  Disagreement with President Truman and Secretary of State Dean Acheson about the course of the war  Favored an attack on Chinese forces  Made inflammatory statements to the media about this disagreement  Truman relieved him of his command April 1951 – upon his return, address to Congress and ticker-tape parade

 March 1951: Matthew Ridgway, leader of the 8 th army in Korea, charged with task of leading counteroffensive after MacArthur left  Able to push the North Koreans back to the 38 th parallel  June 23, 1951: Soviet Union unexpectedly suggests cease fire  Agreements July 1951:  Ceasefire line at existing battle line  Establishment of demilitarized zone  Over the next year continued to argue but would eventually reach an agreement on exchange of prisoners

 July 1953, armistice ended Korean War and established the DMZ  Buffer between two countries to prevent future military conflict  Fortified, 2.4-by-151 mile border  Dotted with landmines and bunkers and crisscrossed barbed wire  Source of tension  1963: US helicopter shot down after crossed North Korean territory; NK held pilots for year until US admitted violated armistice  1976: North Korean troops beat to death two US military soldiers who had been trimming tree branches; Kim Il-Sung would eventually release statement calling the deaths “regrettable”