A History of the Korean War

What was the Korean War About?

Not much is made about the Korean War. In many ways it was very similar to the Vietnam War. The two main countries that went to war was Northern Korea which attacked the southern part of the country. Another similarity is that the U.S. supported South Korea and wanted to stop the spread of communism. However, the major difference is that not much is known about the Korean War while during the Vietnam War there were mass protests and arguments concerning American involvement in the war.  

On August 10, 1945, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to divide Korea along its 38th parallel line. The Soviet Union would administer the northern part and the U.S. would administer the South Korea. The U.S. ran elections in the country and a communist named Syngman Rhee took power in the South while Kin II Sung took power in the north. Due to Soviet influence, the north had more military power in tanks and weapons and went on the attack against South Korea to unify the country. In 1949, American and Soviet forces withdrew from the area. On June 25, 1950, North Korea crossed the 38th parallel line and invaded South Korea. However, both sides claimed the other had started the war. In the first days of battle, the South was outnumbered and had far less military help. The assault on South Korea caught the southern Koreans by surprise as they were unprepared for battle. During the time of the attack, about 2/3 of the army was off duty and there was no military available to stop the North Korean assault. Backed by a fierce ground attack that included a full range of tanks and a mass bombing with bomber planes over South Korea, the North kept marching into the southern part of the country.