The Korean War 19501953

1
The Korean War1950-1953

• Origins Events UN Involvement
  OutcomeLegacy
• A Summary
• Grace Prince

2
Origins

• After Nazi-Germany surrender, the Potsdam
  conference of victorious WWII allies in July of
  1945 brought Soviets into war against Japan.
  Japanese occupation of Korea finally ended with
  close of the War.
• The Result WWII left Korea dividedalong the
  38th Parallel (right)
• Soviet troops occupied the North American troops
  occupied the South
• Most Koreans opposed occupation
• Established a trusteeship between the occupiers
  who hoped the nations would become free and
  independent in due course

3
Origins Continued

• UN called for troop withdrawal elections in
  Korea
• North Korea became the Democratic Peoples
  Republic of Korea
• South Korea became the Republic of Korea
• U.S. and Russia backed different leaders both
  claimed sovereignty over the entire Korean
  peninsula
• South Koreas Syngman Rhee North
  Koreas Kim Il Sung

4
WAR UNFOLDS

• Kim Il Sung authorized the attack on June 25,
  1950, that breached the 38th Parallel after
  Stalin entrusted his support
• On the 27th of June, the Security Council of the
  UN asked member states to contribute military
  assistance to the South Korean forces to repel
  their Northern aggressors
• President Harry Truman and Secretary of Defense
  Dean Acheson agreed to defend the noncommunist
  South Korean state
• President Truman wished to end East Asian
  communist expansion, citing the American
  Constitution as giving him the right to attack
  the ideology

5
Initial UN Involvement

• Soviet Absence (Early 1950)
• USSR boycotts the UN over Taiwan vs. China
  recognition
• Thus, UN can condemn North Koreas Breach of
  Peace.
• Sheriffs Posse UN uses U.S. and other great
  powers as agents acting under UN orders
• Security Council authorizes military and
  equipment assistance to repel North Korea
• Biggest strain on UN adapting to terms and
  circumstances unimaginable during drafting of the
  charter

• Soviet Presence (1950-1953)
• USSR ends boycott vetoes North Korean
  condemnation
• The Security Council was paralyzed by the Soviet
  veto, powerless to actions of all great powers
• Yet, UN already decided on measures to be taken
  Korean actions were complete
• UN can no longer authorize military action in
  Korea as its own
• The Uniting for Peace Resolution of 1950 hoped to
  unite the UN and formulate a peaceful resolution
  for the Korean crisis

6
Crisis in Korea The Sides

• The War soon unmasked the unbridgeable
  differences between the Western Powers and the
  Soviet Union
• Fighting alongside Truman and the U.S. in defense
  of the Republic of Korea was The Republic of
  Korea itself, Australia, Belgium, Canada,
  Columbia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Netherlands,
  New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand,
  Turkey, the United Kingdom
• Despite these efforts and the unofficial support
  of the United Nations, the war remained at least
  militarily a U.S. operation behind a blue
  international fig leaf flag

7
Crisis in Korea The Sides

• Fighting alongside the Democratic Peoples
  Republic of Korea was The Peoples Republic of
  China and (less significantly) the Soviet Union

8
Nuclear Weapons the wildcard

• The Korean War provided the first confrontation
  between two nuclear powers (USSR USA)
• Decisive air strikes proved a certain strategy
  for U.S. military action. Less clear, however,
  would be the use of atomic capabilities
• President Truman clarified that the U.S. had no
  intention of resorting to nuclear measures
  unless direly necessary
• After realizing the probable ineffectiveness of
  nuclear actions against a peasant adversary,
  nuclear threats dissipated

9
War In KoreaTHE EVENTS

• Forces then under UN designation landed at Inchon
  by the 29th of September, Seoul returned to the
  control of South Korea
• The UN forces advanced beyond the 38th parallel
  and captured the Northern capital of Pyongyang on
  19th of October
• After this early success, Truman made the
  unfortunate decision to advance continuously
  along the Chinese border, prompting involvement
  of the PRC in the conflict
• This mistake proved to be nearly fatal Chinese
  involvement would prolong the war in Korea until
  1953

10
The Chinese Advance

• November 24 Macarthurs supposed final offensive
  to restore peace and unity to Korea failed the
  next day when 300,000 Chinese troops attacked the
  UN forces causing retreat South.
• Pyongyang fell to the Chinese on December 4, 1950
• Seoul fell to the Communist forces once more on
  January 4, 1951
• Macarthurs forces managed to mount a
  counteroffensive attack on the Communist forces
  South Koreans back in control of Seoul
• Macarthur relieved of duty due to conflict
  between army command and White House

11
Outcome Peace at last?

• Peace talks began July 10, 1951
• War had reached a stalemate
• Peace treaty delayed over disagreements between
  the two sides
• 1953 War finally ended
• Death tolls UN South Korea 550,000      
• North Korean troops alone 1.5 million
• To see more detailed statistics, go to
• War --  Encyclopaedia Britannicahttp//www.britann
  ica.com/eb/article-9046072/Korean-War
  http//www.britannica.com/eb/article-9046072/Korea
  n-War http//www.britannica.com/eb/article-9046072
  /Korean-War

12
Koreas LegacyThe Irony Behind The Forgotten
War

• Ceasefire prompted the designation of a
  Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a buffer zone cutting
  the peninsula directly in half The Korean War
  ended almost exactly where it began
• Attempts at better negotiations in 1954 failed
  between the two hostile nations
• Unofficial conflict continued, however,
  throughout most of the Cold War
• Today, the DMZ is the most heavily armed border
  in the world
• The two Koreas remain technically still at war,
  since no peace treaty was signed after the
  1950-53 Korean war.
• We still remember the war today as risks of an
  East-Asian arms race escalate as North Koreas
  current nuclear capabilities could endanger all
  of East-Asia

13
Koreas LegacyThe Irony Behind The Forgotten
War

• Kim Jong Ils power remains unchecked in the
  North Korean regime
• The U.S. still houses some forces in Korea and is
  dedicated to protecting the interests of the
  South
• Conflict between North Korea and the U.S. is
  still uncertain, but the possibility of a
  prolonged pre-war period could prove disastrous
  for the North Korean economy

14
Bibliography

• Cold War Episode 5 Korea http//www.cnn.com/SPE
  CIALS/cold.war/episodes/05/maps/
• Goodrich, Leeland M. The United Nations and the
  Korean War A Case Study Proceedings of the
  Academy of Political Science, 1953.
  http//www.jstor.com
• North Korean Nuclear Standoff 26 Feb. 2007
  http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2340
  405.stm
• Ogawa, Takahira. Pyongyangs Test Whats the
  Impact? 9 Oct. 2006 http//www.businessweek.com/i
  nvestor/content/oct2006/pi20061009_448893.htm
• Race for the Superbomb The Korean War
  http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/peopleevents/pan
  deAMEX58.html
• United Nations and Changing World Politics The
  Reality of UN Security Efforts During the Cold
  War and The Theory of UN Collective Security
  Ed. Thomas G. Weiss (Westview Press, USA 2001)