Escalation
As the situation between North and South Korea escalated due to the North’s surprise attack, the United States pressured the UNSC to declare support for South Korea; In this context it is important to note that the US had a ‘Policy of Containment’, according to which it could not allow communism to spread in any part of the world. If North Korea took over the South Korea, there would be a unified communist Korea which the United States did not want at any cost. As a result, a US backed force was deployed in South Korea.
By 1950, a large part of South Korea including the capital city Seoul, was under the occupation of the North because of the surprise attack by them. Only a small part of Busan continued to remain under American control, because the North Korean surprise attack took them by surprise.
15 September 1950 – Battle of Incheon:
The Battle of Incheon (code name: Operation Chromite) was a decisive battle commanded by U.S. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur against the Northern troops. During this amphibious operation, the UN forces successfully moved out of Busan and managed to secured Incheon through a series of landings in North Korean occupied territory. The Battle of Incheon greatly helped in turning things in favor of South Korean forces as the UN coalition troops began a counterattack recapture of Seoul.
19 October 1950 – UN forces take Pyongyang:
North Korean forces were soon forced to retreat back to the 38th parallel, because of an offensive counter attack by American troops; In fact the US led coalition force pushed the northern troops further back beyond the 38th parallel, well into the North Korean border and went ahead and occupied Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, by October 1950.
November 1950 – China declares war:
Soon the UN coalition troops faced attacks from Chinese forces, because they pushed the attack too close to the China border. The Chinese retaliated with a heavy military attack which resulted in severe losses for the coalition troops. China ended up helping the North Korean side to push back and once again turned things in their favor.
Winter 1950 – Retreat to the South:
The South Korean troops, led by the UN coalition force, were forced to retreat from Pyongyang, following the brutal attack by Chinese troops as they faced severe casualties and ended up going back to the South by end of 1950. Seoul by 1951 once again came to be occupied by North Korean forces as they were now being helped by Chinese troops as well.
Korean War – History, Causes and Consequences
The Korean War started in June 1950 when North Korea launched an attack on South Korea. It lasted till 1953 and was an important event in the history of the Cold War , that was happening at a larger international stage. Responding to this situation , The United States responded by, leading a United Nations force of more than a dozen countries, and came to help South Korea.
USSR covertly supported North Korea and China, which entered the scene much later in November 1950, also came to support North Korea which led to a massive clash between the Chinese and American forces. The war ended in a stalemate after three years in 1953, with the border between North and South Korea remaining almost unchanged.
To this day the tension between North and South Korea remain high as technically the two countries are still said to be at war, since no peace treaty was ever signed between them. The Korean war holds a great deal of significance with regards to the Cold war because it was also being seen as a power struggle between the US and Soviet union, as they both chose their sides to support.
Table of Content
- Brief overview of Korean history that led to the Korean War
- The Korean War: North Korea vs South Korea
- The Korean War and the Cold War
- Escalation
- The Korean War Reaches a Stalemate
- Korean War Casualties
- Consequences of Korean war
- Conclusion
- FAQ’s on Korean War
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