The Most Important Events Of The Korean War
The Korean War broke out in 1950, following the resolution of World War II, lasting for three years, between 1950 and 1953. It ended with an armistice agreement between North and South Korea, but no official peace treaty has ever been signed. Let's go over the most important events of the first military action by the United States after World War II.
The State Of Play After World War II
During World War II, Korea had been ruled by the imperial Japanese, having been liberated by the Soviet Union. Following the conclusion of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union had to devise a plan to install a government in Korea. In the last days of the war, the Soviet Union and the United States decided to divide Korea along the 38th parallel.
Korean People Journal, Wikimedia Commons
The Potsdam Declaration Lays Out Japanese Surrender
As part of the conditions of the Japanese surrender at the end of the war, the Japanese government agreed to allow the Korean people to create an independent government. A committee was established: the Committee for the Preparation of Korean Independence (CPKI).
Adam Cuerden, Wikimedia Commons
The Moscow Conference Decides A Trusteeship For Korea
In December 1945, leaders from the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and China met in Moscow, establishing a five-year trusteeship for Korea, eventually leading to Korean independence. A growing anti-trusteeship movement was taking root in Korea, wanting to establish an independent Korea immediately.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Deepening Divides Make Trusteeship Difficult
Despite coming together to divide Korea, the United States and the Soviet Union made little progress in 1946 and 1947. Deepening ideological divides made progress impossible when the two sides met to attempt to form a provisional government.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
CPKI Seen As Little More Than Japanese Puppets
Unfortunately for the CPKI, they were seen as little more than puppets of the Japanese government that had just left Korea. Soldiers of the Korean Army protested as the departing Japanese spread rumors that the Soviets were about to invade, elevating the need for a stabilizing government in Korea.
USS San Francisco, Wikimedia Commons
Syngman Rhee Named As President
Representatives from the post-war government (still popular among the people), known as the Korean Provisional Government, met in Seoul on September 6, 1945, and named an elder statesman of Korea, Syngman Rhee, as the country's first President.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
The United Nations Temporary Commission On Korea
Having reached an impasse with the Soviets, the United States enlisted the help of the United Nations, creating the United Nations Temporary Commission On Korea. The Soviet Union refused to ratify the agreement, so the UN held separate elections in the North and South.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
The Formation Of The Republic Of Korea
Following an election on May 10, 1948, the Republic of Korea held its first election, declaring Syngmn Rhee as leader and establishing the Republic of Korea. Three months later, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was declared on August 9, 1948, with Kim Il-Sung emerging as Prime Minister.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
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The Yeosu-Suncheon Rebellion
Rising anti-government sentiments in South Korea began to take root, particularly among members of the Korean military. The Yeosu-Suncheon Rebellion occurred as military members loyal to the Korean Workers' Party attacked fellow soldiers loyal to Rhee. This rebellion was put down violently, and Rhee's government established the Bodo League. This internal spy agency kept track of who was loyal to the Rhee government and who was not.
Harris & Ewing, Wikimedia Commons
The Invasion Of The South
On June 25, 1950, members of the North Korean military invaded South Korea by crossing the 38th parallel, backed by artillery bombardments. Their aim was to reunify the Korean Peninsula by force.
U.S. Defense Department, Wikimedia Commons
The Bodo League Massacre Of 1950
Two days after the invasion, Rhee's government agency, the Bodo League, executed somewhere between 60,000 and 200,000 alleged Communist Party sympathizers. Although, in most cases, there was little to no evidence of these connections. Rhee plotted to consolidate power.
The Early Days Of The War
As the United States had drawn down its training and support for the South Korean military, its forces were left utterly unprepared for the North Korean strike. The early days of the war saw the South Koreans give up huge swathes of land south of the 38th parallel.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
The United States Asks The UN To Form A Coalition Of Nations
Two days after the invasion of the South, the United Nations, at the request of the United States, adopted Resolution 83, forming a coalition of governments from around the world to contribute troops and weaponry to "repel the armed attack and restore international peace and security to the area".
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
The Australians Are The First Force On Korean Soil
No.77 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force was the first non-Korean and non-US force to see action in Korea, engaging in ground attack sorties and troop escort from the air. They began their operations on July 2, 1950. One day later, New Zealand dispatched two ships to the Korean Peninsula.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Formation Of The United Nations Command
On July 7, 1950, Resolution 84 of the UN Security Council dictated that all UN forces should be placed under the unified command of the United States of America, led by General Douglas MacArthur. One week later, President Syngman Rhee placed the armed forces of the Republic of Korea under General MacArthur's command.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
The UNC Lands At Inchon
In September 1950, General Douglas MacArthur led dozens of members of the United Nations Command (totaling some 90,000 troops) to land at the western South Korean port of Inchon. A key strategic port for supplies, the Inchon landings were intended to halt the North Korean advance at Busan, which had been largely unopposed since the June invasion.
China Bolsters North Korea
After successfully repelling North Korean forces back across the 38th parallel, capturing the capital of Pyongyang (within 40 miles of the Chinese border), China committed troops to North Korea's defense to push the United Nations forces back into the South.
Imjin River: The British's Bloodiest Battle Since World War II
Having deployed 56,000 troops as part of the United Nations Command, the British Army took their heaviest casualties since the Second World War at the Battle of Imjin River. Over 1,000 British soldiers were killed, injured, or missing, with 527 men captured as prisoners of war by Chinese forces.
Phillip Oliver Hobson, Wikimedia Commons
Defeat At Imjin, But Victory In The Wider War
Despite the Chinese and North Korean defeat at Imjin River, the United Nations Command saved Seoul from capture and reinvigorated its forces, halting the North Korean advance. This demonstrated that the North Koreans could not defeat the United Nations outright despite being bolstered by Chinese forces.
British official photographer, Wikimedia Commons
The Long Stalemate Begins
The first 12 months of the Korean War were characterized by heavy fighting and extensive losses on both sides. Following the Battle of Imjin River, the United Nations Command changed how they fought, establishing naval blockades and choosing strategic moments to engage the North Korean forces.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
All Around The Punchbowl
Establishing a defense perimeter known as the Punchbowl between two North Korean towns—north of the 38th parallel—forces from the UN periodically engaged in offensives against North Korean troops, establishing a military stalemate that would last for years.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Strategic Bombing Of The North Begins
A large part of the new UN offensive in North Korea would be aerial bombardment, compared to the early days of the war, when ground attack was the favored method of engaging and halting the North Korean advance. These sorties were made by American B-29 bombers, with devastating consequences.
U.S. Airforce, Wikimedia Commons
A Not-So-Precise Bombing Campaign
Despite the official policy from Harry Truman during the early months of the war, even as the stalemate began, to be precise when dropping bombs by targeting only legitimate military targets and communication centers, the US's own analysis recorded that 209 bombs needed to be dropped to reach an 80% likelihood of accurately hitting their target. Despite this "precision," civilian casualties were all too common.
National Archives and Records Administration, Harry S. Truman Library, Wikimedia Commons
Total Devastation Of North Korea
Despite the stalemate of the war lasting for many years, the bombing campaigns undertaken by the United States left near-total devastation of North Korea—destroying as much as 85% of all buildings in the country, stretching from the 38th parallel to the Chinese border.
United States Department of Defense,
Armistice Talks Begin Anew
Despite armistice negotiations beginning between the United States and North Korea as early as June of 1951, neither side made much progress, as repatriation of prisoners of war became problematic, as members of the South's military (that had been part of the North Korean forces previously) refused to be repatriated to the North. This amounted to roughly 150,000 POWs held by the United Nations Command.
George Luff, Wikimedia Commons
The Indian Armistice Proposal
India is often overlooked for its role in brokering the eventual armistice agreement between North and South Korea. Indian President Jawaharlal Nehru was the chief broker of the armistice agreement, resolving the disputes concerning prisoners of war. As a neutral country, India's foreign ministry was not inherently distrusted by the North.
India Establishes The Neutral Nations Repatriation Committee
Known as the NNRC, the Indian government established the Neutral Nations Repatriation Committee, which focused on prisoner choice as a way to appease POWs who did not wish to return to the North. It ensured the prisoners' right to self-determination and nullifying political coercion.
Republic of Korea Armed Forces, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
July 27, 1953: The Armistice Is Signed
With India at the helm of the NNRC and conditions on either side as satisfactory as possible, General Mark W Clark of the United Nations Command, Marshal Peng Dehaui of the Chinese Army, and Kim Il-Sung of North Korea signed the armistice. Later that day, a ceasefire came into effect.
U.S. Department of Defense, Wikimedia Commons
A Month Of Prisoner Swaps
From August 5, 1953, to September 6, 1953, all prisoners of war were released from captivity. A total of 75,000 North Korean soldiers and civilians stripped off their prison uniforms and were repatriated across the Demilitarized Zone and into North Korea, singing songs of the Communist Party. Meanwhile, some 11,000 South Korean military members, US forces, and others were returned to the control of the United Nations Command.
National Archives at College Park, Wikimedia Commons
The 1954 Geneva Conference To Settle Lasting Disputes
After the resettlement of POWs and the cessation of hostilities, a conference was held in Geneva from April 26 to July 20, featuring representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, France, China, and the Soviet Union to settle disputes surrounding Korean unity. This conference ended with no agreement but did result in dismantling French imperialist interests in the Far East—a key prelude to the Vietnam War.
US Army Photograph, Wikimedia Commons
The Devastating Consequences Of Firebombing
Despite the devastating history of firebombing, such as the Bombing of Dresden during World War II, the United States Air Force sought authorization from General MacArthur to utilize napalm and other incendiary bombs over North Korea. General Emmett O'Donnell Jr asked MacArthur for "permission to incinerate five North Korean cities". MacArthur denied his request, stipulating that he must hit legitimate military targets, but "if you miss your target and kill people or destroy other parts of the city, I accept that as a part of war".
Acclaimed historians estimate that 10 million North Korean civilians were killed as a result of the UNC's bombing campaigns, with whole cities destroyed.
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