In the spring of 1950, a group of trained North Koreans spies were caught spying in Southern Korean territory. They were spying on a mass execution that would later trigger a distrust between the two countries and lay waste to the Korean peninsula. The spys were captured and executed. This triggered the North Koreans because this brought a relationship between the two counties to a point of boiling over, with the already rocky relationship during WW II. The land of Korea or The Land of The Morning Calm has a rugged terrain with gruesome weather conditions. After the Second World War Korea was pretty much up for grabs, still occupied by the Japanese, the two powers of the world The Soviet Union and The united states joined forces to remove the Japanese out of Korea by launching a two prong attack of north and south Korea.
The two armies would meet at the 38th parallel which is the split between the two countries. Here they decided to split the nation into two parts, North and South, making a new government for both. In the South The United States brought democracy as well as a princeton educated politician named Syngman Rhee whose ideas transformed South Korea's economy. In the North came Russia and China's form of Communism. Treats grew stronger, violence was more prevalent, and the number of spies grew everyday making the border between the two countries a place of caution and conflict. It seemed as if the country wasn't big enough for the two, so the question was, who will stay and who will go. At approximately 4:00 Am on June 25 1950, The armies of North Korea stormed over the 38th parallel declaring war on the South and steam rolling down the peninsula, taking outpost after outpost like wildfire. The south Koreans with the help of the united states couldn't do anything but fli southwards or be killed. South Korea wasn't able to put up much of a fight because months earlier the US had taken most of the weapons and firepower away because the President Syngman Rhee had been threatening to go to war and this action was enough to make the US worried about going to war. This Left the South Koreans defenceless against the military tanks and artillery. After two days the North were able to conquer the South's capital city of seoul. After the capital city fell, the South Koreans had little on their mind but to flee southwards towards their strongholds southwards. They resisted the oncoming attacks from the North with little to no strength. The Northern Armies ripped across South Korea like wildfire leaving the Southern Armies in deperiate position only occupying the furthest Southeastern tip of the country called the Pusan perimeter. The South Armies need assistance in fighting the Communists from the North and The United States were there to assist. The United States was questionable about bringing nuclear warfare into the war because of the active use of the Northern Armies allies. This would have to be war fought from the trenches. The United States Marine Corps, commissioned under General Douglas Macarthur Answered the call from their Southern allies and begun to strategize and figure out the most effective plan of action. General Macarthur was the head of operations, being a decorated general in WWII he was a very experienced warmonger. Macarthur and the Army Corps Divisions set up their front on the outskirts of the Pusan perimeter. The United States were met with great resistance and it was not an easy task for the United States to hold its own against the North Koreans. Eventually the United States Army Corps pushed closer and closer inland fighting numerous battles, some ending with only a few men standing. Finally the 7th, 5th, and 1st deviations of the Corps reached the capital city of Seoul, it was imperative that the invasion of Seoul was carefully planned and executed. The United States would perform a three prong attack on the capital. The 7th division would attack from the east, the 5th from the the west, and the 1st deviation would move straight up the middle leaving the cities troops defenceless. This attack was met with some force but was eventually won by the Marines. After the capital was taken, the United States fought its way up to the 38th parallel where the United States was met with heavy artillery and resistance. The ground was a rough place for a soldier and most of the final battles of the war were fought by air. The outcome of this was a devastating war of attrition. An armistice agreement was signed in July of 1953 ending the war and making The Korean Demilitarized Zone in along the 38th parallel. Still to this day the two countries haven't signed a peace treaty and some say are technically still at war. http://www.history.com/topics/korean-war https://www.britannica.com/event/Korean-War |