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 * The Course and Consequences of the Korean War**

media type="custom" key="9304532" = **__A Divided Land__** =

The division between North and South Korea is known as the 38th parallel. Korea was occupied by Japan during World War II and was divided in 1945 along this line. After gaining freedom from Japan, Korea was left with no government. Thus, the Soviets occupied the northern area while the United States supervised the southern sector. Following the Soviet establishment of a Communist Regime in North Korea, Kim Il-Sung was appointed the leader of the so called "Democratic People's Republic of Korea." ( Uschan 35).  Syngman Rhee was elected the leader of The Republic of Korea, also known as "South Korea" (he was later removed for his autocratic tendencies).

**//"The oppressed peoples can liberate themselves only through struggle. This is a simple and clear truth confirmed by history." - [|Kim Il-Sung, Leader,]// //[|North Korea]// **

The introduction of this boundary has since kept the region in a constant state of conflict, as  both countries have different views of how to manage Korea. The 38th parallel separates two conflicting powers with a 2km wide by roughly 150km long DMZ, or Demilitarized Zone. This DMZ is the site of a historic rivalry between the Chinese-backed North and UN-backed South, dating back nearly sixty years ( Ackermann).

= **__Standoff at the 38th parallel__** =

= = In June 25th, 1950, the North Koreans invaded South Korea with Soviet support. They crossed the 38th parallel line and tanks werepulled up in South Korea's capital, Seoul. Due to this invasion, South Korea requested UN assistance and 15 nations reluctantly sent troops ( Isserman 14).  The UN troops arrived in Pusan on September 28th and the Supreme Commander of the UN forces, General Douglas MacArthur, was in charge of the 15 nations' troops. When MacArthur attacked, most of the Korean peninsula was controlled by the North Koreans. MacArthur attacked behind the enemies' lines at the west coast port of Inchon and the North Koreans were trapped. On September 28th, Seoul was retaken and two days later half of the North's army surrendered and the rest retreated (" Introduction to the Korean War").

= = =**__War in Korea: The Fighting Continues__**=

 The troops continuously moved north as part of the invasion force and fought at North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang. As the troops pushed North Koreans to the Chinese borders and had series of success, many believed that the UN forces would soon end the war. However, the UN commanders did not know that the Chinese felt threatened by the troops and sent 300,000 troops to North Korea. So when the UN continued their advance towards the Yalu River, they ran into the Chinese soldiers. On November 1st, the Chinese soldiers struck the UN troops with overwhelming force, causing the troops to retreat. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">However despite this loss, General MacArthur prepared another attack to the Yalu River to defeat the North Korean and Chinese force once and for all, on November 24th ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">"Korean War").

<span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;">**//"I will defend Korea as I would my own country—just as I would California."-[|General MacArthur, Supreme Commander, UN forces]//**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 18px;">One day later, on November 25th, the UN troops found themselves retreating, but even retreating was difficult and they were now fighting for their lives. On January 1st, the North Koreans and Chinese soldiers crossed the 38th parallel for the second time. On January 3rd 1951, Seoul was captured by the communists once again, along with Kimpo airfield. However, the communists were lacking supplies and could not sustain the attack long enough. The UN took this opportunity to strike communists back to the 38th parallel on March 31st. At this point, General MacArthur called for a nuclear attack and was <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> removed from command. President Truman fired MacArthur on April 11th and General Ridgeway took over MacArthur’s job, while General James Van Fleet took over Ridgway’s old position.The Chinese were hiding in the Iron Triangle, which was a powerful area connecting three cities where Chinese staged attacks from ( <span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Nishi, 34). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"> The UN made a direct attack towards the Iron Triangle and 10 days later the Iron Triangle fell to pieces. After this event, the communists agreed to have peace talks in Panmunjom, though the talks kept failing for nobody seemed to want to give in. The UN suggested a new border, while North Korea wanted to keep the 38th parallel. The North Koreans desired to bring their prisoners back, when they had killed nearly all of the ones they had taken, offering nothing in return. The talk continued on for two years with no progress, and the Korean War continued. The UN needed to put more pressure on the communists for the North Koreans to give in. So they turned to air attacks and ended up knocking out 90% of North Korea’s electrical power supply. In America, presidential campaigns were going on and Dwight D. Eisenhower, a popular general form World War II, won in November, 1952. He then went to Korea and replaced General Fleet. He threatened North Korea with nuclear attacks and few months later Chinese pleaded for an end to the Korean War. On July 27th, 1953, an armistice was signed, bringing an end to the fighting, but not the conflict ( <span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Perkins). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"> Even today, the Korean War officially still exists, though neither side has purposefully fought the other in decades.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">**References**


 * 1) <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 14px;">Ackermann, Marsha E. "Korean War." In Ackermann, Marsha E., Michael Schroeder, Janice J. Terry, Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur, and Mark F. Whitters, eds.//Encyclopedia of World History: The Contemporary World, 1950 to the Present//, vol. 6. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. //Modern World History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE53&iPin=WHVI192&SingleRecord=True (accessed May 4, 2011).
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">“Introduction to the Korean War (1950-1953).” //Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. History: War// Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2008. //Gale Virtual Reference Library.// Web. 4 May. 2011.
 * 3) <span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Isserman, Maurice. __The Korean War.__ New York City: Facts on File, 1992.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 23px;">"Korean War." // Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction //. Ed. John Merriman and Jay Winter. Vol. 3. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006. 1581-1584. // Gale Virtual Reference Library //. Web. 4 May. 2011.
 * 5) <span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 21px;">Nishi, Dennis. __The Korean War__. United States: GreenHaven Press, 2003.
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Perkins, Dorothy. "Korean War." //Encyclopedia of China: The Essential Reference to China, Its History and Culture//. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2000. //Modern World History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE53&iPin=china01184&SingleRecord=True. Web. 4 May. 2011.
 * 7) <span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Uschan, Michael. __The Korean War__. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2001.

Photo References
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;"> 38th Parallel Map //. Digital image.// AP History //. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://npaphistory.wikispaces.com/Korea%E2%80%8B>.//
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">// Operation Rugged //. Digital image. Kortegaard Engineering, 31 Mar. 2011. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.rt66.com/~korteng/SmallArms/OperationRugged.htm>.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">// Douglas MacArthur //. Digital image. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.anglonautes.com/hist_us _20_war_korea/hist_us_20_war_korea_pic_macarthur_douglas_sunglasses.jp g&imgrefurl=http://www.realmagick.com/douglas-macarthur-korean-war/&us g=__eiw_EqdtP_VmDdIJLASsdeRZoOY=&h=1280&w=970&sz=118&hl=en&start=111&s ig2=2qmL6h5BEo5sH-vLawDKqA&zoom=1&tbnid=f83MEFJ-oddBdM:&tbnh=117&tbnw= 98&ei=Q7zKTdO4NI2htwfAv4n6Bw&prev=/search?q=douglas+macarthur&um=1&hl= en&safe=active&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=>.//
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Ethiopian Soldiers Korea1951//. Digital image.// WikiMedia Commons//. 4 Dec. 2010. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ethiopian_soldiers_Korea1951.JPG>.