The Korean War 1950 - 1953

BACKGROUND...During WWII Korea was under the control of...

however, when Japan surrendered unconditionally !after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Korea was

split between the two great nations of the time...

The Soviets took the North and the U.S took the South....

Again, Communism (and the Soviets) are pitted against!

Capitalism (or the U.S)

In the south, the anti-communist dictator Syngman Rhee (1875-1965) enjoyed the

reluctant support of the American government; in the north, the communist dictator Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) enjoyed the slightly more enthusiastic support of the Soviets. Neither dictator was content to remain on his side of the 38th parallel, however, and border skirmishes were common. Nearly 10,000 North and South Korean soldiers were killed in battle before the war even began.

2 new dictators....

Kim Il Sung Syngman Rhee

When the cold war turns hot....

The Korean War began on 25 June 1950, when North Korean forces launched an invasion of South Korea.

Flag of North Korea

Flag of South Korea

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south

This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. By July, American troops had entered the war on South Korea’s behalf. As far as American officials were concerned, it was a war against the forces of international communism itself.

When the cold war turns hot....

North Korea (Communist)!Kim Il-Sung

VS

South Korea (Capitalist)!Syngman Rhee

China !led by Mao Tse -Tung

America !Led by Harry Truman

Soviet Union (supported)!led by Joseph Stalin United Nations forces

*provision of material and medical services and also Soviet pilots and aircraft

Fighting along the 38th Parallel... !Goal of the North is to capture Seoul...

THE PROGRESSION...In the first year alone - Mobile warfare: !

The capital of Seoul changed hands 4 times!!

After this initial year... !the war hit a stalemate and !trench warfare ensued (much !like the trench warfare of WWI).!Except this time....!the trenches were in the cold and !inhospitable mountains of Korea.!Peace negotiations ensued....!!!!

PEACE NEGOTIATIONS!Within months the United States came to the conclusion that it would be too difficult to defeat the new and powerful enemy, and that a negotiated peace was a better option. Its United Nations allies agreed although South Korea opposed the decision. The communist countries took another six months to come to the same conclusion. Negotiations began on 10 July 1951 and continued for two years until a ceasefire was agreed to on 27 July 1953. After the ceasefire both sides exchanged prisoners and retreated to create a four kilometre wide demilitarised zone. The remains of more than 20,000 dead were exchanged. An agreement to halt military operations did not mean that political questions had been settled. Negotiations for a permanent political solution in Korea continued for two years while both sides maintained strong forces on the border. Defences were strengthened and there were violations of the ceasefire that resulted in fighting. At least for the first year there was a feeling that the war could erupt again, but it never did. The final conference to find a way to peacefully re-unify Korea was held in Geneva, Switzerland from April to July 1954. The negotiations achieved nothing.

North and South Korea today remain technically still at war and the ceasefire

line (the frontline when fighting stopped) is closely guarded by armies on both

sides.....

Indeed.......

After the Korean War, Kim Il-sung introduced the personal philosophy of

Juche, or self-reliance, which became a guiding light for North Korea's

development. Kim Il-sung died in 1994, but the post of president has been assigned

"eternally" to him.

CASUALTIES... Casualties : dead: 1.3 million South Korean military; 520,000 North Korean military; Over 3 million civilian casualties. Much industry destroyed, agriculture ruined, millions of refugees

USA: 17,000 casualties; conduct of war almost entirely by USA and UN could have been seen as a USA puppet.

China: 900,000 casualties.

IS IT STILL A COLD WAR? Technically it is still a ‘Cold War’ between America and !

the Soviet Union, as they have not fought against !each other. (Officially that is.) Some would argue !

that they have due to some Soviet Pilots being supplied !to North Korea.

ACTIVITIES...1. Picture Analysis !Find 5 pictures of the Korean war that show different angles and views from the war. !For each one: Investigate....!i.e..... describe what you can see, what is being depicted, how do the people(s) look, what feeling does looking at the picture give you, what does the picture infer about life during the Korean War, does the picture raise any questions in your mind about the war.!!

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2. Weaponry Investigate the type of weapons and warfare that was !used during the Korean war.... (at least 5) !Guns, tanks, aircrafts, etc. ! - Gather pictures of the weapons and describe them,!including their particular uses or advantages... !!

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3. The impact on Civilians Read the following article ‘50 Years And Counting The Impact of the Korean War on the People of the Peninsula’ and answer the following questions... http://www.calvin.edu/news/2001-02/korea.htm

1. Why do you think many civilians from the North !left to go to the South when the war broke out?

2. What was the effect of the war on Korean children. Reference at least two points made by the author during the article

3. Find 2 photos depicting Korean civilians during the war, include a reference for each.

4. Primary Documents Your task is to find 2 primary documents (that are !not photographs) from the Korean War. For each one, !describe what it is, it’s importance, what it !shows/teaches you about the war and include !references as to where you found it.

KOREA SINCE THEN...

*Has been in constant tension with South Korea and !the UN, with a history of Human Rights Abuses.

For decades North Korea has been one of the world's most secretive societies. It is one of the few countries still under nominally communist rule.

KOREA TODAY...

North Korea's nuclear ambitions have exacerbated its rigidly maintained isolation from the rest of the world. Making it infamous for it’s big ambitions, yet mystery, as not many know what is going on within it’s borders.

Aid agencies have estimated that up to two million people have died since the mid-1990s because of acute food shortages caused by natural disasters and economic mismanagement. The country relies on foreign aid to feed millions of its people. The totalitarian state also stands accused of systematic human rights abuses. Reports of torture, public executions, slave labour, and forced abortions and infanticides in prison camps have emerged. A US-based rights group has estimated that there are up to 200,000 political prisoners in North Korea.

ACTIVITIES:

Find a photo and write a short description (years in!power, legacy, any other important information) of !the following family members: !1. Kim il-sung !2.Kim Jong-il !3. Kim Jong-un