The Korean War
3
The Korean War Directions: Read the passage below, then answer the questions on your separate question sheet. Korea Korea is a small country on a peninsula that borders China and is not far from Japan. For its entire history it has been culturally influenced by China and Japan, its two much more dominant neighbors. Because of this, Korea calls itself a "shrimp among whales." Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was a colony of Japan. While Korea was part of the Japanese Empire, Japan treated Koreans very harshly. Over two million Koreans were forced into the Japanese Army or to serve as labors for Japan. As the Second World War was coming to an end, the US and Soviet Union agreed to split Korea into two occupied zones, one occupied by the United States, and one occupied by the Soviet Union. Each area was supposed to have free elections, but much like in Europe, the US zone became a democracy and the Soviet zone became a communist government. The New governments of North Korea and South Korea both wanted to unite the country, but instead it remained divided in half along an east-west line called the 38 th Parallel. The Korean War Only 5 years after the end of the Second World War, Korea became a major battleground in the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea in order to unite the country. They had some assistance from the Soviet Union and China, which was also a Communist country. South Korea was being invaded by communists, so there was no doubt that if North Korea took over, the
description
classwork
Transcript of The Korean War
The Korean WarDirections: Read the passage below, then answer the questions on your separate question sheet.
KoreaKorea is a small country on a peninsula that borders China and is
not far from Japan. For its entire history it has been culturally influenced by China and Japan, its two much more dominant neighbors. Because of this, Korea calls itself a "shrimp among whales."
Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was a colony of Japan. While Korea was part of the Japanese Empire, Japan treated Koreans very harshly. Over two million Koreans were forced into the Japanese Army or to serve as labors for Japan. As the Second World War was coming to an end, the US and Soviet Union agreed to split Korea into two occupied zones, one occupied by the United States, and one occupied by the Soviet Union. Each area was supposed to have free elections, but much like in Europe, the US zone became a democracy and the Soviet zone became a communist government.
The New governments of North Korea and South Korea both wanted to unite the country, but instead it remained divided in half along an east-west line called the 38th Parallel.
The Korean WarOnly 5 years after the end of the Second World War, Korea became a
major battleground in the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea in order to unite the country. They had some assistance from the Soviet Union and China, which was also a Communist country.
South Korea was being invaded by communists, so there was no doubt that if North Korea took over, the whole peninsula would become Communist. The United States was determined to stop Communism from spreading to more places. Working through the United Nations, the US led a counter-invasion force to support their friend, South Korea.
At first, the war went very well for the US and South Korea. US forces attacked forced the North Korean army to retreat all the way back to the border with China. At that point, China poured a very large number of soldiers into Korea. China’s army pushed the US forces nearly off the peninsula entirely. However, as US counter-attack recaptured most of South Korea, where the war turned into a stalemate near the area of the 38th Parallel.
North Korea and South KoreaIn 1953, the two sides signed an armistice ending the war. The Korean
peninsula was split permanently into North Korea and South Korea along the
38th Parallel. North Korea only agreed to the armistice because US president Eisenhower (secretly) threatened them with nuclear weapons.
Today, the border between North and South Korea is one of the most heavily defended in the world. North Korea and South Korea could not be more different places. South Korea has invested heavily in technology and is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world.
North Korea, on the other hand, is probably the most isolated country in the world as well as the most repressive communist dictatorship. As many as a million people have died in re-education camps similar to Joseph Stalin’s gulags, simply for possibly disagreeing with the government. Since WWII, North Korea has only had three leaders: Kim Il-Sung, his son Kim Jong-Il and his grandson Kim Jong-Un.
Because North Korea has no trade with almost any country in the world, it is very poor. In the 1990s, almost half a million people died of a famine that continued for years. Most of the country doesn’t have electricity or running water. However, what little money North Korea does have it spends mostly on its military. North Korea is bitter enemies with Japan, but hates the United States even more.
