During World War II, former friends, the USSR and the US, broke up their friendship due to their communism and capitalism ideologies. This split up of friendship caused the Soviets to migrate to communist North Korea and the US to migrate to the non-communist South Korea. Due to the split up many people feared that there would be a third world war due to their differences. To end this, foreign powers divided at the 38th parallel, a line that crosses Korea 38 degrees north latitude creating two nations.

            On June 25, 1950, the UN received the news that North Korea had just attacked the Republic side. President Truman appealed  the UN to stop the attacking, thus creating a test for the UN. Immediately a cease-fire was ordered, but no one listened. To try to actually stop what was going on, the UN sent out sixteen nation troops and five medical teams to help out. In October, North Korea was driven back.

PHASES OF THIS "FORGOTTEN WAR"

-PHASE I- UN GOES INTO KOREAN TERRITORY

June 25, 1950
           At four a.m. 70,000 North Korean troops, with Russian T-34 tanks went to fight the Republic side of Korea.

June 27, 1950
            The North Korean Army, a.k.a. Korean People's Army, headed south and captured the Republic of Korea, Seoul.

September 15, 1950
            The UN goes to Korea and lands on Inchon under the command of General MacArthur. The UN was able to retake Seoul and cross the 38th parallel. At this point they wanted to attack China, so the Chinese communists joined the fight.

            Phase one ends here and phase two begins. This phase left 111,000 South Koreans dead and 57,000 missing.

-PHASE II- THE SOUTH ATTACKS AND THE NORTH RETREATS

        Forces of the South decided to attack the North part of Korea. In two days they were twenty-five miles north of the 38th parallel. In a week they had captured Wonson and marched to the Yalu River, with little resistance from the North. Here is when the Chinese communists joined the fight and they were able to get the UN forces to retreat. They were also able to take back not only Wonson, but Seoul. The UN attacked again and got back Seoul. Many Korean people feared that their cities would be taken under the other's control and fled for some type of safety.

-PHASE III- ''SEE-SAW''

        As you saw in part two, both sides were really getting nowhere. Trying to get this over with, talks of an armistice began. This didn't really get anywhere either. Peace treaties were stalled and reopened over and over. The fighting still continued and intensified with more aerial bombing and talks of using nuclear weaponry.

        By June 8, 1953 an agreement of voluntary agreement was settled and it became finalized on June 17, 1953. Many prisoners were then released, and the North Koreans were upset. The US had to enforce an agreement of armistice to end the fighting. The Korean War ended on July 27, 1953.
 
         No one knows who really won the war. "Each side proclaims that it won, yet each actually seems to feel that it lost," said Bruce Cumings. Who do think won this war? Who knows, you might be right.

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