Korean War: A Visual History

The Korean War (1950-1953) began when North Korea, armed by the Soviet Union, invaded the South on 25 June 1950. UN forces led by the United States were driven into the Pusan Perimeter, then MacArthur's landing at Inchon in September reversed the war and UN troops reached the Yalu; Chinese 'volunteers' entered in October-November and drove them back below Seoul. The front stabilised near the 38th parallel by mid-1951 and two years of trench warfare and prisoner-of-war disputes followed until the armistice of 27 July 1953. About 3 million people died, including 2 to 3 million Korean civilians. Korea remains divided and technically at war.

When it was fought: the era ribbon

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Estimated deaths by group

Timeline of the Korean War

1. 1950
   Invasion; Pusan; Inchon; Chinese interventionJune to November.
2. 1951
   Seoul lost and retaken; MacArthur sacked; talks begin
3. 1952
   Stalemate; POW dispute
4. 1953
   Armistice signed at Panmunjom27 July.

Invasion and Inchon

Korea, freed from Japan in 1945, was divided at the 38th parallel between Soviet and American occupation, producing Kim Il-sung's North and Syngman Rhee's South. With Stalin's assent Kim attacked with T-34 tanks; Seoul fell in three days. Truman committed US forces under a UN mandate (the Soviets were boycotting the Security Council). By August the defenders held only the Pusan Perimeter. MacArthur's amphibious landing at Inchon on 15 September cut the North Koreans off; Seoul was retaken and UN forces crossed the parallel and drove for the Yalu.

China intervenes

Mao sent the People's Volunteer Army under Peng Dehuai; 300,000 Chinese struck in late November 1950 at the Chongchon and Chosin Reservoir, where US Marines fought out in bitter cold. UN forces retreated 300 km, losing Seoul in January 1951. Ridgway rebuilt the Eighth Army and retook Seoul; MacArthur, demanding to bomb China, was sacked by Truman in April 1951. Chinese spring offensives were beaten back and the front settled roughly along the parallel.

Stalemate and armistice

Truce talks began at Kaesong in July 1951 and moved to Panmunjom; the war became a struggle of hills (Heartbreak Ridge, Pork Chop Hill) and a US bombing campaign that flattened North Korea. The sticking point was prisoners: many Chinese and North Koreans refused repatriation. Stalin's death in March 1953 and Eisenhower's hints of escalation broke the deadlock. The armistice of 27 July 1953 created a Demilitarised Zone; Rhee refused to sign; a peace treaty has never been concluded.

Related empires and wars

Chosen automatically by overlap in time and geography, plus a few hand picked connections.

Empires of the same era and region

• Soviet Union (USSR) (1922 to 1991)
• United States (1776 to present)
• Empire of Japan (1868 to 1947)
• British Empire (1583 to 1997)
• Third Portuguese Empire (1822 to 1999)
• German colonial empire (1884 to 1919)

Wars of the same era and region

• Cold War (1947 to 1991)
• Chinese Civil War (1927 to 1949)
• Vietnam War (1955 to 1975)
• World War II (1939 to 1945)
• Third Indochina War (1978 to 1991)
• Russo-Japanese War (1904 to 1905)

8 surprising things about the Korean War

1. The US dropped more bombs on Korea than in the entire Pacific theatre of World War II, destroying almost every town in the North.
2. The war was never declared; Truman called it a 'police action'.
3. The Soviet Union's boycott of the Security Council over China's seat let the UN authorise the war.
4. The DMZ, 250 km long and 4 km wide, has become an accidental wildlife sanctuary.
5. About 22,000 Chinese and North Korean prisoners refused to go home; 21 Americans chose China.
6. The first jet-versus-jet dogfights in history took place over 'MiG Alley', with Soviet pilots secretly flying MiG-15s.
7. The armistice was signed by North Korea, China and the UN Command; South Korea never signed it.
8. M*A*S*H, set in the war, ran for 11 years, nearly four times the war's length.

Sources

• Korean War Encyclopaedia Britannica
• Korean War Wikipedia
• Korean War World History Encyclopedia
• Max Hastings, The Korean War (1987) Simon and Schuster

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