The War in Korea: The forgotten war

At the end of World War II, Korea was partitioned between the nations that had accepted surrenders from Japanese forces that had occupied it: The Soviet Union helped set up a communist government in North Korea while the United States became a source of economic and military support for South Korea.

This was interrupted 75 years ago Wednesday — June 25, 1950 — when the North Korean army invaded South Korea.

The Korean War Begins

JAN. 15, 1949

Expecting no military threat from the north, the U.S. withdraws much of its occupying military force from South Korea.

SEPTEMBER

Korean leader Kim Il Sun asks Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin for permission to attack South Korea.

JAN. 12, 1950

U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson speaks at the National Press Club, outlining a U.S. defense perimeter in Asia. That perimeter does not include Korea.

JAN. 17

Stalin approves the invasion of South Korea, provided Chinese leader Mao Zedong agrees to send in reinforcements if needed. Stalin wishes to avoid a war with the U.S., so he approves no direct involvement of Soviet troops.

JUNE 25

The North Korean army surprises South Korea — and the small American force still there — by pouring across the 38th parallel, the border between communist North Korea and democratic South Korea.

JUNE 27

South Korean President Syngman Rhee is forced to flee with his government from his capital city, Seoul. In an attempt to slow or stop North Korean forces, the South Korean army blows up the Hangang Bridge across the Han River. An estimated 200 to 800 people — mostly South Korean troops and police officers — are killed.

JUNE 28

North Korean forces capture Seoul.

JULY 7

The United Nations Security Council authorizes the U.S. to set up and lead a military response from U.N. member states to operate under the U.N. flag.

June-Sept 1950.

U.S.-Led U.N. Forces Respond

The first wave of U.S. Marines heads for its landing point on Red Beach, on the northern side of the Inchon Invasion Area, on Sept. 15, 1950. Photo from Naval History and Heritage Command.

JULY 7

President Harry Truman calls upon Gen. Douglas MacArthur — who has spent the past four years in Tokyo in charge of the Allied occupation of Japan — to find a way to halt and reverse the attack, which was rapidly pushing the South Korean army and its allies to a small corner of that country.

SEPT. 15

MacArthur’s solution: an enormous amphibious landing with more than 75,000 troops more than 100 miles behind enemy lines at Inchon, near Seoul.

SEPT. 25

The counterattack is successful — United Nations forces free Seoul.

OCT. 1

U.N. forces push North Korean troops back past the 38th parallel.

OCT. 19

U.N. forces capture the North Korean capital city of Pyongyang.

Sept.-Nov. 1950.

The Chinese Army Gets Involved

Men of the 35th Infantry Division take cover from exploding mortar shells near the Hantan River in central Korea in April 1951. Photo from the Library of Congress.

NOV. 25

More than a quarter-million Chinese troops cross the border into South Korea. MacArthur’s troops again find themselves in retreat.

DEC. 1

MacArthur complains to a reporter about how political concerns are “a handicap to effective military operations.” The White House issues a light warning to MacArthur, but he continues to bad-mouth the administration and insists on an attack on China.

DEC. 9-24

United Nations troops are evacuated from the port city of Hungnam. This operation also includes the largest sea-borne military evacuation of civilians under combat conditions, transporting 98,000 Koreans from the ports of Hungnam, Wonsan and Sonjin.

Nov. 1950-Jan. 1951

A Two Year Stalemate

General Douglas MacArthur in Korea on April 3, 1951. Photo from National Archives.

JANUARY—APRIL 1951

The Chinese People’s Volunteer Army pushes United Nations forces back across the 38th Parallel and recaptures Seoul.

MARCH 23

After U.N. forces halt the advance of the North Korean and Chinese armies, MacArthur — without authorization — raises the possibility of a ceasefire.

APRIL 11

It’s the last straw for Truman. He relieves MacArthur of command and replaced him with Lt. Gen. Matthew Ridgeway.

MAY

U.N. forces free Seoul once again. Fighting stalls around the 38th Parallel.

JULY 10

Armistice talks begin at Kaesong and later continue at Panmunjom. Those talks stretch on for two years while opposing armies face each other down in trenches a little more than a mile apart.

JULY 27, 1953

An official armistice agreement is signed at Panmunjom — 18 copies of it and in three languages — temporarily ending all fighting and agreeing that Korea would remain a divided country. A demilitarized zone, or DMZ, is created by adding 1.2 miles along each side of the 38th parallel.

A permanent peace treaty has never been signed.

July 1953

Korean War Death Toll