Korea+9321

=Korea 9 3 2 1=  9 facts After WWII United States, Great Britain, China, and the Soviet Union would temporarily govern the country until they decided that Korea could govern itself.

Efforts to reunify Korea diminished during the cold war when the Communist northern government refused to allow a United Nations commission into its territory. In May 1948, the commission held elections in the southern half of Korea, and Syngman Rhee was elected president of the Republic of Korea.

The Soviets countered with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea claiming rights to rule the Republic of Korea.

North and South Koreans established a military presence along the 38th parallel. During 1948-1950, these troops locked horns periodically without any significant result.

North Korean communists invaded South Korea in June 1950. A primarily agricultural country whose troops were far less trained than those of North Korea, South Korea struggled to defend itself.

The United Nations, which had been overseeing the region, condemned the attack and invited assistance from member nations.

Events in Korea contributed to fear of communism in U.S.

After 1950, U.S. policy toward Korea changed from limited defense below the 38th parallel to reactionary politics caused by fear of expanding communism in Asia.

War ended in July 1953, during which fighting erupted periodically.

3 photos



2 maps





1 quote

//"In my generation, this was not the first occasion when the strong had attacked the weak….Communism was acting in Korea just as Hitler, Mussolini, and the Japanese had acted ten, fifteen, and twenty years earlier. I felt certain that if South Korea was allowed to fall, Communist leaders would be emboldened to override nations closer to our own shores."// — President Harry Truman