The Korean War began on June 25th, 1950 when North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel. The leader at the time of the attack, Kim Il-sung, launched the attack when he was told that he would receive support for the war from the Soviet Union. If not for the help, the attack would most likely not have been launched. On June 27th, the security council asked the UN members for military assistance, in hopes of defending South Korea. The U.S. President at this time sent military help on June 30th, but by then the North Korean troops had already captured the South Korean capital, Seoul. On September 29th, the UN troops had returned Seoul to South Korea, but by the end of 1950 advancement in the war began to slow down due to the chinese aiding North Korea. On November 30th, a press conference was held in which President Truman stated that he was seriously considering using atomic bombs. Despite saying this, it was only to “scare off” the North Koreans into ending the war, President Truman had no intentions of using atomic bombs, except to prevent a “major military disaster”. In July 1951, the two sides were discussing an armistice, but the war continued to drag on and more deaths occurred. It was not until Stalin’s death, in March 1953 that the new leadership in Moscow decided to move more rapidly towards an agreement between all of the forces. Finally, after years of fighting a Ceasefire was signed on July 27th, 1953. In the end, about 635,000 tons of bombs were dropped during the war, including 32,557 tons of napalm. The border separating the two power hungry countries remained the same, three and a half million military deaths occurred, wounded and missing on both sides. And to top everything off, more than two million civilians died in North Korea alone. Overall this war could and should have never happened, nothing good came out of the war, only the deaths of countless, innocent lives.
Written by: Abel Ramirez
Written by: Abel Ramirez
Koreans were drafted under Japanese control to serve in the military. Showed in the picture above, Koreans are being drafted to serve their parent country, Japan in the Pacific War.
In the picture above taken in 1937, the Koreans are being forced to work and provide labor in the gold mines, all under the watchful eye of Japanese soldiers.