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Some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south.
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Truman orders air and naval support for South Korea & calls for UN intervention
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North Korean forces capture Seoul.
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U.S. troops invade at Inchon. In surprise landing behind enemy lines, US forces push North Korean army back north of the 38th parallel
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Pyongyang falls to UN forces. North Korean capital now in UN control.
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Chinese divisions enter fighting. With increased opposition, UN offensive stalls and then collapses. Chinese troops push UN forces back across 38th parallel and capture Southern capital of Seoul.
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Truman relieves MacArthur of command. Following several warnings about insubordination, Truman angers public (69% support MacArthur) by firing the US commander.
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Negotiations begin at Panmunjon. Talks drag on until 1953 and war is settled with the establishment of a DMZ (demilitarized zone) on each side of the 38th parallel.
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Massive airstrikes against North Korea's hydroelectric power grid cause an almost complete blackout for more than two weeks
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This is the end of the war. In all, some 5 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives during the war. The Korean peninsula is still divided today.
