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Japan surrenders
Japan surrenders, ending WW2 -
Republic of Korea is launched
The Republic of Korea is born. -
National Press Club
In a speech to the National Press Club, U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson outlines a U.S. Pacific defense posture that includes Japan and the Philippines but does not explicitly include Korea. -
Kim Il-Sung speech
North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung proposes the “liberation” of South Korea to Soviet officials. -
Beginning of the Korean War.
A massive artillery barrage from the North signals the beginning of the Korean War. -
The United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 83, authorizing UN member states to provide military assistance to South Korea. -
Pusan
North Korean troops reach their farthest point of advance. Although thousands of UN troops have arrived to reinforce South Korea, months of fighting have reduced the area under their control to a 5,000-square-mile rectangle centered on the critical southeastern port of Pusan. -
X Corps
X Corps, a force led by U.S. Maj. Gen. Edward M. Almond, stages an audacious amphibious landing at Inch’ŏn, some 150 miles behind enemy lines. -
UN troops have pressed on into North Korea
Having destroyed the bulk of the North Korean army, UN troops have pressed on into North Korea and are now approaching the Yalu River. -
Marines begin their attack in a different direction
The U.S. Marines at the Chosin Reservoir begin their “attack in a different direction” as they engage in a fighting retreat to the port of Hungnam. Two entire Chinese armies have been tasked with the destruction of the 1st Marine Division. -
North Korean forces recapture Seoul.
Chinese and North Korean forces recapture Seoul. -
Seoul changes hands for the fourth time
Seoul changes hands for the fourth time when UN forces once again liberate the South Korean capital. -
U.S. President Harry S. Truman relieves MacArthur
U.S. President Harry S. Truman relieves MacArthur of command for insubordination and his unwillingness to prosecute a limited war. -
Vastly outnumbered UN forces check the Chinese advance on Seoul
Vastly outnumbered UN forces check the Chinese advance on Seoul at the Battles of Kapyong and the Imjin River. Two Commonwealth battalions—the 2nd Battalion of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment—rebuff an entire Chinese division at Kapyong, and 4,000 men of the British 29th Brigade stage a successful delaying action against nearly 30,000 troops of the Chinese 63rd Army at the Imjin River. -
Truce talks between the UN and the communists
Truce talks between the UN and the communists begin at Kaesŏng. The negotiations do not mark an end to the war, however; the fighting continues for two more years. -
Mark W. Clark for the UN Command, Peng Dehuai for the Chinese, and Kim Il-Sung for North Korea conclude an armistice
Mark W. Clark for the UN Command, Peng Dehuai for the Chinese, and Kim Il-Sung for North Korea conclude an armistice ending hostilities. A demilitarized zone is created that roughly follows the prewar border along the 38th parallel. South Korean Pres. Syngman Rhee announces his acceptance of the agreement, but no representative of South Korea ever signs the document.
