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Korea Divided Into the North and South
After WWII, the US and the USSR had to decide what to do with Korea. They decided to split it. The USSR would have North Korea and the US would have South Korea. -
End of WWII
Korea was under Japanese control during WWII, but when Japan surrendered to the US at the end of the war, they were forced to give up all of their territories. Just a few days before Japan surrendered to the US, Soviet Russia entered the war and demanded some of the territories as well. This, in turn, led to the Korean War. -
The Election Attempt
South Korea had a constitutional assembly election. The election was supposed to be for the whole peninsula of Korea, but the Soviet controlled North Korea refused to allow the UN to enter their territory. The constitutional assembly election was won by National Alliance of the Rapid Realisation of Korean Independence -
North Korea Invades South Korea
North Korean troops swept across the 38th Parallel into South Korea, which marked the beginning of the Korean War. Near the end of WWII, the Soviet Union and the US divided the Korean Peninsula at the 38th Parallel, each occupying half when the war ended. -
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The Korean War
On June 25, 1950, North Korea had surprised South Korea with an attack on them. This war the had just started, would kill more than 3,000,000 people. North Korea had gotten help from the Chinese, while South Korea had the UN and US on their side. The Soviet's and the US had drawn a line between the 38th parallel so that they could stay on the same terms. -
U.S Invades Korea
There were American troops stationed in South Korea. They were forced into the fighting when North Korea attacked South Korea. They were originally driven back, but they fought their way through, and crossed the 38th parallel. Their advance was successful until China intervened -
North Korea Retreats
The U.S complete the liberation of Seoul, the southern capital of South Korea. And then most NKPA units were destroyed. -
Pyongyang Fell to United Nations
Pyongyang is the capitol of North Korea. On October 19, 1950, Pyongyang fell to United Nation's control. -
China Joins the Fighting
With increased opposition United Nations collapsed. The Chinese troops pushed US forces across the 38th parallel. They then captured and took over the southern capital, Seoul. -
Truman Declares a State of National Emergency
Truman ordered this national state of emergency in order to fight communism. This refers to the Chinese, who we were fighting in the Korean war. He called the citizens to be ready to make an effort for the security of our country. It called farmers, workers in industry, and businessmen to make a production effort to meet the country's defense needs. -
Truman Relieves MacArthur of Command
On April 11, 1951, US President Harry S Truman dismissed General Douglas MacArthur from his duties in the Far East. General MacArthur was replaced by Lieutenant- General Matthew Ridgway. The move shocked the American public, as many thought that General MacArthur was a distinguished soldier and leader. -
U.S Supports Democratic Korea
The US promised support the new unified nation of South Korea. The US Security Council added this policy of support. -
Eisenhower Wins Election
President Truman had relieved Eisenhower of command so that he could run for president. He won the election in a landslide against Adlai Stevenson. He won in electoral votes as well as the popular vote. -
Signing of the Armitice
This was America's first experiment with the Cold War's concept of "limited war". This had established a committee of representatives, from the neutral countries, to figure out what the fate of the prisoner was going to be. Eventually the POW's could decide if they wanted to stay where they were or if they wanted to go back to their homelands. -
China and North Korea Agree to go to Meeting
The armistice agreement was signed on July 27, 1953 to end the fighting. The agreement was signed at the old capital city of Kaesong. The war is considered over at this point, even though there was no peace treaty. North Korea still claims that it won the Korean War.