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1.Korea was to be divided along 38 Parallel; the Japanese in North Korea were to surrender to the USSR; in the South, they were to surrender to the USA.

2. Korea was to be re-united under a provisional government through elections to be supervised by the UN.

3. After this, USSR and USA would withdraw from Korea.

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Elections in South Korea where Syngman Rhee got elected

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Elections were held in the south, supervised by the UN.

Syngman Rhee became the first President of South Korea.

In the North, political power was monopolised by the Communist Party, headed by Kim Il Sung

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The USSR withdrew its troops from North Korea; the North Korean communists had already established their power in the North; no elections were held in the North

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The USA withdrew most of their troops from South Korea after the elected government was set up.

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The USSR successfully exploded its first Atomic Bomb, thus achieving Atomic Parity (equality) with the USA.

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Mao Zedong declaring the birth of a new China

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China became a communist country, after the Chinese Communist Party defeated the non-Communist KMT in a civil war, forcing them to flee to Taiwan.

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Jan 1950: Secretary of State Acheson's speech

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Jan 1950: Secretary of State Acheson's speech

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Secretary of State Acheson gave a speech about the USA’s defensive perimeter in Asia; it gave the impression that Korea was excluded from it, and that the Americans were not likely to intervene against any invasion.

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Feb 1950: Agreement between USSR and China

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Feb 1950: Agreement between USSR and China

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USSR and China, the two communist giants, signed a treaty in which they agreed to support each other.

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Kim Il Sung went to see Stalin and persuaded Stalin to support him in his civil war against South Korea.

This time round, Stalin agreed.

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Paper NSC – 68  : it said that the USSR was an aggressive power and must be stopped by all means, including military means.

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25 June 1950: North Korea invaded South Korea

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25 June 1950: North Korea invaded South Korea

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North Korea, with the support of Stalin, launched the civil war by sending 90,000 troops across the 38th Parallel.

(Only a few hundred American troops were in South Korea then.)

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President Truman went to the UN General Assembly to condemn the invasion of South

Korea.
The UN Security Council (UNSC) – what actions were taken?

The UN SC set up a joint international force from 16 countries to help South Korea fight

against North Korea

What was the response of the USSR?

It boycotted the Security Council and therefore lost the opportunity to veto the UNSC’s decision.

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Aug 1950: South Korean and American troops losing

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Aug 1950: South Korean and American troops losing

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South Korean and American forces were pushed to a Southeast corner of Korea, called Busan/Pusan .

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UN forces landed at Inchon, led by General MacArthur.

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Oct 1950: Chinese forces into North Korea

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Oct 1950: Chinese forces into North Korea

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The UN forces quickly recovered South Korea, crossed the  38th Parallel, and pushed towards China.

Chinese forces crossed the Yalu River over into North Korea

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The Chinese and NK forces pushed UN forces back into South Korea, and captured Seoul.

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North Korean and Chinese forces were running out of supplies.

Extremely cold winter.

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UN forces recaptured Seoul, pushed the communist forces back to the 38th Parallel, but unable to make further progress .

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Newspaper of General MacArthur being sacked in April 1951

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The war had reached a Stalemate.

General MacArthur was sacked for insubordination,  publicly criticising Truman’s policy on the Korean War and threatening to use the Atomic Bomb.

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Negotiations were started and continued amidst the fighting.

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Eisenhower became President of the USA.

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Stalin died, followed by collective leadership for the next few years.

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An armistice / ceasefire was signed; a demilitarised zone (DMZ) zone was created at 38th Parallel.

Technically, the Korean War has not ended.

Who were keen to end the war?  USSR, USA, China   Why?  Casualties came mainly from China

and UN (USA); USSR wanted to concentrate on its own internal problems under a new leadership.

Who were not keen? Why?