• The Korean war was a local conflict fought in the global context of the Cold war. For
three years the rival regimes in the Korean peninsula engaged in military contact.
• North kore under Kim IL Sung was backed by communist China and the soviet union.
• South Korea was backed up by the UN and the US.
Causes of Korean war
• In a similar way to Germany and Austria, Korea was temporarily divided into 2 zones by
the allied powers in 1945.
• Although the UN planned for elections to leading reunification, neither side was willing
to submit to the other and the elections never took place.
• Both Kim and Rhee wanted to see the reunification of Korea under their own leadership,
and were willing to use force if necessary. Both were also aware of how they could use
the tensions between the USA and the USSR to gain support from the superpowers.
• Chinese volunteers and indirect soviet military assistance helped.
• The Korean war began on 25 June 1950, when North Korean forces invaded South
Korea. Foreign intervention took place in the form of UN action, in which 16 countries
participated included the US.
Notes from documentary
• Korea had been cut in 2. It was a 30 minute decision and Koreans couldn't do much
about it.
• 38th parallel was the temporary dividing line and then became the permanent dividing
line when the Soviet union and US emerged as superpowers and were against each
other.
• Some historians attribute the division of Korea to military expediency in receiving the
Japanese surrender, while others believe that the decision was a measure to prevent
the Soviet forces from occupying the whole of Korea.
• The US wanted to stop the Soviet union from spreading their ideology.
• The first rounds of the cold war was fought in Europe.
• Japan colonized Korea in 1910. They Koreans liberated in 1945.
• The Koreans were excited when America visited, they put "welcome to Korea" banners.
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