Korean War (Continued)

After the Japanese surrender on August 14, 1945, the US feared that the Soviet Union would claim Korea as its territory. In response, the War Department and the State Department proposed to divide Korea in half, with the Soviets occupying north Korea and the Americans in the south. This proposal established the division that still exists today. In December 1945, the US, Soviet Union and Great Britain created the Joint Soviet-American Commission at the Moscow Conference, seeking to initiate a temporary democratic government for Korea; however, the Soviets rejected the plan. The US then sought assistance from the United Nations in 1947.

The next year the UN General Assembly proposed the election of a Korean national assembly. South Koreans participated in the election in May. By July Korea had a new constitution ratified by the new National Assembly, and the new Republic of Korea had Dr. Syngman Rhee as its new president. North Koreans could not participate in the election. They held a separate election in 1948, creating the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, with Kim II Sung as its president.

Once Korea was established as a democratic nation, the US withdrew its defense. In addition, the success of the atomic bomb had drawn the US government's attention away from its ground forces. Aware of these weaknesses, Kim II Sung proposed a strike against South Korea to bring it under his control. On June 25, 1950, his army penetrated the border to South Korea.

As President Truman called US armed forces to defend South Korea in response to North Korea's attack, the UN Security Council passed a resolution to cease hostilities and withdraw North Korean forces back to the 38th parallel, the boundary between North and South Korea. In July the UN passed a second resolution requesting the US to quell the North Korean takeover. Under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, the US and 20 other countries drove the offensive back north and reclaimed Seoul.

In November 1950 Mao Tse-tung of China committed the Chinese Communist army to battle the UN forces. Now grossly outnumbered and unprepared for the harsh Korean winter, the UN forces withdrew but reestablished the northern boundary by spring. Eager to end what appeared an interminable and bloody struggle, the Soviet UN delegate requested negotiations for peace in June 1951. On July 27, 1953, the Military Armistice Agreement initiated a cease-fire, signed by representatives from the US and North Korea. However, because South Korea refused a proposal for a divided Korea, peace between the two halves has to this day never been realized.

Source:
Korean War 50th Anniversary Home page, Fact Sheet section.