In 1948 after the end of WWII, the Korean peninsula was divided into two occupation zones along the 38th parallel line. The Soviets occupied the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), and the US occupied the Republic of Korea (South Korea). The Cold War between the United States and the USSR was underway, and tensions were high as the US pushed for a policy of containment for communism.

On June 25, 1950, Kim II Sung attempted to reunify the Koreas by force when he ordered 75,000 soldiers to cross the 38th parallel line into South Korea. Troops captured Seoul and moved toward the sea. The recently-created United Nations gathered together to discuss and vote on an intervention strategy in the region. The Security Council, with the USSR absent and unable to veto, voted to organize the UN Command, an army comprised of soldiers from different countries. On June 27, President Harry S. Truman ordered US troops to join the UN forces as America sought to stop the spread of communism. American troops made up almost 90% of UN forces. Congress also allocated $12 billion to the military efforts in Korea.

In the first two months of the war, the ill-equipped and underprepared South Korean and UN troops were pushed to the very edge of the peninsula, where they established the Pusan Perimeter in the southeast corner. There, they held off the advancing North Koreans until reinforcements arrived. In September 1950, UN forces, heavily-supplemented by the US Army and Marine Corp, mounted an amphibious counter-offensive at Incheon under General Douglas MacArthur. They successfully pushed North Korean forces back across the 38th parallel and even captured Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. The Chinese government, fearing invasion, sent 200,000 soldiers to bolster North Korea. The large, well-disciplined, and unexpected Chinese army crossed the Yalu River to meet the UN advance. They turned back UN soldiers and retook North Korean land by late December.

After the first six months of battle, the ground conflict became a war of attrition around the 38th parallel with neither side gaining much ground. In the air, however, the UN troops carried out a destructive bombing campaign against North Korea. In addition, for the first time in history, jet fighters engaged in air-to-air combat. Many pilots for the South Korean side were American. The Soviets provided jets and pilots to aid North Korea’s forces.

Nearly three years after the war started, it ended right where it started – at the 38th parallel. On July 27, 1953, both sides signed the Korean Armistice Agreement. This created the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on the 38th parallel and allowed prisoners of war to return home. There was no clear winner and a formal peace treaty was never established. The Korean peninsula remains divided.

The Korean War led to the deaths or disappearances of more than 36,500 US soldiers, many of whom are buried on foreign soil. Additionally, over 100,000 US soldiers were wounded in the conflict with many receiving medals for their valor.

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