442 Lecture Presentation

The “Forgotten War”
In the next 4 minutes, jot down anything you already know about
Korea (culture, politics, the Korean War, etc.) and write a brief answer
to today’s prompt:
 Why do you think the Korean War is often called the “Forgotten
War”?
You’ll share your responses with your partner and as a class, so be
ready!
Background to the Korean War
 Until the late 19th century, Korea had existed as a

largely independent and isolated kingdom
 Japan colonized Korea in 1910 to provide
resources for its growing empire. The
occupational regime was harsh and exploitative.
 Korea was liberated from Japan in 1945 by
Soviet and American forces
 The US and USSR agreed to divide and govern Korea until they believed that
Koreans were ready to self-govern
The 38 th Parallel: Splitting Korea
 The US and USSR agreed to a border at the 38th
parallel north—a line of latitude that divided the
Korean Peninsula roughly in half
 The US and USSR both sponsored governments that
aligned with their national values
 The USSR backed a communist dictatorship headed
by Kim Il-sung, who had previously led a special
Chinese/Korean guerilla unit in the Soviet army during
WWII Syngman Rhee
 The US backed a capitalist dictatorship under

Syngman Rhee, a Korean nationalist and political
activist educated in the US. Why?
Kim Il-sung
The Truman Doctrine
 After WWII, President Truman believed that the rising power of the
USSR and the spread of communism were the largest threats to the
US
 His 1947 speech to Congress outlined the “Truman Doctrine,” which
defined US foreign policy during the Cold War:
“We shall not realize our objectives, however, unless we are willing to help free peoples
to maintain their free institutions and their national integrity against aggressive
movements that seek to impose upon them totalitarian regimes. This is no more than a
frank recognition that totalitarian regimes imposed on free peoples, by direct or indirect
aggression, undermine the foundations of international peace and hence the security of
the United States. […] I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support
free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside
pressures.”
 In reality, this sometimes meant supporting governments like Rhee’s,
which resorted to violence to suppress communism and dissent
Two Koreas
 Initially, the US and USSR intended to negotiate a reunification
of Korea
 By 1948, both Kim and Rhee had consolidated power and
neither of the Korean governments were willing to compromise
for a successful reunification
 Kim and Rhee’s propaganda created animosity between
communists in the north and nationalists in the south
 The US attempted to bring the reunification to a vote in the North Korean flag
United Nations. However, the outcome favored Rhee and was
not recognized in the north
 Thus, the south became the Republic of Korea (South Korea),
and the north became the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea (North Korea) in 1948
South Korean flag

Discussion Break
In the next five minutes discuss the prompt in your small groups:
 Role-play as President Truman’s cabinet. Explain how you would
have advised him on these issues to avoid war:
 Reunifying Korea
 Settling political differences between the northern and southern
governments
 Whether or not to enforce the Truman Doctrine
Outbreak of the War
 The US and USSR removed their troops from Korea in 1948 but
continued political, financial, and military support
 Tensions were high: North and South Korea quickly armed
themselves for conflict
 Violent opposition from communist factions continued to destabilize
Rhee’s government in the years leading up to the war
 This encouraged Kim to send guerilla units across the border in the
hopes of sparking a large-scale rebellion Seoul, 1950
 This instability gave the north a military advantage, which Kim used
to convince the USSR and China to support an invasion of the south
 Finally, on June 25, 1950, Kim sent over 100,000 troops across the
border to overwhelm South Korean forces and capture Seoul
The American Response
 President Truman skipped a congressional declaration
of war and ordered General Douglas MacArthur to
aid South Korea
 Next, Truman petitioned the United Nations (UN) to
order North Korea to halt its invasion
 On June 27, the United Nations Security Council
resolved to send military support to South Korea
US Marines
 This coalition force was called the United Nations arriving at
Command (UNC) and led by MacArthur Pusan
General Douglas MacArthur

Early Phase of the War (June-
September 1950)
 Budget cuts and preparations for nuclear warfare following WWII left
the US ill-equipped to fight a ground war
 The UNC was primarily an American and Korean force, so it initially
suffered from a lack of troops and weapons
 North Korea’s guerilla tactics proved highly effective, and the UNC
was cornered in Pusan by September.
Turning the Tide (September-
October 1950)
 By August MacArthur, stalled the North Korean advance
 An amphibious landing at Incheon on September 14
and reinforcements allowed the UNC to recapture Seoul
by September 25
 MacArthur continued to advance into North Korea
 The UNC’s war objective became the unification of
Korea and the suppression of communist supporters
China Enters the War (October 1950-
January 1951)
 The UNC captured Pyonyang on October 7. In
response, Kim Il-sung requested reinforcements from
China
 After receiving promises of weapons, supplies, and
air support from the USSR, China agreed to fight
against the UNC directly
 The Chinese First Offensive quickly recaptured North
Korean territory and pushed the UNC back to
Pyonyang
 Inspired by this initial success, China also sought to
unify Korea
 On January 5th, 1951 China recaptured Seoul before
being forced to retreat back to North Korea in May
Stalemate and Negotiation (1951-
1953)
 Truman was disappointed in MacArthur’s performance
and public disagreement with his administration—he was
removed from command on April 11 and replaced by
Lieutenant General Matthew B. Ridgway
 This transition momentarily weakened UNC’s command
and gave the Chinese an opportunity to push the UNC
back across the 38th parallel
 By June 1951, both sides had faced heavy losses
 However, the UNC still had nearly 800,000 troops. China
and North Korea had roughly 1,200,000
 It became clear to both sides that a decisive military
victory would be too costly and began to consider a
negotiated armistice
Stalemate and Negotiation (1951-
1953)
 Despite the possibility of peace, both sides wanted to end the
war with favorable terms
 China began to fight a war of attrition—even small victories
could provide an advantage at the negotiating table
 There were no longer any major advances by either side
 From 1951 on, the war was fiercely fought over valleys and
hillsides near the 38th parallel
Stalemate and Negotiation
 Negotiations were complicated by over the

return of POWs, the establishment of a new
border, and the fact that neither Syngman
Rhee nor Mao wanted the war to end
indecisively
 Meanwhile, American bombing campaigns
continued to obliterate North Korean
infrastructure and caused widespread
suffering among the populace
 North Korean guerilla campaigns
continued—their strategy of hiding among
refugees and infiltrating POW camps
persistently upset stability in the South and
led to several massacres of Koreans
Armistice
 Neither side won a significant advantage in the late stage of the war
 As, Dwight D. Eisenhower took office in January 1953 political support for
the war in the US and UN had significantly dropped
 In March 1953, the USSR gave the US assurances that it would not
obstruct a negotiated peace
 Mao could not continue the war without support form the USSR and
began to compromise in negotiations
 Likewise, Kim Il-sung could not continue without support from China or
the USSR
 The US promised Rhee a security alliance and financial aid in return for
accepting a negotiated peace
 The armistice was signed on July 27, 1953
Legacy of the Korean War
 3 million people were killed or injured during the war, with at least 800,000 civilian
deaths
 The US dropped 635,000 tons of bombs in Korea—20% more than was dropped
in the entire Pacific and more than were dropped on Germany during WWII
 Truman’s decision against using nuclear weapons was significant as this was the
first major international conflict after WWII
 The front line became the Demilitarized Zone and remained a site of tension as
both the north and south diverged politically, socially, and economically in the
following decades
 The end of the Korean War guaranteed that the US would have a consistent
presence in South Korea
 The war represented the first test of the US’ political willingness to uphold the
Truman Doctrine
 The war was also a test of the UN’s ability to settle international disputes
Summary Activity
For the next 5 minutes, discuss each point in your small groups:
 Identify at least one theme that connects the Korean War to the
Cold War
 Evaluate the American response to the crisis in Korea
 Can you make any new connections between what you already
knew about Korea and what we learned today? You may wish to
refer back to your anticipation guides.

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The “Forgotten War”

 Until the late 19th century, Korea had existed as a

 The US backed a capitalist dictatorship under

South Korean flag

General Douglas MacArthur

 Negotiations were complicated by over the

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