The Korean War (1950-1953)
How a divided peninsula became the site of a devastating Cold War proxy conflict that shaped East Asian geopolitics for decades.
Origins of Division
Korea had been a unified kingdom for over a thousand years before Japan annexed it in 1910. After Japan's defeat in 1945, the US and Soviet Union divided the peninsula at the 38th parallel — a line chosen hastily by two American officers with a National Geographic map. The Soviets installed Kim Il-sung in the North; the Americans backed Syngman Rhee in the South. Both leaders claimed authority over the entire peninsula.
On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces invaded the South. The UN Security Council — with the Soviet Union absent in protest over Taiwan's seat — authorized a US-led coalition to defend South Korea. General Douglas MacArthur's Inchon landing turned the tide, but his push toward the Chinese border triggered China's entry into the war with hundreds of thousands of 'volunteer' troops.
