North and South

Korea
One Nation Split Into
Two

The Korean Peninsula

Korea was an independent nation until
Japan invaded it in WWII
After WWII, American and Soviet forces
agreed to divide the Korean Peninsula
at the 38th parallel
Kim Il Sung, a communist ruled North
Korea
Syngman Rhee, allied with the USA,
controlled South Korea

Korea Was Once Whole

Korea was once part of China until 1895.
Korea ruled itself until Japanese occupation. Japan
wanted Koreas resources.
During WWII Korea was a source of food, metal, and
other war-time materials. Japan took what they
wanted and left the Koreans with nothing. Koreans
were even forced to fight in Japans army, but were
seen as inferior.
By the end of WWII and the US liberation, Korea was
occupied by the US. The US provided rations and
supplies.
However, Korea was fought over by the US and
USSR. To compromise, Korea was divided on the 38
parallel.

Conflict Begins with the Cold War

North Korea was supported by the USSR and ruled by
a communist dictator, Kim IL Sung.
South Korea was supported by the US and set up a
democratic republic.
Each side thought they should rule Korea as one
whole country
The Korean War, from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953,
was known as the Forgotten War. It was also a Cold
War between the United States and its allies and the
communist powers of the Peoples Republic of China
and the Soviet Union (also a UN member nation).

38th Parallel Separating

North Korea and South
Korea

Korean War
In 1950, North Korean troops crossed the
38th parallel and attacked South Korea
The United Nation forces stopped them
along a line known as the Pusan
Perimeter, then began advancing north
Mao Zedong of China sent troops to help
the North Koreans
U.N. forces were pushed back south of
the 38th parallel

 The war was never

ended. Finally in 1953
both sides agreed to a
cease fire: DMZ created
along the 38th parallel.
Technically they are still
at war.

Korean War

Korea Rebounds
Whether discussing North or South Korea,
both have recovered from foreign
occupation. Whenever Korea has been
torn apart from war, they seem to pick up
the pieces of their lives and put their
country back together again. What makes
this situation unique is that North and
South Korea had different ideas on how to
recover, thus splitting the country into two.

North Korea
North Korea is communist; therefore, the people have
little say in their government. They also have a
command economy where the government makes all
decisions on what products are made, how much,
wages, etc. Economic growth is slow due to
command economy, wars, droughts, and conflicts. N.
Korea has a low standard of living, poor healthcare,
and the literacy rate is low.

 They spend a great deal of their money on the

military instead of its people, including nuclear
weapons!!!

Many North Korans are farmers and work on

cooperatives, 300+ families working together,
like communes

Armistice in Korea
In 1953, both sides signed an armistice to end
the fighting, but troops today remain on both
sides of the demilitarized zone (DMZ)
There is no peace treaty between North and
South Koreaa state of war technically still
exists
Over time, South Korea enjoyed an economic
boom and a rise in living standards, while
communist North Koreas economy declined
Many North Koreans have starved to death
Kim Il Sungs emphasis on self-reliance kept
North Korea isolated and poor

Koreans Learned from the Chinese

Chinese ideas migrated to Korea: Style of
writing, printing techniques, Confucianism,
and Buddhism. However, North Korea
discourages religious freedom.
Instead, they worship their leader, Kim IL
Sung II as a god/ deity. All credit is given
to their leader.
South Korea worships Buddhism and
Christianity.

South Korea is Different!

South Koreas government is a republic where people
vote for their leaders.
They have a market economy (free enterprise system)
where the price of goods is determined by supply and
demand. South Korea is known as an Economic
Tiger because it has rapidly and aggressively
improved its economy since the Korean War. Other
Economic Tigers include Japan and Taiwan. All three
trade regularly with the US and other nations around
the world.

South Korea is like Japan

Both Japan and South Korea have homogeneous

populations.
The majority of the population lives in urban centers
(cities).
Both have benefited from the large amount of coastal
land, they use the seas by providing transportation
routes for easy trade.
South Koreans, like
Japan, have a high
standard of living and
a high literacy rate
because of its
economic success.
South Korea exports
cars and electronics!

 Both are economically interdependent with the

US. Americans want and need Japans and
south Koreas high quality products, Japan and
South Korea need the market to sell to.
Both South Korea and Japan see their most
valuable resource as their people or their
workforce.

Background of The Korean

War

1910 - 1945
Korea used to have some
of Asia's most prominent
communist groups and
activists
These organizations
worked underground to
reestablish Korea's
independence during
Japan's occupation of the
Korean Peninsula (19101945)

Occupation
In 1945 Korea was
occupied by Soviet forces
in the north and American
forces in the south.
The line that was chosen
to separate the two was
the same one that Japan
and Russia used in the
early part of the 20th
century.
It was called the 38th
parallel.

Kim II Sung
33-year-old, soviet army
captain, Kim II Sung became
known to be a heroic guerrilla
commander.
In early 1946, Soviet
occupying forces chose him
to head the provisional
government for North Korea.
3 weeks after the Southern
Republic of Korea was made,
_____ was named premier
of the Democratic Peoples
Republic of Korea on
September 9th 1948.

Progression & Economy

Kim didn't want a Soviet satellite state and instead embraced
Korean nationalism. The focus of which was the Korean
Peoples Army. Under Kim's rule:
over 2 million acres of land were redistributed in under a
month
women were guaranteed equality under the law
political action cells were formed to educate the population

It was clear that under his rule, North Korea had become
economically well-endowed in comparison to South Korea. In
June of 1949 both the Soviets and Americans had left the
peninsula, this is when Kim's plan to unite Korea became
evident.

On the Brink of War

South Korea obviously appeared
to be faltering, but President
Syngman Rhee (South Korea)
unleashed a brutal campaign
against suspected communists
and leftists.
At first Kim wanted to use force,
however he needed support and
so he turned to Stalin for help.
Stalin supported his invasion plan,
and advised him to get support
from Chinas new communist
leader, Mao Zedong. He did and
was now on the brink of war.

Causes of the Korean War

Leading Causes of the Korean War

Reputation
American Army had recently upped the anti as far as the arms race
went and Truman wanted to display the power and wealth of America
internationally.
The USSR wanted better results and a chance to prove themselves
after the Berlin Blockade. This was particularly important to Stalin.
They felt that the Korean war was their way of proving their reputation.

Leading Causes of the Korean War

Support
The USA wanted to support Syngman Rhee because he was a
democrat surrounded by communism
USA: supported South Korea.
The USSR wanted to support the communist nation, because of the
same political ideals.
USSR: supported North Korea.
They could not get involved in a war against
communism without directly fighting the USSR.

Leading Causes of the Korean War

Cold War
Stalin encouraged the spread of communism as long as it did not result in a war
with America. He soon realized that nuclear war might be a possibility and wanted to
avoid that and beat the USA using more indirect means.
The Domino Effect - Truman believed that if Korea fell to communism, Japan (a major
trading partner) would follow.
The Truman Doctrine stated that the USA would lend aid to any country not wishing to
be suppressed by the political ideals (communism) of any other country.
April 1950 the American National Security Council issued a report recommending
direct involvement (a proxy war) against communism.
Stalin saw that the Korean War Was a chance for a war by proxy. Kim II Sung visited
Stalin to persuade him that he could conquer South Korea.

This map is from

an American
magazine from
1950. This shows
how much the US
feared
communism in
the far east.

United States, United

Nations, and the Soviet
Unions Response to the
Korean War

United Nations

The United Nations now had to

formulate a plan. Sixteen
member states would provide
troops under a United Nations
Joint Command. It would fight
with the South Korean army.

This United Nations force was

dominated by America even to
the extent of being commanded
by an American general
Douglas MacArthur

On September 15th 1950,

United Nations troops landed at
Inchon. The landing was a huge
success and the United Nations
effectively cut the North Korean
army in half and pushed them
out of South Korea.
Note: MacArthur was later fired
by Truman for getting the
Chinese involved in the war.

Soviet Union

Soviets sold Chinese military

equipment, including artillery
and MIG fighter planes.

The USSR also provided

advisers and military hardware
to the North Koreans.

Soviet pilots flew MIGs against

US planes.

However, Stalin was unwilling

to become involved with the
United States in a war over
Korea.

United States

The US provided the majority

of the UN military forces which
drove the North Koreans out of
South Korea and still stand
guard along the border.
The US moved their troops
into South Korea quickly.

The US and the Soviets

agreed to divide Korea
temporarily to avoid long term
decisions regarding Korea's
future.

Although the United States

took the lead in the Korean
action, it did so under the order
of the United Nations.

China Enters the Korean War

Why did China enter the war?

UN forces pushed
north to China
Crossed 38th parallel
Yalu River and border
with China

Mao Zedong already

made it clear that
China would not
tolerate foreign forces
on border

What happens next?

October 14 to November 1, 1950
Chinese send 180,000 of the Peoples
Volunteer Army to cross Yalu River
They pushed the American forces back

November 2
UN realizes that the attack was done by
Communist China

Home-by-Christmas offensive
November 24
MacArthur launches
offensive attack
Chinese army
retaliates with full
force
American and South
Korean units retreat
Ends January 1951

The Korean War Armistice

The Korean War Armistice

Designed to insure an end to

warfare and all acts of armed
force in Korea until a definitive
peaceful could be achieved

It was signed on July 27,1953

Covered issues such as

- exchange of prisoners of war
- location of a demarcation line

Intended as a temporary
measure, but the 38th parallel
remains standing even today.

 Enforced by a Military Armistice Commission

Armies began the awkward process of
disengagement over the 4km wide DMZ.
It provided
suspension of open hostilities
fixed demarcation line with a four kilometre (2.4
mile) buffer zone - the so-called demilitarization
zone
A mechanism for the transfer of prisoners of war

Map of Korea

 1954 - an international conference in Geneva was organized by

the United States
- discussed the political future of Korea
- no agreement was produced

Armistice- only safeguard for peace on the Korean peninsula

Winners? Losers?

 After three years, July 27, 1953- ceasefire

stopped the fighting
Although there was no declared winner,
South Korea never succumbed to a
communist rule.

 There was an
armistice signed by
North Korea, China,
and the UN but not by
South Korea.
The armistice was
NOT a peace treaty,
just a temporary
cessation of
hostilities.

 Korea is still split up

into North Korea
(communist) and
South Korea (noncommunist)
The border between
the two countries has
remained one of the
most heavily-armed
stretches of land on
Earth