Orgin of the KoreanWarWhen someone mentions the Korean War,everyone knows that it was a civil war between the North and the SouthKorea. But many dont know how it actually got started. Thereare a lot of things that happened before the North Koreans decided to crossover the 38th parallel.
The Korean civil war was just a small partof the whole war. The war also included more than just Koreans, like othercountries such as Japan, China, Russia, and the United States. In the nineteenthcentury, Korea was just a small peasant society that paid tribute to theChinese. But when the Russian and Japanese imperialism made a hugeeffect on the China, Korea was looked at differently.
By the endof the century, Korea had become a prize in a three-way contest betweenChina, Russia and Japan. In 1894, Japan defeated China, thus eliminatingthem from the contest. Then in 1905, Japan defeated Russia, makingthem the dominant power in Korea. In 1910, Japan took over Koreaand made them into a Japanese colony. After struggling for forty years as a Japanesecolony, Korea now had to struggle as a pawn in the newly created Cold War. The Americans decided to land troops to occupy Korea at the end of thewar as soon as they found out that the Russia was interested in overtakingthe Korea as their sphere of interest.
The Soviet Unions occupyingKorea would create and entirely new strategic situation in the Far East. Though the Pentagon decided that interest towards Korea was not going tobe a long-term interest to the US, their view changed drastically withinthree weeks. On August 10, 1945, dropping of the Nagasaki bomb finalizedthe participation of the US occupation in Korea. Unexpected by the UnitedStates, the Soviet Union agreed to accept the 38th parallel as their limitof advance. Russia and the United States met in Potsdam and decided thatit would be for the best if they were to accept the surrender of the Japaneseforces in Korea by dividing the country at the 38th parallel. Korea had unexpectedly found themselvesseparated.
North Korea was now set up to work as a satellite state forChina and South Korea was to become a free nation prepared by the UnitedStates. By the year of 1950, the North Korea People’s Army was trainedand equipped by the Soviet Union. North Koreans were now heavily trainedand now had an aggressive military force. They were well equipped withRussian small arms, artillery, armor, and fighter planes. By 1950the balance of power was moved drastically towards the North Koreans, makingthe South Koreans in a venerable situation. The North Koreans had the Southoutnumbered in every type of military force.
North Korea decidedto unify Korea by direct military action hoping that the United Stateswould not interfere. North Korea felt that the United States would havetoo much too lose by interfering, so they went and decided to confrontSouth Korea. During the period of June 15th through the 20th, the NorthKoreans secretly moved close to the 38th parallel. North Korean Forcesinvaded Republic of Korea territory at 4 a.
m. , crossing the 38th parallel. By 9 a. m. the city of Kaesongwas captured with some ten North Korean tanks participating in the operation. From the nature of the attack and the manner in which it was launched,it constituted an all-out offensive against the Republic of Korea.
When the North Korean troops crossed the38th parallel on the 25th of June, it was more than just a struggle amongstKoreans. It was actually a clash between Russia and the United States. This war lasted until the year of 1953, finally coming to an end with theGeneral Mark W. Clark signing the armistice. The Korean War wasn’tjust a war that was between North Korea and South Korea.
There were manydifferent influences that led to the crossing of the 38th parallel by theNorth Koreans. When you break down the Korean War and see it for what itactually is, you can have a better understanding of what happened thatled to the crossing of the 38th parallel on June 25, 1950. Though the actualcivil war only lasted for 3 years, you have to take into account that itwas the territorial fight against the other counties such as Japan, China,Soviet Union and United States that led to the civil war on the June 25,1950. The whole war
