The Korean War (1950-1953)
Kim Il Sung visited Stalin and Mao, the communist leaders, to ask for support in an invasion. Both agreed to do so but without directly confronting the Americans. When Syngman Rhee, the leader of South Korea at the time, boasted he would attack North Korea, Kim took this as a good enough reason to invade the South. The Korean War had begun, as a result of the split along the 38th parallel.
U.S. Troops Invade Inchon, North Korea: Operation Trudy Jackson (September 15, 1950)
"They're on our right, they're on our left, they're in front of us, they're behind us; they can't get away from us this time."
- Chesty Puller, USMC, Chosin Reservoir, Korean War
The Chinese Intervention (November 4, 1950)
"They came out of the hills near Unsan, North Korea, blowing bugles in the dying light of day on 1 November 1950, throwing grenades and firing their "burp" guns at the surprised American soldiers of the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. Thousands of Chinese had attacked from the north, northwest, and west against scattered U.S. and South Korean (Republic of Korea) units moving deep into North Korea." |
Armistice Ends the Korean War (March 1953)
"After three years of a bloody and frustrating war, the United States, the People's Republic of China, North Korea, and South Korea agree to an armistice, bringing the Korean War to an end. July 27, 1953." "It stopped the fighting, but it’s like when you’re playing a game when you’re a kid, and you said, 'King’s X! You can’t get me now! You can’t tag me anymore!' It’s a stalemate. And I think, the people in the military always feel like, when you start a war, you ought to win it." |
"The victory in the Fatherland Liberation War, which shook the 20th century, was a valuable fruition of great leader Generalissimo Kim Il Sung, a gifted military strategist and a matchless, brilliant commander. |
Statistics of the War
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