With the United States’ communist rivals presenting an ideological threat to American foreign affairs and the spread of capitalism, the invasion by communist North Korea of American-governed South Korea on June 25, 1950 quickly sparked action by President Harry S. Truman. Truman urged a swift response from Congress, arguing that defending South Korea from a communist invasion was crucial to stopping the spread of communism around the world. In his autobiography, Truman likened North Korean leader Kim Il-sung’s military offensive to those of Hitler and other Axis leaders from World War II.
“Communism was acting in Korea, just as Hitler, Mussolini and the Japanese had ten, fifteen, and twenty years earlier. I felt certain that if South Korea was allowed to fall, Communist leaders would be emboldened to override nations closer to our own shores. If the Communists were permitted to force their way into the Republic of Korea without opposition from the free world, no small nation would have the courage to resist threat and aggression by stronger Communist neighbors.”
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Dates
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Important Events in Korean War
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1945: August 15
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Japan loses claims to Korean peninsula upon losing World War II |
1950: June 25
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Kim Il-sung invades South Korea, beginning the Korean War. U.N. Security Council calls for stop to North Korean offensive |
June 27
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President Truman orders deployment of U.S. naval and air forces to South Korea |
June 28
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North Korean (KPA) forces quickly capture Seoul, capital of South Korea |
July 5
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Battle of Osan; first time American troops go into battle since WWII |
July 14 - July 21
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Battle of Taejon; KPA advance further south but are delayed |
July 26 - July 29
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American soldiers murder Korean civilians under a bridge in the No Gun Ri massacre |
August
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Congress grants $12 billion in funding for Korean deployment |
August 4 - September 16
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Battle of Pusan Perimeter |
August 20
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U.S. General MacArthur warns Kim Il-sung that the war crimes of the KPA will not be ignored |
September 16 - September 27
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Naktong Breakout |
September 25
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UN forces capture Seoul from KPA |
September 29
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Syngman Rhee restored to power in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) by General MacArthur |
October 1 - October 7
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South Korean and United Nations Command forces, made up mostly of U.S. soldiers, push north into North Korea |
November 1 - November 2
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Unsan |
November 17
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General MacArthur tells American ambassador to Korea that the Korean peninsula “will be left a desert” after more than a year of extensive bombing campaigns |
November 27 - December 9
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Chosin Reservoir |
November 29 - December 1
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Kunu-ri |
1951: February 11 - February 13
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Hoengsong |
May
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International coalition with members from China, Germany, and the Netherlands release report detailing widespread destruction of Korean towns and villages |
May 17 - May 20
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Soyang River |
June 23
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Soviet delegate to the United Nations, Jacob Malik, puts forth idea of a cease-fire |
June 25
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U.S. Air Force General O’Donnell testifies that “the entire Korean Peninsula is just a terrible mess. Everything is destroyed” |
July 10
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Warring sides sit down for first truce talks in Kaesong, North Korea |
August
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Hungarian journalist Tibor Meráy states that “there are no more cities in North Korea” |
August 10
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Filmmaker John Ford releases This Is Korea documentary showcasing use of napalm in full color |
September 13 - October 15
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Heartbreak Ridge |
October 25
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Truce talks move to Panmunjom, North Korea, 10 kilometers east of Kaesong |
November 27
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North and South Korea form an agreement that if they are to reach a treaty within a month, the current frontline between their armies would serve as the nations’ dividing border |
1952: April
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Peace talks stall |
August 22
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Winston Churchill condemns American use of napalm as “cruel” and that they were “splashing it all over the civilian population” |
October 8
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Temporary hold placed on discussions of a truce |
1953: April 26
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Truce talks resume |
May
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U.S. forces bomb five dams (Toksan, Chasan, Kuwonga, Namsi, and Taechon), threatening millions of civilians with starvation from destructive floods |
July 27
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Korean Armistice Agreement is signed, forming a cease-fire to end armed conflict and create the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) |
1955: January 31
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Official end date dictated by U.S. Congress, although no officially treaty or order ending war was ever signed by any side |
2013: March 11
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declares the Korean Armistice Agreement of 1953 invalid |
2018: April 27
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Kim Jong-un and South Korean president Moon Jae-in cross the DMZ to meet, agreeing to work towards officially ending the war |