Korean War
Conflict in KoreaThe Korean War was the first military action of the Cold War. It was one of the most deadly wars and resulted in the deaths of nearly 5 million people, many of which were civilians. The civilian casualties were greater than that of World War II and Vietnam. The war began on June 25th, 1950 when soldiers from the North Korean People's Army crossed the 38th parallel. This is a boundary between Soviet backed North Korea (communist) and Pro-Western Republic of Korea in the South. Many people were afraid that the Korean War was the beginning of World War III. The fighting in Korea was brutal and bloody. The United States joined the war on South Korea's side to help contain the communist threat with the support from the United Nations. The U.S. began to work on an armistice with North Korea for fear of war with Russia and China. The fighting continued and a stalemate was reached around the 38th parallel and a cease fire was issued. Then after more than 2 years of negotiations an armistice was signed on July 27th, 1953. New boundary created near the 38th parallel giving South Korea 1,500 square miles and created a 2 mile wide demilitarized zone that exists today. Also arranged was that prisoners of war (POWs) could stay where they liked.
Matt Weigle
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