The United Nations and the Korean War

1. The United Nations and the Korean War David H. Eric J. Tyler V. Jared H. Will

2. The United Nations The United Nations was formed on October 24, 1945 to replace the ineffective League of Nations. Its objectives include: • Maintaining world peace • Human Rights • Helping social & economic development • Protecting the evironment • Providing humanitarian aid

3. Structure of the UN The UN has four major bodies: The General Assembly The assembly of all member states in the UN where many of the organization’s decisions are made The Security Council Consisting of five permanent members, the US, China, Russia, France, and the UK, as well as 10 non-permanent members, the SC is charged with maintaining peace and security Secretariat The administrative branch of the UN, headed by the Secretary General. The current SG is Ban Ki-Moon (pictured) International Court of Justice Used to resolve legal disputes between countries, as well as try war criminals

4. Truman Doctrine An international relations policy created by Harry S. Truman, in which US would provide military and economic support for Greece and Turkey to prevent falling to the Soviets. This strategy, called “encirclement” was to stop the spread of communism through Asia, and the rest of the world Soviet propaganda

5. The Korean War Following the surrender of Japan in 1945, Korea was occupied and split along the 38th Parallel, with the Soviets creating a communist government in the North, and the US setting up a capitalist government in the south. On June 25, 1950, the North, led by Kim Il-sung, invaded the South in an attempt to reunify the country, quickly overrunning their defenses Kim Il-sung North Korean soldiers triumphantly capture a hill

6. UN Response The UN for the most part, condemned the North’s invasion of the South, comparing it to the aggression of Hitler in the 1930s. The UN security council signed a resolution to provide military aid on the South’s behalf. Despite Russian protest, they had boycotted the Security Council for not recognizing Mao’s communist regime as the legitimate government of China, and could not boycott the resolutions. President Truman announced that the U.S. would counter "unprovoked aggression" and "vigorously support the effort of the [UN] security council to terminate this serious breach of peace.” By the time the US led force arrived in July, Kim’s forces had overrun the country, and had encircled the South’s last holdout: The Pusan Pocket US forces bombard communist positions in August, 1950

7. Early Korean War The tactics of the first year of the war were reminiscent of the War five years earlier – use of blitzkrieg tactics, aerial strikes and combined arms. The North’s forces were able to quickly capture the South’s capital, Seoul, as well as most of the rest of the country. However, by August 1950, the UN forces had mustered 100,000 troops around Pusan, and in the fierce Battle of the Pusan Perimeter, broke through, liberating Seoul by September. The UN forces, still hardened by WWII quickly overran the communist forces, crossing the 38th Parallel, capturing the North’s capital Pyongyang, and even reaching the Chinese border by October.

8. USS Missouri provides naval support USS Antietam’s (CV36) battle-group, part of Taskforce 77 B-29s drop off their payload in the strategic bombing campaign Helicopters drop off US forces

9. US soldier comforts his friend Top Chinese generals Chen, Peng, and Deng South Korean soldiers advance to the front lines South Korean soldier holds head of decapitated North Korean soldier (Put warning before going to this slide)

10. Chinese Intervention On October 19, 1950, the Mao’s People’s Liberation Army crossed the Yalu River and attacked the advancing UN forces. This surprise offensive threw the UN into retreat all the way to the Parallel, as vast numbers of Chinese forces poured into Korea. On New Year’s Eve, the Korean People’s Army launched another offensive, reconquering Seoul on January 4, 1951. PLA forces secretly cross the Yalu River Propaganda showing a victorious pair of Chinese North Korean soldiers kicking MacArthur and the UN out of Asia

11. Firing of General Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur, because of his expertise in directing the fighting in Asia and the Pacific in WWII (Philippines, Guam, etc.), he was the perfect choice to lead the UN forces in Korea. However, on 11 April 1951, President Truman relieved the esteemed General. There were several reasons for the dismissal. MacArthur had crossed the 38th parallel in the mistaken belief that the Chinese would not enter the war, leading to major allied losses. He believed that whether or not to use nuclear weapons should be his own decision, not the President's.He also threatened to destroy China unless it surrendered. While MacArthur felt total victory was the only honorable outcome, Truman was more pessimistic about his chances once involved in a land war in Asia, and felt a truce and orderly withdrawal from Korea could be a valid solution.A popular criticism of MacArthur was that he never spent a night in Korea, and directed the war from the safety of Tokyo. He was replaced by US General Ridgeway. Gen. Douglas MacArthur with his trademark pipe

12. Result of the War In March, 1951, General Ridgeway regrouped the UN forces and counterattacked, and re-liberated Seoul for the last time. Despite several PLA and KPA counterattacks, the UN held the line. For the next two years, the war became a stalemate, with neither side able to break through each other's defensive lines. Border skirmishes continued on, until July 27, 1953, when the Armistice Agreement was signed by both the UN-backed South and Chinese-backed North. The borders were drawn to their present day position, and the Demilitarized Zone was created, which, despite it’s name, remains the most heavily fortified border in the world. Despite the ceasefire, peace was never officially declared, and both sides have engaged in minor skirmishes since then.

13. South Korea Since the Korean War, South Korea has become known as the “Miracle of Asia”. Following the war, South Korea was ruled by a series of military dictators. In 1987, mass protests ignited the first democratic election in the country’s history. Since then, The Republic of Korea has risen to become one of the “Four Asian Tigers”, some of the most developed and advanced countries in the world. South Korea

14. North Korea The People’s Democratic Republic of Korea is a genuine workers' state in which all the people are completely liberated from exploitation and oppression. The workers, peasants, soldiers and intellectuals are the true masters of their destiny and are in a unique position to defend their interests. Following the Korean War, Kim Il-sung remained in power until 1994, when he died, and his son, Kim Jong-Il took power. When the USSR fell in 1991, North Korea’s economy completely collapsed, leading to widespread famine. Relations between Kim Jong-Il and the West seemed to be warming up, however, his nuclear program has denied any chances at true peace. In 2011, Kim Jong-Il died, and his son, Kim Jong-Un succeeded him as Supreme Ruler. North Korea continues to be marred with human rights abuses such as mass starvation, Soviet-styled gulags and even death-camps

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