Question

can someone help me with a big summary about the korean war?

Answer 1

The short story is that after WW2, Korea was split into two camps: the North which was supported by the Communists and the Soviet Union, and the South which was backed by the West such as the United States. Japan used to rule over Korea (it was conquered many years earlier) but when it lost the war, it lost everything including all of its overseas holdings including Korea.

It was hoped that there would be peaceful elections to decide who would control Korea as a whole, but the Soviets reneged on their agreement and supported Kim Il Sung who made himself the leader of the North. The West supported a democratically friendly president in the South.

The North invaded in 1950 with forces and arms given to them by the Soviet Union (although the Soviets did not officially endorse Kim Il Sung's efforts). Kim Il Sung wanted to reunify the peninsula.

The poorly armed and outnumbered South Korean forces were caught by surprise and were steamrolled past the 38th parallel (the dividing line between North and South). The North almost won, but stubborn resistance in the South allowed American and United Nations reinforcements to arrive and turn the tide of the battle.

Later that year, General MacArthur landed soldiers at Inchon to relieve the defenders in the south by attacking the weak flank of the overstretched North Korean army (the Korean People's Army, or KPA). It worked, and with further reinforcements, the KPA were being driven back. Airstrikes pounded their forces from the sky and soldiers drove them back, liberating the South Korean capital of Seoul and driving north of the 38th parallel into North Korea.

The North Korean capital of Pyongyang was taken and the remnants of the KPA were driven even further north towards the Yalu River which was the border with China. The war seemed to be coming to an end.

And then the Chinese attacked.

Feeling that their border was being threatened by the UN and the United States, and also that a fellow Communist was in trouble (unlike Stalin, Mao did endorse Kim Il Sung's invasion of the South), China stormed across the Yalu river in a human blitzkrieg against tanks and artillery. Severely outnumbered and overwhelmed, the remaining UN and US forces retreated south to the 38th parallel where they managed to hold the line.

For the next few years, it was a stalemate as both sides continued to build up forces. Neither side could score a decisive victory, though territory such as towns and villages along the 38th often changed hands. Nuclear weapons by the US were even considered at one point. An armistice was finally declared in 1954 after long negotiations with both sides settling on the 38th parallel as the division point.

And that's where things stand today. Both the North and South are still technically at war as the armistice is only a cease fire - not a peace treaty. A lot of the finer points are glossed over, but this should help give you a general summary.

Answer 2

Or, here's the handy TLDR version:

North Korea attacked South Korea hoping to reunify the peninsula, crossing the 38th parallel with a huge army. South narrowly resisted and allies pushed the North back. Chinese stepped in rolling the South and its friends back down across the 38th parallel. Stalemate for several years around the 38th parallel. Armistice finally signed as a cease fire. Both North and South still technically at war.

Answer 3

thank yuu <3