The Battle of Inchon: A Turning Point for Korea

1147 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: US involvement in the Korea war

The Korean War has had significant influence on not only Koreans, but people around the world for generations as well. This fascinates me because it’s a war that isn’t studied in great detail in our history classes. The Korean war is more complicated than most people think, and it has changed both South and North Korea. This war is an example in history of how two superpowers decided the fate of smaller countries. I want to investigate and explore the overall significance the Battle of Inchon had on the future of the Koreas. I will be looking at what caused this specific battle to happen, and the overall effect it had politically, culturally, and economically. Before Japan formally annexed Korea, the country was united in language, culture,
Before the Battle of Inchon, North Korea was gaining ground, and their plan to conquer South Korea was looking promising. At this point North Korea was receiving a lot of resources from the Chinese, and they felt as though their military was stronger than the South Koreans. If it wasn’t for the U.S stepping in and creating a surprise attack all of the Koreas could have easily been one united communist government. This attack was able to push North Korea back towards the Yalu River which was near the border of China. At this point South Korea had nearly taken over all of North Korea. This successful counter attack worried China, in late November, Mao Zedong sent thousands of troops to help North Korea. The Chinese and the North Koreans were able to force United Nation troops back to the 38th parallel. After, the Korean War became a stalemate, in 1950, both sides signed an armistice, which means an end to fighting. They created a demilitarized zone, an area with no military forces, near the 38th parallel. No peace treaty was actually signed to end the war, which means the war has never stopped. Politically South Korea was able to grow as an Democratic Republic, which is parallel to the United States. North Korea kept their government a dictatorship within the Kim family. If it wasn’t for the Battle of Inchon all of Korea today could be a communist

Show More
Related

  • Truman vs. MacArthur

    739 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Korean War changed the face of American Cold War diplomacy forever. In the midst of all the political conflict and speculation worldwide, the nation had to choose between two proposed solutions, each one hoping to ensure that communism didn?t sweep across the globe and destroy American ideals of capitalism and democracy. General Douglas MacArthur takes the pro-active stance and says that, assuming it has the capability, the U.S. should attack communism everywhere. President Harry Truman, on the other hand, believed that containing the Soviet communists from Western Europe was the best and most important course of action, and that eliminating communism in Asia was not a priority.

    Read More

  • The Battle of Fox Hill and Toktong Pass

    873 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Korean War began when the North Koreans invaded South Korea across the 38th parallel on June 25, 1950. The North Korean forces fought their way to Pusan at the southern edge of the Korean peninsula. With the North Koreans controlling most of the peninsula, General Douglas MacArthur landed an amphibious assault at Inchon on September 15, 1950 and wrested control of South Korea from North Korean forces. After MacArthur’s forces marched to the northern border of Korea, China entered the war. After a major Chinese attack and a major American counter attack, the front of the war had a new stage, the Chosin Reservoir (Henretta, Edwards & Self 768).

    Read More

  • Douglas Macarthur And The Korean War Essay

    1815 Words  | 4 Pages

    Arguably one of the greatest generals in American history Douglas MacArthur was born to be in the military, his father Arthur MacArthur was a great soldier who honorably in the Army and it MacArthur went to West Point to follow in his father's footsteps. MacArthur served for rising through the ranks at a rapid pace, he became most well known for his leadership during the second world war but after that he led his troops on the battlefields of Korea in his seventies. Although MacArthur proved to be a brilliant general, his aggressive decisions towards the end of the Korean War led to his honorable removal as general of the United Nations Army and his heroic actions and tales to be cemented permanently in American History.

    Read More

  • Pacific War Essay

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Thin Red Line, directed by Terrence Malick, tells a fictional story of the Battle of Mount Austen which occurred during the Guadalcanal Campaign. One goal the film fails to accomplish is depict the battle as it occurred. It is not a documentary of the battle of Guadalcanal and its goal centers on entertaining viewers like any other Hollywood movie. The movie gives off an inaccurate take of the battle and shows how the soldiers immediately moved in and assault the hill. When in reality the American military did not act instantly and waited months after the Japanese had captured it . America wanted to capture Guadalcanal because it offered a strategic position to place a base, sea port, and because it offered communication between the United States and Australia. This is because Guadalcanal served as a mainly as a defensive battle in the early stages of the war. The movie did not follow historical accounts of the real battle and skipped parts of the defensive stage of the battle in order for the film to be more action packed. The director chose to move right away to the defensive in order to entertain viewers like othe Hollywood movies . Although the director did not follow history as it actually happened. We can assume he portrayed the difficulties the soldiers faced during the war. However, Malick’s biggest mistake involved the way he depicted the difficulties soldiers faced. Guadalcanal had been a tropical hell for the soldiers and we can assume they had anything but fun. Men died of living conditions and the film fails to show that12.

    Read More

  • Impact and Aftermath of the Korean War

    568 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Korean War was a tragic event that started on July 25, 1950 and ended with a truce on July 27, 1953. America had feared the Soviet Union would bring communism to other countries especially in Asia. Korea had split after World War II. The Soviet Union had backed the government in the north and America backed the government in the south. They both agreed that the 38th parallel would split North from South Korea. However, o July 25, 1950, North Korean troops passed through the 38th parallel and captured Seoul. This would forever be known as the First Battle of Seoul. The United Nations responded by creating a resolution that labels the attack a “breach of the peace.” The United State decided to intervene in Korea just because they couldn’t

    Read More

  • Crossing the 38th Parallel

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    After defending against North Korea, the decision that must be made now is whether or not to move on to the offensive and push past the original border at the 38th parallel. On June 25, 1950 the North Korean army crossed the 38th parallel, and United Nation forces were sent to help repel the attack. American forces got pushed back to the southeast corner on the country, not faring as well as expected. A bold move by General MacArthur turned the war around, the General made the decision to attack from the seafront at Inchon close to the 38th parallel and original border. From here the American army was able to cut off supplies being sent to the North Koreans and eventually pushed them all back to the 38th parallel. The problem the United States, and the decision Truman must make as President, is the choice to cross the border and attempt to take North Korea. In advising President Truman in this decision, uniting Korea under a strong democracy, and proving U.N. authority and strength, are results that only have the minimal risk of Soviet or Chinese intervention, are factors that tip the scale toward the choice to cross the border.

    Read More

  • The Forgotten War: Korea

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    Korea was in a state of disarray. Not in the way that you may be confused about what happened, but where political alliances and the division of Korea upset many people. The division of Korea was decided at the Potsdam Conference, without the consent of the Korean people (Korean War, Wikipedia). When Japan was defeated, they lost all of the land they had gained including Korea. With the land being split between the 38th parallel, North Korea was weak with a bad leader, looking for more power. Russia and China were willing to help. US saw South Korea as a victim to the Cold War and was trying to help South Korea (Schnabel 6). Both the United States and the Soviet Union occupied the Korean peninsula in hopes of turning them to their beliefs in government. The United States went to the United Nations to determine the issue of a divided Korea. The United Nations Commission determined they needed to hold elections in Korea. The communists in North Korea refused to allow the election because the did not want to be threatened by democracy. The communists in South Korea did not like the thought and boycotted it. The regime in South Korea was shaped by the anti-communist Syngman Rhee. The Soviet Union put Kim ll-Sung as head of North Korea, who was very, very weak. The North Korean Army invaded South Korea on June 25 1950 with varying reasons. The Chinese ...

    Read More

  • The United States Longest War

    1583 Words  | 4 Pages

    The first military conflict, Russia Prime Minister Stalin and the United States President Truman join together in force, forcing Japan out of Korea. In this conflict, if Russia and the United States defeat Japan. The two superpowers will split the Country of Korea, the North will be govern by Communist Russia and China. The South Govern by The Free Nation, United States. After Russia and the U.S.A left out of North and South Korea. The north invaded the south model after the United States. North Korea model as communist Russia and china. Not until the North took over the Seoul South Korea, then did the United States provide military relief. Over 30,000 American lives were lost on a political move.

    Read More

  • Korean War Research Paper

    539 Words  | 2 Pages

    Did you know there was a whole war inside the Cold War? Where around two million civilians died. The Cold War was a time when the soviets were trying to spread communism. The U.S did not want communism to spread, so it became a race, or competition to gain power. Of course if you guys are having competition, you're going to be trash talking or in this case threatening. Now that I have gave your the background, time to go into the Korean War. A War that was inside the Cold War, I am going to tell you about how it started, the events, and the ending.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: My Grandfather In The Korean Civil War

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    #1:My grandfather had participated in the Korean civil war as a soldier when he was 20 years old. At that time of the year, there wasn’t any exact division between South and North Korea, even the 38th parallel did not exist back then. My grandfather and his brother was the only people capable in his family who could leave North Korea and come down to South Korea, due to the war being so sudden. If my grandfather did not move down to South Korea during the war, he would not have met my grandmother in South Korea and got married. Our family history would have been completely different with this single event, I might not exist right now.

    Read More

  • The Korean War

    1655 Words  | 4 Pages

    On 25 June 1950, the Republic of South Korea was invaded by the North Korean Democratic people. Then, many things started to happen and these showed that they became the main significance of the Cold War that had been going on between the Allies power and the communists, since World War II was over. The invasion by the North Korean communists made President Harry Truman got furious. He looked at the attack as a direct dispute to America's decision to fight against international communism and to his 1947 Truman Doctrine. As a result, the Korean War broke out, which lasted for about three years. Just like in the Battle of Stalingrad, the Korean War left behind huge impacts and consequences. The Korean War and the Battle of Stalingrad each placed huge strain upon civilian populations, including mass executions, destruction of property and tolls of prisoners or wars.

    Read More

  • Korean War

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout history the United States has fought in many wars. Whether the fighting took place in Europe such as WWI or in our own land like the civil war. The one war many people seem to forget is the Korean War. The Korean War also known as the “forgotten war” was a war between North Korea, South Korea and the US together with the South Koreans to help. The Korean War was fought on sea, land, and in the air over and near the Korean peninsula (Brown, p.2). On June 25, 1950, the North Koreans rumbled across the thirty-eighth parallel. The invasion was successful because the south was not expecting or even prepare for a war. The invasion was so successful that they pushed the south to a tiny defensive area around Pusan. That’s when President Truman steps in real quick to halt the invasion of the North Koreans. Truman ordered American armed forces under General Douglas MacArthur to support South Korea. The Korean War was a clash between Communist forces and Free World (Brown, p.2).

    Read More

  • The Korean War: Causes and Aftermath

    1241 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...h Korea, was a battle that had no real outcome. Lives were lost and buildings were destroyed but there was no resolution that had settled the ongoing tension between both nations. The Battle of Incheon and the Battle of the Kapyong were two significant battles that turned the tide of the war towards one direction, through strategic fighting and with the help of allied countries that involved the United Nations, China and the Soviet Union. Many lives were affected as a result of this battle and it also was a vital advancement for the United Nations as the War allowed them to prosper. Despite the fact that the pressure between South and North Korea had not yet settled, both nations had learnt a great dealt from the War. Coming to understand the war fully, it is vital that we view the events both prior and after the war so that the War itself can be viewed as a whole.

    Read More

  • Essay On South Korea

    1888 Words  | 4 Pages

    A nation’s innovation system is shaped by how the nation leverages its endowments—natural resources, culture, history, geography, and demographics—through policies that create a thriving market-oriented economy and accelerate the transition of new technologies, processes, and services to the market (Branscomb and Auerswald 2002). The aim of this assignment is to evaluate South Korea’s innovation policies, in light of its latest ranking as the second most innovative country in the world.

    Read More

  • Essay On South Korea

    1742 Words  | 4 Pages

    The capacity of supporting industries in South Korea is strong, the well-developed manufacturing industry has laid solid foundation for the other industries such as electronics, telecommunications, automotive and service industry. Both Electronics and automotive industry are the main power of innovation, which could interact and cooperate for promoting the overall industry development. Interactive supporting industries not only increase the productivity of manufacturing industry but also have a positive influence on the daily and business environment.

    Read More

More about The Battle of Inchon: A Turning Point for Korea

Open Document