Korean War
With the end of the Second World War in 1945, Japan’s defeat led to the end of its thirty-five-year occupation of Korea, but this did not lead to a unified independent Korea. The country was divided along the 38th parallel, the location that today marks the border between North and South Korea. The north was occupied by Soviet soldiers, whilst the south was occupied by US soldiers. This was also a period of geopolitical rivalry between Russia and the US and their respective allies, which resulted in continued tensions between the two during what was meant to be a temporary division of Korea. However, in 1948, separate governments were formed in the north and south and hostility between the two grew leading to instability and violence in the south that resulted in government suppression, and the strengthening of communism in the north. In the same year, both Soviet and US soldiers began to withdraw whilst fighting between North Korean and South Korean forces along the 38th parallel escalated. On the 25th June 1950, and with Soviet approval and equipment, around 75,000 North Korean soldiers invaded the south, marking the official start of the Korean War which left hundreds of thousands dead from the north and south as well as their respective allies. Fighting ended with the signing of an armistice (but not a peace agreement) in July 1953.
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Korean War Places of Interest
