Conflict in Korea

Question 1

Who controlled Korea during World War Two?

Answer 1

Japan (up until their surrender)

Question 2

What was the 38th Parallel?

Answer 2

The line that separated North and South Korea

Question 3

Which part did the USSR and USA occupy post 1945?

Answer 3

Soviet occupied North Korea and USA occupied South.

Question 4

Who were the UN?

Answer 4

The United Nations. An international organisation formed by the West and so the USSR refused to engage in UN discussions.

Question 5

Elections took place in which part of Korea in 1948?

Answer 5

South Korea, a Republic of Korea was formally established in 1948.

Question 6

Who was the leader of South Korea?

Answer 6

Syngman Rhee, a staunch anti communist, expatriate who had lived in the USA for forty years before returning to South Korea.

Question 7

Who were the People’s Committees?

Answer 7

A left wing group who had grown in power after the Second World War, seizing control in the North as a communist group.

Question 8

Who was the leader of North Korea?

Answer 8

Kim II Sung, a hero of the resistance to the Japanese rule, he had received military training in the USSR.

Question 9

In what year did the USA and USSR withdraw from Korea?

Answer 9

1949

Question 10

How did the USA view Korea in 1950?

Answer 10

The USA saw Korea as outside of its defence perimeter and no concern for the US. When asked for help by Rhee, the USA declined.

Question 11

In 1949 where did fighting take place in Korea?

Answer 11

Along the 38th Parallel, 400 soldiers were killed in May 1949.

Question 12

Why did the US fear the North’s invasion of the South in 1950?

Answer 12

The US saw the invasion as a direct order from Moscow and an example of further communist expansion.

Question 13

How many days passed before US intervention after the North invaded the South?

Answer 13

Two days

Question 14

What happened when the UN called on North Korea to withdraw from the South?

Answer 14

The USSR could veto the UN decision of the Security Council, but this meant the USA dominated the UN and 16 countries sent troops as part of the UN to South Korea.

Question 15

Why was the USSR unhappy with the United Nations?

Answer 15

China was not allowed to be a part of the UN due to communism, therefore the USSR were unhappy with the UN.

Question 16

Which countries sent troops as part of the UN to Korea?

Answer 16

South Korea – 590,911.
United States – 302,483.
Australia – 17,000.
United Kingdom – 14,198.
Thailand – 6,326.
Canada – 6,146.
Turkey – 5,453.
Philippines – 1,468

Question 17

Who led US troops in Korea?

Answer 17

General MacArthur

Question 18

Which city did the North push troops towards in June 1950?

Answer 18

Seoul

Question 19

By September 1950 where had the North Koreans pushed the South Koreans back to?

Answer 19

Inchon

Question 20

When did the South Korean forces enter North Korea and cross the 38th Parallel?

Answer 20

UN forces invaded North Korea in October 1950 and moved rapidly towards the Yalu River

Question 21

As the North took control of the South which group established power?

Answer 21

North Korean People’s Army

Question 22

What success did MacArthur have in 1950?

Answer 22

his troops repelled the North Koreans and eventually drove them back toward the Chinese border.

Question 23

Why did China enter the war?

Answer 23

The UN forces pushed up to the Yalu River. This caused the Chinese to worry

Question 24

How did MacArthur recommend dealing with the Chinese and North Korean attack.

Answer 24

General MacArthur wanted to nuke them

Question 25

Who took over from MacArthur after he was sacked by Truman?

Answer 25

General Matthew Ridgeway. On April 11

Question 26

What were the consequences of war for Korea?

Answer 26

After the war, North Korea and South Korea remained divided. Families were broken up by the war and lived on opposite sides of the demilitarized zone, unable to visit or even communicate with each other. The impact of the Korean War on the civilian population was especially dramatic

Question 27

What were the consequences of war for USA?

Answer 27

The war led to massive American rearmament. Their defense budget shot up to $48 billion in 1951 and $60 billion by 1952.
The USA made a series of alliances including one with the Philippines and in 1951 they signed the ANZUS Pact with Australia and New Zealand.
The USA made the decision to help rebuild Japan and a final peace treaty was signed with Japan in 1951 signalling the end of US occupation.
The USA refused to have any dealings with China.
The Korean War had a further legacy as well with 50,000 American soldiers killed. It was also the first war that the US entered and did not win outright.

Question 28

What were the consequences of war for China and USSR?

Answer 28

The war increased tension between the USSR and China as they squabbled over who should pay the bill for it.
The Chinese came to feel that the Soviet Union was both an unreliable and demanding ally and took greater steps to ensure independence from the USSR in the years following the war.
In 1960, China broke from the Soviet Union in an event known as the Sino-Soviet Split, creating tension amongst all communist powers.

Question 29

How many people died in the Korean War in total?

Answer 29

1.3 million civilians

Question 30

When and where was the ceasefire signed for Korea?

Answer 30

This armistice signed on July 27, 1953 in Panmunjom, Korea

Question 31

Peace talks began in what year?

Answer 31

July 1951