The Effects Of Korean War

The Korean War is just one of the few hostilities that Australian forces were engaged in throughout its history. After the UN failed to convince North Korea to cease its invasion of South Korea in late 1950s, the US acted by sending air and sea support to the beleaguered nation. The UN also asked the Security Council to assist South Korea. Twenty-one countries responded by providing ships, aircrafts, medical teams, and troops. Australia contributed immediately by sending its force from Japan doing occupational duty under the British Commonwealth Occupation Force. The 3 RAR fought its first major engagement near the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. However, unknown to the UN forces, the Chinese communists secretly moved into position near them, then started their attack. The sheer number of Chinese soldiers swarmed over the numerically inferior UN forces, routing them back to the South.

Eventually, the South Korean capital fell once again to the invading Chinese forces. Fortunately, the long supply lines that needed to be maintained by the Chinese forces were kept under constant attack by UN air forces which helped in the collapse of the Chinese forces. Seoul was once again occupied by UN forces in mid-March of 1951. a month later, MacArthur was relieved of command but Australian commitment was unfaltering. Another remarkable battle that involved Australian troops was Operation Commando. This operation was meant to capture a communist-held salient of the Imjin just north of Seoul. The main objectives of the Commonwealth Division which included the Australians were to capture Hills 355 and 317. The battle lasted for 5 days costing the Australians 25 dead and 89 wounded.

North Korea is a legitimate threat to the safety of millions of Americans and our allies, and while it’s easy to simply write off Kim Jong Il as a crazy loose cannon, understanding the conflicts between the US and North Korea (not to mention North Korea and South Korea) can help students make sense of the tensions that still exist in that region today. Korea was an independent nation since the 7th century. However, certain parts of the country came under the Japanese jurisdiction as a consequence of the war that took place between China and Japan during the years 1894 to 1895. Korea was engulfed completely by the Japanese forces in August 1910. With the culmination of the Second World War, Korea was taken over by United States and Soviet Union in unison. The US authorities sought help from the United Nations to end the issue of a conjugated occupation of Korea. While the United Stated desired to prevent the multiplication of communism; the Soviet Union wanted to extend it as far as possible throughout the world. With Kim II-Sung at the helm of affairs in North Korea supported by the Soviet Union, forces under him attacked South Korea under the anti-communist government of Syngman Rhee on June 25, 1950. China plunged into the war in order to gain mileage against the probability of a US invasion. The war ended on July 27, 1953 due to armistice.