Korea was continuously occupied by Japan for 35 years prior to the end of WW2. Following the forced withdrawal of Japanese troops in 1945, Russian and American troops occupied Korea, meeting at the 38th parallel. When these troops withdrew in 1950, both Governments – the Republic of South Korean and the North Korean Democratic People’s Republic - claimed the whole country. The North believed that the Americans had simply lost interest in the South. On 25th of June 1950, North Korean troops, equipped with Soviet weapons including T.34 tanks, streamed across the 38th parallel, into South Korea. Very rapidly they occupied almost the whole of South Korea. It is important to recognise the massive level of support the Soviets provided the North Korean troops. The USSR saw the Korean peninsula as an opportunity to expand their influence in Asia. The decision of North Korea to attack the South should be seen in light of the Cold War between Russia and America. Those involved in the UN Force saw the North Korean actions as evidence of the spread of Communism into Asia.
(180 words)
(180 words)