Contributed by Milt Omoto

The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army crossed the 38th parallel into the south, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south.

After failing to strengthen their cause in the free elections held in South Korea during May 1950 and the refusal of South Korea to hold new elections per North Korean demands, the communist North Korean Army moved south to attempt to reunite the Korean peninsula, which had been formally divided since 1948. The North Korean invasion came as an alarming surprise to American officials. As far as they were concerned, this was not simply a border dispute between two unstable dictatorships on the other side of the globe. Instead, many feared it was the first step in a communist campaign to take over the world.

The conflict was expanded by the United States and the Soviet Union’s involvement as part of the larger Cold War. The main hostilities were during the period from June 25, 1950 until the armistice was signed on July 27, 1953.