History of Korea Korea is a country that

History of Korea • Korea is a country that has a long history • There have been many different dynasties and kingdoms in its history • Silla • Baekje • Gogureo • Gaya • Balhae • Joseon • And many others

Between super powers • Korea has a long history of being next to very powerful neighbors

Korea was attacked (and defeated) Japan a few times in its history

Japan became industrialized • In 1853 Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Japan • Japan saw the USA’s technology and they wanted to become industrialized

Japan built themselves up • The Meiji Restoration (1868) put a big focus onto becoming stronger through industrialization

Japan took over Korea • Japan took over Korea

Japan did not treat Koreans well • They tried to eliminate the Korean language • Hundreds of thousands of girls/women were forced into prostitution for the Japanese army • Hundreds of thousands of boys/men were forced into the Japanese army • There were many unsuccessful rebellions

• Korea was a Japanese colony during WWII North Korea 38 th parallel South Korea • When Japan lost the war, Russian and American troops liberated Korea • The Russians and Americans decided that Korea should be divided at the 38 th parallel in 1945

Puppet Governments • The U. S. administered the South and put an anticommunist, pro-American leader in charge • The USSR administered the North and put a Communist leader in charge • Russians and Americans withdrew troops from this area in 1948 and 1949 Question: What is a “puppet government? ”

North Korea South Korea In 1949 China became Communist. Why is this fact important to Korea? Important to the U. S. ?

• Both Northern and Southern leaders wanted to unite the country – but with different types of government. • Kim Il Sung (North Korean leader) understood that resolving the problem of unifying the two Koreas was very difficult -- that he would need help. Of course the help he was hoping to get would come from the Soviet Union or China. Kim Il Sung and Mao Zedong

• 1950 - NK invaded SK with 90, 000 troops equipped with Soviet weapons & tanks • Afraid that Korea would fall to Communism like China, the U. S. began to rush in troops. • The U. S. brought the Korean situation up with the U. N. … – The Russians were boycotting the U. N, so the U. S. convinced the UN to authorize a ‘police action’ to help the South Koreans. – About 90% of troops were American

President Truman "Korea is a small country, thousands of miles away. But what is happening there is important to every American. The fact that communist forces have invaded Korea is a warning that there may be similar acts of aggression in other parts of the world. . . " The U. S. led UN forces pushed the North Koreans back to the 38 th parallel and then kept going. They pushed all the way to the border of China…

• After several more years of inconclusive fighting back and forth, a cease fire was signed. • Signed in 1953, it declared the 38 th parallel once again as the break between the two countries.

• Reflects new American foreign policy of containment • Limited warfare (did not use atomic bomb) • Integrated Armed forces • Begin to see a dramatic increase in military spending & permanent mobilization • To this day, North & South Korea remain divided. • The U. S. has no formal diplomatic relationship with North Korea.

• Permanent mobilization (American troops/military bases around the world 2007)