The Cold War in Asia — the Korean War

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The line of latitude chosen by the USA and USSR to divide Korea temporarily for accepting the Japanese surrender — never intended as a permanent border.

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Kim Il Sung, installed with Soviet backing in 1948; he wanted to reunify Korea under communist rule and pushed Stalin and Mao to support an invasion of the South.

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Syngman Rhee, a US-backed anti-communist president from 1948; his government was authoritarian, and he too wanted a unified Korea, under his own rule.

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25 June 1950 — North Korean forces invaded South Korea across the 38th parallel; Seoul fell within days.

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Because the USSR was boycotting the Council at the time (over China's UN seat) and so could not use its veto to block the vote.

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A surprise amphibious landing led by General MacArthur (15 September 1950) far behind North Korean lines; it cut enemy supply lines and let UN forces retake Seoul.

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UN forces advanced toward the Yalu River (China's border) after Inchon; China saw this as a direct security threat and sent Chinese People's Volunteers to push UN troops back.

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Truman removed him for publicly pushing for wider war with China (including possible nuclear use) against White House strategy — showing civilian control over the military.

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Disagreement over prisoner-of-war repatriation: the UN side wanted POWs to choose freely, the Communist side demanded automatic return of all POWs.

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27 July 1953, at Panmunjom — a ceasefire, not a peace treaty, so North and South Korea remain technically at war.

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The Demilitarised Zone — a roughly 4 km-wide buffer strip along the 1953 ceasefire line, still one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world.

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It began with genuine civil-war roots (rival Korean leaders both wanting unification), but Stalin's approval and Chinese/US involvement made it function largely as a Cold War proxy conflict once underway.