Chapter 29 Section D
General Douglas MacArthur
Commander of the UN forces at the beginning of the Korean War, however President Harry Truman removed him from his command after MacArthur expressed a desire to bomb Chinese bases in Manchuria.
Kim Il-sung
Communist leader of North Korea; his attack on South Korea in 1950 started the Korean War. He remained in power until 1994.
"There is no substitute for victory."
General MacArthur told President Truman that the policy of containment was a weak one which encouraged Communist aggression. He wanted to go on the offensive and insisted that
Syngman Rhee
Korean leader who became president of South Korea after World War II and led Korea during Korean War.
38th parallel
Line that divided Korea; Soviet Union occupied the north and United States occupied the south, during the Cold War.
People's Democratic Republic of Korea
Northern half of Korea dominated by USSR; long headed by Kim II-Sung; attacked south in 1950 and initiated Korean War; retained independence as a communist state after the war.
"Old soldiers never die, they just fade away."
Quote from General MacArthur's farewell speech from military service trying to explain his point of view during the Korean War.
Wake Island Meeting
Truman and Macarthur met to discuss China's involvement. Macarthur doesn't think China would attack them if they invaded North Korea but Truman thinks they would. Truman ultimately gives MacArthur permission to invade North Korea.
China enters the war November 1950
UN forces began to encounter some Chinese soldiers late in October, 1950. In response to international criticism of its intervention, the Chinese government insisted these forces were volunteers. In November four Chinese armies totaling at least 200,000 struck at the UN forces. An even larger force was ready to strike.
MacArthur relieved of command April 1951
US President Harry S. Truman relieved this person of his commands for making public statements that contradicted the administration's policies.
Panmunjom negotiations
United Nations forces met with North Korean and Chinese officials at Panmunjom from 1951 to 1953 for truce talks. The talks dragged on for several months. The main point of contention during the talks was the question surrounding the prisoners of war. Moreover, South Korea was uncompromising in its demand for a unified state
"Limited war"
a war fought to achieve a limited objective, such as containing communism
"Police action"
phrase used to describe the U.S. intervention in Korea in 1950; the United States never officially declared war
Republic of Korea
southern half of Korea occupied by the United States after World War II; developed parliamentary institutions under authoritarian rulers; underwent major industrial and economic growth after the 1950s.
DMZ
the newly U.S. president-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower, went to Korea to learn what might end the Korean War. With the United Nations' acceptance of India's proposed Korean War armistice, the KPA, the PVA, and the UN Command ceased fire with the battle line approximately at the 38th parallel. Upon agreeing to the ceasefire agreement, the belligerents established the Korean Demilitarized Zone that runs northeast of the 38th parallel; to the south, it travels west.
