On 25 June 1950 – at dawn – forces of the Korean People’s Army attacked South Korea. There had been skirmishes along the 38th parallel previously. However, this time the North Korean forces pushed south in an attempt to conquer South Korea and forcibly unify the peninsula under communist rule.
Hostilities were to last 3 years, 1 month, and 3 days. The war would claim between 500,000 and 950,000 total KIA (both sides); in excess of 1,200,000 individuals would be WIA.
The war technically has never ended. The agreement to stop fighting in July 1953 was an armistice, not a permanent settlement. A peace treaty formally ending the war has never been signed.
Korea was the first “hot flare” of the Cold War – though not the last – and was also arguably the most intense. (Vietnam claimed more lives, but US combat operations there were spread over roughly 14 years vice 3.) It was the only Cold War conflict that saw large-scale direct combat between US and Soviet or Chinese forces. That experience was sobering for both sides, and was not repeated again during the Cold War.
Korea is often called “the forgotten war”, though recently it has received more recognition. However, those who fought there – or who have served there – know vividly the war’s impact. It’s still felt today with each inane act of ND:tBF and the rest of North Korea’s leadership.
The US was woefully unprepared when the Korean War began; we struggled mightily the first few weeks. It was very nearly a defeat for the US and the free world.
If nothing else, that’s a lesson from the Korean War we should remember.