IB History Reasons for the Korean War Key Definitions

The force of Chinese troops that intervened in the Korean War in October–November 1950, officially described as "volunteers" to avoid a formal declaration of war against the United States. The CPVA numbered around 300,000 in its initial intervention and eventually exceeded 1 million troops, transforming the military balance in Korea.

The official name of North Korea, established on 9 September 1948 under Kim Il Sung with Soviet backing. The DPRK also claimed sovereignty over the entire peninsula, making both Korean states rival governments from the moment of their founding.

US Army general who commanded UN forces in Korea from 1950 to April 1951. He planned the Inchon landing (September 1950) that reversed the North Korean advance. Truman dismissed him after he publicly demanded the right to strike Chinese territory and use nuclear weapons, violating the policy of limited war.

Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) was the communist leader of North Korea from 1948 until his death. Backed by the Soviet Union, he built a one-party state modelled on Stalinist lines and led the June 1950 invasion of South Korea that started the Korean War. After the armistice of 1953, he ruled North Korea as a personal dictatorship and established the Juche ideology of self-reliance.

The official name of South Korea, established on 15 August 1948 under Syngman Rhee with American backing. The ROK claimed sovereignty over the entire Korean peninsula and was recognised by the United Nations as the legitimate government of Korea.

Syngman Rhee (1875-1965) was the first president of South Korea, serving from 1948 to 1960. An ardent anti-communist backed by the United States, he governed the Republic of Korea authoritarianly and repeatedly called for the forcible reunification of the peninsula. He resigned in 1960 following student-led protests against election fraud.

A system of administration in which a territory is placed under the supervision of an external power or international body rather than being granted immediate independence. After 1945, the US and USSR agreed in principle to a joint trusteeship over Korea before full independence could be arranged.

UN Security Council Resolution 82, passed on 25 June 1950, condemned the North Korean invasion of South Korea and called for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal. Resolution 83, passed two days later, recommended that member states provide military assistance to South Korea. The Soviet Union was boycotting the Security Council at the time and could not veto these resolutions.