History UsefulNotes / TheKoreanWar

* The historical World War 2 [[miniature wargame {{WarGaming}}]] ''Bolt Action'' has a supplement aptly called ''Korea'' which adds the story of the war, scenarios for battles and army lists. Since the war was very similar to WW2, there aren't many modifications of the rules. Available factions include the Korean People's Army, the Republic of Korea, United States forces, British Commonwealth and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

[[AC:{{Tabletop Games}}]]
* The historical World War 2 [[miniature wargame WarGaming]] ''Bolt Action'' has a supplement aptly called ''Korea'' which adds the story of the war, scenarios for battles and army lists. Since the war was very similar to WW2, there aren't many modifications of the rules. Available factions include the Korean People's Army, the Republic of Korea, United States forces, British Commonwealth and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

* Frank Murphy from ''WesternAnimation/FIsForFamily" speaks often about his time serving in Korea.

* ''Series/ColdCase'': "Shore Leave" centres around the murder of a marine preparing to ship out to Korea.

* GySgt Carter on ''Series/GomerPyleUSMC'' fought in Korea.

* Jack Arnold, the father in ''Series/TheWonderYears'', was a veteran of the Korean War; a first lieutenant in the USMC to judge from his photographs.

* ''Film/SeventyOneIntoTheFire''

* ''Battle Circus'', (1953), which stars Creator/HumphreyBogart and is set at a MASH hospital in Korea

In 2018, a summit was held between the leaders of North and South (between Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in respectively), focusing on phasing out nuclear weapons. US President Donald Trump also met with Kim for 2 summits in 2018 and 2019, although both summits failed to officially end the Korean War. Despite the failure of the summits, many South Koreans remained optimistic for the future of more summit talks and Kim Jong-un scored an 80% approval rating in South Korea. In July 2019, Trump became the first sitting US President to set foot on North Korean sovereign territory when he approached Kim to resume talks.

In 2018, a summit was held between the leaders of North and South (between Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in respectively), focusing on phasing out nuclear weapons. US President Donald Trump also met with Kim for 2 summits in 2018 and 2019, although both summits failed to officially end the Korean War. In July 2019, Trump became the first sitting US President to set foot on North Korean sovereign territory when he approached Kim to resume talks.

** One of the many stories for Dorothy's first sexual encounter with Stan involving him claiming he was going to be shipped off to Korea the next morning and "it would mean so much". Knowing Stan, this was probably a lie, especially considering most other recollections of their first time involving him [[DateRape slipping her something]].

* Both Blanche's late husband and Dorothy's ex-husband were mentioned to have been Korean War veterans on ''Series/TheGoldenGirls''.

Although the US and her allies technically won the war -- their main goal, maintaining South Korean independence, was achieved -- the long bloody stalemate has ensured that the war is remembered as a draw. Another, much more paradoxical, but, ironically, ''official'' point of view was that the war didn't technically happen ''at all''. Y'see, both halves of Korea consider themselves the only legitimate government, with their jurisdiction covering the entire peninsula[[note]]North officially considered Seoul its capital till 1972, and South still appoints governors for the northern provinces[[/note]], and the other contender as rebels and bandits. Thus, in their books, the whole war only counted as a police operation to bring the rebel provinces back, and Southern representatives weren't even present at the signing of the armistice.[[note]]President Rhee's interference with the peace negotiations and his demand that the UN forces fight on, until the whole country was unified (under his leadership, natch) became so annoying that Eisenhower called Rhee's bluff (a demand that, if they didn't fight on, UN forces should leave the country) and threatened to leave him to get stomped by the Chinese if he didn't stop being such a jerk[[/note]] Even stranger, in this perspective, is that no official "country" participated in this war. US and its allies participated as the UN force, not as armed forces of the respective countries. The Chinese were all technically and legally "volunteers." The Soviet pilots [[IWasNeverHere were officially never in Korea]]. And both Koreas denied that the other was a legitimate "country" at all.

The Korean War was largely fought by the same commanders and with the same doctrines, weapons, and equipment as the Second World War. The USA and its allies had counted upon their superiority in nuclear weapons to make up for their lack of conventional armament, and the Soviets only sold obsolescent WWII-vintage armaments to the PRC and DPRK - they kept all armaments designed and produced since 1945 for themselves. However, the war did see the real start of jet-based air combat (jets had been used in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, but only in the very late stages of the war and in no case did jet fight jet). On the plus side, this war took advantage of major advances in antibiotics (penicillin had become as common as sulfa antibiotics), surgery, and transportation (including by helicopter) to create very effective care for the wounded. If you were a UN soldier wounded in combat and arrived at a MASH unit alive in that war, your chances of survival there were a whopping 97%. Amongst the Chinese forces, or European forces just a generation earlier, the average wounded soldier's chances could well have been a mere 50-50.

It's somewhat of a forgotten war in the United States despite seeing just over half as many American deaths as UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar (36,516 vs. 58,209 respectively, and over a far shorter period of time in much higher-intensity combat), 1,109 British deaths and a total body count that must be heading towards 3 million. In North Korea, however, the war has been used ever since as an excuse to villainize the United States and its "puppet government" in South Korea. Most of the population [[UnknownRival is led from birth to believe]] that the US is just waiting for the right moment to come in and "finish the job". Technically, the war is still ongoing as both sides have only ever agreed to a ceasefire, not any peace treaty. This is in large part because a peace treaty would require the two Koreas to officially recognize each other as existing,[[note]]Only the legitimate governments of sovereign nations can be signatories of treaties. Each of the Koreas considers the other to be its own territory and the government thereof to be an illegal rebellion.[[/note]] which they refuse to do. "Restarting" the war is a fairly common plot.[[note]] This is probably less likely to occur now than at any other time since the actual war. Know that big Chinese brother whose assistance to North Korea is all over this page? Word is that they've totally turned their back on North Korea and are at the point that they would welcome Korean unification...''under Seoul's auspices''. At any rate, [[EagleLand the other giant that was involved in the war?]] Is now their no. 1 economic partner, and they ''definitely'' won't risk that for the Kims. Seoul being it's largest import partner doesn't help, either. The entire reason China still provides economic and sometimes political support to North Korea at all is to avoid having to deal with the inevitable flood of North Korean refugees should the Kim regime collapse suddenly. Another reason is that China cannot want the US Army to stand directly at its border. They might want some sort of "demilitarized Korea" deal, but Russia tried to get that after the Cold War and now former Soviet Republic are in NATO. That said, North Korea's raison d'etre is to continue the war, and they may eventually feel the pressure to try again, plus the First Family of Pyongyang aren't known for being especially stable, so the scenario isn't impossible.[[/note]]

In 2018, a summit was held between the leaders of North and South (between Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in respectively), focusing on phasing out nuclear weapons. US President Donald Trump also met with Kim for 2 summits in 2018 to 2019, although both summits failed to officially end the Korean War. In July 2019, Trump became the first sitting US President to enter North Korea when he approached Kim to resume talks.

* Though ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'' primarily focuses on Vietnam, the dossier the player can unlock for protagonist Alex Mason mentions that he served in the USMC Force Recon during Vietnam before being recruited for [[UsefulNotes/BayOfPigsInvasion Operation 40]].

* Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex: This happens in the background of the show and is an important event in the second season.

* The Creator/DaleBrown novel ''Battle Born''

* ''LiveActionTV/DeadliestWarrior'' had an episode featuring a squad-on-squad battle between the US Army Rangers and the NKSOF in this context.

In 2018, a summit was held between the leaders of North and South (between Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in respectively), focusing on phasing out nuclear weapons. US President Donald Trump also met with Kim for 2 summits in 2018 to 2019, although both summits failed to officially end the Korean War.

Geographically at least, the war played out much like a football game in which both teams make it to the final 10-yard line only to fumble. In June 1950 the American forces occupying South Korea were in the process of closing up shop, and the remaining soldiers had grown complacent and were unprepared for a war. Thanks to a probably-justified lack of trust in South Korean president Syngman Rhee, who was [[NotSoDifferent at least as aggressive and belligerent as Kim Il-Sung]], the United States had chosen not to supply the [=ROK’s=] army with any heavy artillery, armor, aircraft, anti-tank weapons, or any vehicle more militarized than a truck, for fear that he would cause unwanted trouble with his neighbors. When the North Korean army crossed the 38th parallel with a massive array of Soviet-made tanks and other firepower, it met ineffective resistance and quickly pushed the American and South Korean forces to the southern part of the peninsula. Even US reinforcements flown in from Japan (the hastily-assembled and ill-fated [[http://www.historynet.com/rush-disaster-task-force-smith.htm Task Force Smith]], who were also sent in without any armor or anti-tank weapons) did little to stop the North Korean advance, but the US & SK forces finally established a solid defensive line around the port-city of Busan (which became the temporary capital of the South after UsefulNotes/{{Seoul}} was taken).

!!Tropes that describe this event:

* BigDamnHeroes: The Inchon landing, following an attempted occupation by North Korea of South Korea. Also, Operation Ripper, (AKA the fourth battle of Seoul) and the Turkish led battle of Wawon.
* TheCavalry: The America-lead UN force is this for South Korea, and Chinese PVA is this for North Korea.
* CurbStompBattle: Oh just too many of them: North Korea inflicted a series of this on South Korea, then they received a series of this from the Americans. Then the Americans received a series of this from the Chinese just when they thought the war was about to finish, then the Chinese received a series of this from the Americans because their equipment and logistical situations were hopeless...In the end Korea was still divided, with minimal border adjustments... [[WarIsHell except hundreds of thousands of people died, yikes.]]
* DeclarationofProtection: After the war, the Mutual defence treaty between America and South Korea can be seen as this. Also, the UN security council resolution 82 on an international scale. Also, China and North Korea have a mutual defence treaty after the war.
* HomeByChristmas: The UN command under [=MacArthur=] launched the Home-by-Christmas Offensive on 24th November 1950, aimed to finish off the remnant of North Korean forces and the "small" Chinese force present in North Korea ([=MacArthur=] and the UN command vastly underestimated the strength of Chinese forces present). The ensuing campaign was a humiliating defeat as a result of over-confidence, poor intelligence and inappropriate planning, [[EpicFail the UN forces were almost shattered completely and routed back to South Korea for refit.]]
* PathOfMostResistance: On one instance in Nov 1950, a ROK unit deployed near the Chinese-DPRK border was shelled by heavy mortar, which lead the UN command to believe they were near the last remnants of DPRK forces, which they were seeking to destroy. Only after a small number of skirmishes did it reveal that [[OhCrap they would be facing the newly arrived Chinese.]]
* SchmuckBait: China warned that it would intervene if the UN forces crossed the 38th parallel to invade North Korea. The UN command went for it anyway.
* TankGoodness: North Korea used T-34 tanks extensively in the initial phase of the war, the South Koreans had almost no countermeasures against them. Most of the North Korean armoured forces were destroyed as soon as the USA got involved, though.
* TemptingFate: [=MacArthur=] again. On 15th October 1950 he speculated [[MillionToOneChance that the risk of Chinese intervention in Korea was small]], and assured that a Chinese advance to Pyongyang would be "the greatest slaughter". Chinese forces started arriving in North Korea on 19th October, and [[NotSoInvincibleAfterAll UN command was forced to abandon all occupied territories in North Korea, including Pyongyang, on 3rd December 1950, after suffering a series of defeats.]]
** And Mao, on December 11, 1950, the UN command sued for status quo ante bellum peace with China, which means the border between two Koreas would remain at the 38th parallel. However, Mao refused the offer and ordered an offensive to "at least push to the 36th parallel". Which failed badly and caused heavy casualties for the PVA.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverKill: Averted with [[https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1P3-70550007/van-fleet-loads Van Fleet Load]] during the Battle of Triangle Hills. General Van Fleet concentrated a spectacular amount of artillery fire on Chinese positions in hope to batter the defenders, [[NoSell but the main Chinese forces were mostly intact despite being bombarded]], due to extensive field fortification and concealment. The UN forces suffered much higher casualties than they anticipated as a result.


----
%%!!Tropes as portrayed in fiction:

[=MacArthur=] promptly advocated the nuclear carpet-bombing of PRC cities to disrupt their supply lines (making him every bit as much of a GeneralRipper as the later [[Film/DrStrangelove movie version]]) and [[UsefulNotes/HarryTruman President Truman]] had no choice but to fire him after he did so in public[[note]]Like most historical events, it was far more complicated than that. Essentially, [=MacArthur=] wanted to follow up the carpet-bombing with an invasion of northern China. Truman, being possessed of a brain and an ounce of humanity, didn't. However, [=MacArthur=] was dead-set in his plan, and ultimately made it clear that he was going to ignore the orders issued by the President (who is, after all, Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces), and Truman had no choice but to ask for his resignation. However, [=MacArthur=] essentially walked into the meeting with the President ''knowing that would happen'', and baited Truman into doing so. They actually parted amicably, agreeing that both sides had done what they needed to do: Truman would get to run the war the sane way, and [=MacArthur=] would get out of the war with his integrity intact[[/note]]. Breathing a sigh of relief, the PRC's leadership went ahead with urban education and bomb-shelter programmes anyway just in case the USA changed its mind about nuking them. This led a generation of Chinese kids to fear an American nuclear holocaust. How nice.

The closest the USA ever came to using several hundred nuclear weapons upon the People's Republic of China, the Korean War of 1950-53 is known as "the 6.25 War" (the war began on the 25th of June) or just "6.25" in UsefulNotes/SouthKorea, the "Fatherland Liberation War" in UsefulNotes/NorthKorea, and 'the ''Series/{{MASH}}'' war' in the English-speaking world. The two Koreas are still ''de jure'' at war, as they only ever agreed to a ceasefire, but ''de facto'' at peace, as no serious fighting has ensued in the decades since the ceasefire was concluded. On April 27, 2018, the two Koreas agreed to officially end the war, but despite this declaration, no official peace has yet been signed and so the war continued in the form of diplomacy and political, geographic divide.

The closest the USA ever came to using several hundred nuclear weapons upon the People's Republic of China, the Korean War of 1950-53 is known as "the 6.25 War" (the war began on the 25th of June) or just "6.25" in UsefulNotes/SouthKorea, the "Fatherland Liberation War" in UsefulNotes/NorthKorea, and 'the ''Series/{{MASH}}'' war' in the English-speaking world. The two Koreas are still ''de jure'' at war, as they only ever agreed to a ceasefire, but ''de facto'' at peace, as no serious fighting has ensued in the decades since the ceasefire was concluded. On April 27, 2018, the two Koreas agreed to officially end the war, but despite this declaration, no official peace has yet been signed and so the war continued in the form of diplomacy and political, geographic divide (hence converting to a cold war).

The closest the USA ever came to using several hundred nuclear weapons upon the People's Republic of China, the Korean War of 1950-53 is known as "the 6.25 War" (the war began on the 25th of June) or just "6.25" in UsefulNotes/SouthKorea, the "Fatherland Liberation War" in UsefulNotes/NorthKorea, and 'the ''Series/{{MASH}}'' war' in the English-speaking world. The two Koreas are still ''de jure'' at war, as they only ever agreed to a ceasefire, but ''de facto'' at peace, as no serious fighting has ensued in the decades since the ceasefire was concluded. On April 27, 2018, the two Koreas agreed to officially end the war, but despite this declaration, no official peace has yet been signed.

In 2018, a summit was held between the leaders of North and South, focusing on phasing out nuclear weapons, and, at long last, working towards ''officially ending the Korean War'' and establishing a new age of peace for the Korean peninsula. Stay tuned for further developments.

[=MacArthur=] promptly advocated the nuclear carpet-bombing of PRC cities to disrupt their supply lines (making him every bit as much of a GeneralRipper as the later [[Film/DrStrangelove movie version]]) and [[UsefulNotes/HarryTruman President Truman]] has no choice but to fire him after he does so in public[[note]]Like most historical events, it was far more complicated than that. Essentially, [=MacArthur=] wanted to follow up the carpet-bombing with an invasion of northern China. Truman, being possessed of a brain and an ounce of humanity, didn't. However, [=MacArthur=] was dead-set in his plan, and ultimately made it clear that he was going to ignore the orders issued by the President (who is, after all, Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces), and Truman had no choice but to ask for his resignation. However, [=MacArthur=] essentially walked into the meeting with the President ''knowing that would happen'', and baited Truman into doing so. They actually parted amicably, agreeing that both sides had done what they needed to do: Truman would get to run the war the sane way, and [=MacArthur=] would get out of the war with his integrity intact[[/note]]. Breathing a sigh of relief, the PRC's leadership goes ahead with urban education and bomb-shelter programmes anyway just in case the USA changes its mind about nuking them. This makes the first generation of Chinese kids to fear nuclear holocaust from America. How nice.

* Bigdammheroes: The Inchon landing, following an attempted occupation by North Korea of South Korea. Also, Operation Ripper, (AKA the fourth battle of Seoul) and the Turkish led battle of Wawon.

* ''The Bridges at Toko-Ri'' (1954)

And in a sane world, that's where the war would've ended, after only a single bloody year. But negotiations dragged on for two more years, and men continued to die by the thousands with no territorial gains for either side (much like UsefulNotes/WorldWarI a generation earlier, only this time with jets). The Soviet Union snuck in some pilots, partly as a show of solidarity with the PRC but also to gain experience in modern air-to-air combat. The UN forces knew they were there, but weren't keen on starting a war with the RedsWithRockets.[[note]]American and British fighter pilots had standing orders to kill any enemy fighter pilot suspected of being a Russian. Not shoot him down, ''kill him''. This was to send a message to the Soviets, who insisted that [[BlatantLies every MiG-15 was being flown by a "brave Chinese volunteer."]] Such an order would be against [[TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar The Geneva Conventions]] if said pilot was killed after ejecting. [[/note]]

And in a sane world, that's where the war would've ended, after only a single bloody year. But negotiations dragged on for two more years, and men continued to die by the thousands with no territorial gains for either side (much like UsefulNotes/WorldWarI a generation earlier, only this time with jets). The Soviet Union snuck in some pilots, partly as a show of solidarity with the PRC but also to gain experience in modern air-to-air combat. The UN forces knew they were there, but weren't keen on starting a war with the RedsWithRockets.[[note]]American and British fighter pilots had standing orders to kill any enemy fighter pilot suspected of being a Russian. Not shoot him down, ''kill him''. This was to send a message to the Soviets, who insisted that [[BlatantLies every MiG-15 was being flown by a "brave Chinese volunteer."]] [[/note]]