PROXY WARS: HOW THE EAST AND WEST FOUGHT

THE KOREAN WAR, 1950–1953

“THE CAPITAL OF SOUTH KOREA, SEOUL, CHANGED NO FEWER THAN FOUR TIMES”

After Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II, Korea – which had been under Japanese control since 1910 – was divided into two zones along the 38th Parallel. The United States administered the southern half, while the north came under the jurisdiction of the Soviet Union. The intention was for reunification, but the Cold War escalated and this never happened. Instead, in 1948, two separate states were established along clear ideological lines. The Republic of Korea (South) embraced capitalism, while the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North) became a communist regime.

Both wished for a unified country – as long as it was on their ideological terms, so tensions were sharp and ever-present. Then in the spring of 1950, Soviet premier Joseph Stalin and Chinese chairman Mao Zedong approved an invasion of the South by North Korea. The aggression was