The Korean peninsula shot into prominence in 1950 when it became the theatre of a major war between the communists and the United Nations forces led by United States.

Geographical Location:
The Korean peninsula lies in North East Asia. The Potsdam Conference of July 1945 designated 38th Parallel as the dividing line between American and Soviet forces. The DPRK and the Republic of Korea were declared in 1948.

North Korea:
North Korea covers an area of 47399 square miles and has a population of 23,904,124. It has China and Russia on North and South Korea on South. It is a communist state. Currently Kim Jong II is the leader of the government since July 1994. Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea.

South Korea:
South Korea has an area of 38375 square miles. It has a population of 45,482,291, which mostly consists of Christians and Buddhists. Currently Kim Young Sam is the President of South Korea. Seoul with a population of 10.8 million is the capital whereas Pusan, Taegu and Inchon are other major cities of the country.

Historical Background:
Korea is an ancient land. In the 7th century A.D. it was a united empire under the Silla Dynasty. In the subsequent centuries it remained a part of the Chinese Kingdom. It became an independent country in 1895. Japan's victories in the war with China in 1894-95 and with Russia in 1904-5 gave her a free hand in Korea which was annexed in 1910. It failed to recover its independence although a provisional government was established under the presidency of Syngman Rhee. In the Cairo Conference held in 1943 USA, USSR and Britain agreed to grant independence to Korea after the war. In 1945 the Japanese surrendered to USSR and US separately which resulted in the division of Korea into two parts along the 38th Parallel. The super powers USA, USSR and Britain agreed to place Korea under trusteeship for five years as no agreement could be reached on a national government there. In February 1946 the USSR set up a provisional communist government in the North. It was followed by the formation of Republic of South Korea in May 1948. The Soviet forces left North Korea in December 1948 whereas the US troops vacated South Korea in 1949.

Korean War (1950-1953):
The withdrawal of Russian and American forces from the peninsula by 1949 left the Korea under two governments. Elections were held in South Korea in the first half of 1950 and there was a talk of reunification in the North Korea. The things were going smoothly when suddenly on 25th June 1950 the troops of Peoples Democratic Republic of Korea attacked the South Korea and captured Seoul. The Veterans Affairs Canada (http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/koreawar) mentions on their front page

On June 25, 1950 the forces of North Korea crossed the 38th Parallel into the Republic of Korea. This marked the beginning of hostilities, which were to rage for three full years and more, throughout that country known to its people as the Land of the Morning Calm. The magnitude of the assault made it clear that this was a full-scale invasion.1

The Security Council met at the request of US and called upon North Korea to withdraw its troops south of 38th Parallel. The Security Council passed another resolution on 27th June in which it asked all the members to help South Korea to repel the attack. Meanwhile President Truman of USA ordered General Douglas MacArthur in Tokyo to provide military support to the South Koreans. The United Nations condemned the invasion, and 16 member states sent troops to fight under the Supreme Command of General MacArthur. In the initial stages the North Koreans gained quick successes and crossing the 38th Parallel they pushed their enemy forces to the very tip of the Korean peninsula. However General MacArthur landed forces at 1nchon, a point north of the advancing army of North Korea. This move forced the North Koreans to fall back. As a result the UN forces pushed the army of North Korea further north of 38th Parallel. This retreat alarmed the Chinese who suspected American intentions in the war. Consequently in order to forestall the advance of UN forces Chinese communist volunteers in large numbers joined the war on the side of North Korea in November 1950. The combined strength of China and North Korea turned the tables on the enemy and pushed it back to the 38th Parallel once more. In January 1951 Chinese launched their second offensive and captured Seoul. Thus the Korean War took a serious turn and almost became a US-Chinese affair. The war dragged on with more fervor on both sides. The fighting took a turn in March 1951 when the UN forces succeeded in liberating Seoul from the Chinese. In the meantime differences developed between President Truman and General MacArthur because the former did not accept latter's proposal to use atomic bomb against China. Consequently General MacArthur was dismissed from his office on April 11, 1951. Later on, the Korean War continued for another two years with neither side achieving any major break-through. Eventually an armistice was signed in July 1953, which brought to a close the three-year war that at times threatened to develop into a global conflict.

North and South Korea (from 1953 to Present):
After the conclusion of Korean War in 1953 the North and the South became hostile to each other. During this period of confrontation which lasted till the seventies Beijing emerged as North Korea's closest ally. But, especially after the Sino-Soviet split Moscow competed for influence by providing arms to the Kim Il Sung regime. The United States felt concerned about the dangers of war damaging its key Asian ally Japan and encouraged South Korea to concentrate on economic development. With strong American support heavy Japanese investment and strong arm-military rule in Seoul, the South Korean economy began to boom. In the North the rule of Marshal Kim Il Sung continued uninterrupted through the seventies. However in South Korea General Park Chung Hee seized power in 1961 after Rhee's flight to Hawaii in 1960. Park was selected President in 1963, 1967 and 1971.

By this time idea of reunification of North and South gained ground. As a result both the Koreas held talks in 1972 and 1979 on the peaceful unification of fatherland but no success could be achieved because South did not concede the withdrawal of foreign troops from its soil. Martial law was declared in the South in May 1980 when the students agitated for political reforms. The year 1984-85 witnessed resumption of talks for unification but these too did not go beyond a few dozen visits in either direction to see relatives. In 1988 the South Korea gained international prestige by hosting Olympic Games in Seoul. In September 1990 South Korea developed full diplomatic relations with Moscow and later on held Prime Ministerial Summit with North Korea. After the disintegration of USSR, North Korea could see it was under increasing pressure to capitulate to the South. Russian aid dried up and China wanted calm environment. North Korea apparently attempted to develop nuclear weapons as an ultimate guarantor of independence, but international pressure in 1992 seemed to slow the programme. Two years later on August 13, 1994 the North Korea and US signed an interim agreement to solve the nuclear issue peacefully. The same year Kim Il Sung died after a rule of more than forty years and was succeeded by his son Kim Jong Il.

1. Veterans Affairs Canada. The Korean War. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on July 02, 2001
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/koreawar