Why Did America Fight the Korean War? | 5 Minute Video
What was the Korean War? And why was America involved in such a faraway conflict? Was the United States’ sacrifice–35,000 killed, over 100,000 wounded–worth it? Historian Victor Davis Hanson, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, shares the fascinating story of a transformative war that many have forgotten.
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Script:
Mention the Korean War today and most people will look at you with a blank stare. At the time it was fought, just five years after World War II ended, everyone recognized it as a world-shaping conflict, a stark confrontation between the forces of democracy and communism.
It began on June 25, 1950 when Soviet-backed communist North Korea crossed the 38th parallel and invaded its US-backed anti-communist South Korean neighbor. Within weeks the communists had nearly absorbed the entire country. The United States at first was confused over whether it should—or even could—respond. America had slashed its military budget after the end of World War II and was short both men and equipment. It still had not awakened fully to the expansionist threat of Soviet Russia.
The Soviets—buoyed by their own recent development of an atomic bomb and Mao Zedong’s communist victory in China—sensed America’s lack of resolve and encouraged the North’s aggression. Yet within weeks President Harry Truman rushed troops to save the shrinking Allied perimeter at Pusan on the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula. And by late September, 1950, General Douglas MacArthur had successfully completed the Inchon landings and launched counter-attacks.
He quickly reclaimed the entire south and sent American-led United Nations forces far into North Korea to reunite the entire peninsula—only to be surprised when hundreds of thousands of Chinese Red Army troops crossed the Yalu River at the Chinese border and sent the outnumbered Americans reeling back into South Korea.
Thanks to the genius of General Matthew Ridgeway, who arrived to assume supreme command in South Korea in December 1950, over the next 100 days US led UN forces pushed the communists back across the 38th Parallel. The fighting was fierce. Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, exchanged hands between communist and US led forces five times before it was finally secured.
During the years 1952 and 1953, the war grew static, neither side able to deliver a knockout blow. Eventually the conflict ended with a tense armistice in July 1953. For over the next 60 years, a cold war persisted between the Stalinist North and what, by the 1980s, had evolved into the democratic, economic powerhouse of South Korea.
Over 35,000 Americans died in the Korean War. The war marked the first major armed conflict of the Nuclear Age, and one in which the United States had not clearly defeated the enemy and thus not dictated terms of surrender. Was fighting the Korean War and restoring the South—without uniting the entire peninsula—worth the huge cost in blood and treasure?
The natural dividend of saving the South was the evolution of today’s democratic and prosperous South Korea that has given its 50 million citizens undreamed of freedom and affluence—and has blessed the world with topflight products from the likes of Hyundai, Kia, LG and Samsung.
South Korea is a model global citizen and a strong ally of the U.S.—and stands in sharp contrast to the communist regime in the North that has starved and murdered millions of its own people and caused untold mischief in the world community. Had it not been for U.S. intervention and support to the South, the current monstrous regime in Pyongyang would now rule all of Korea, ensuring its nuclear-armed dictatorship even greater power and resources.
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source
자유대한민국을 수호하기 위해 목숨을 바치신 미국과 연합군 참전용사분들 덕분에 잘 살고 있습니다.
감사드립니다.
Thank you for your service
They stopped zerg rush from communists.
Those of us who served there, its not Forgotten.
In front of the Chinese side, the United States does not have the qualification to say that it wants to speak to China from a position of strength.
YES IT WAS FREAKING WORTH IT!!! My mom is Korean she was just 7 years old when the war began. If it weren't for AMERICA fighting for us, she would be cuaght in comunist Korea probably dead before she would have me. But my grandmother fell in love with an american soldier, he brought her and my mom back to the US and she's still living today, and so am I! Grateful, thankful for every single one of those 35,000+ soldiers who gave their lives for us! You are truly heroes!
Thanks
I know US divided my country for buffer zone and supported brutal dictators..but still, their soldiers were died on this peninsula. US and UN force was the only reason i don’t live in northern part. Huge respect to them.
I always hope korean unification and we can protect ourselves.
South Korea is a U.S Stooge, Like Taiwan, Philipines and I$rael.
Already, nothing but brainless propaganda. Just like Ukraine. No mention of how Korea got to that war in the first place.
PragerU: If you were never thought of or created at all, North America would have definitely become a pile of ashes and rubble. God Bless you for your tireless effort to put new loads of wisdom in trillions of people!❣️💖💘💝
And yet all the anti communist wars were unconstitutional, never formally declared and created the rise of spying on the American people and many other unethical and unconstitutional acts that persist today. And despite all that this country is becoming increasingly authoritarian just like the communist.
Love how this guy just omits why Macarthur was removed.
im sorry but those people at the beginning
Pretty good. I thought Mr Hanson overstated a bit the "expansionist threat" of the USSR, at 0:48. It dominated the Eastern European countries, yes, but those were the fruits of a very costly victory and had more or less been conceded at Yalta. Otherwise, was it not more a "cautious bear"?
Sure enough when the setback came its origin was not from Russia but from China. Mao may have felt as nervous about having US troops on his border as Truman might have felt about having Chinese ones in British Columbia.
As a Chinese,I am proud that we had beaten the American invaders.
So… It was fought to preserve capitalism…
1:04 Isn't it Busan??
In fact, China was also the best ally of the United States and South Korea from 1919 to 1949 before communism ruled China. China's founding father, Sun Yat-sen, helped the Koreans establish a government-in-exile in Shanghai (Korea was being colonized by Japan at the time). Even the United Nations Army can be regarded as China and the United States jointly supporting South Korea, because at that time China’s legal seat in the United Nations belonged to the Chiang Kai-shek regime of the Republic of China. As one of the founding countries of the United Nations, the Kuomintang government still firmly supported the Korean people to resist North Korean invasion, even though they had lost all of their territory on the mailand. What a trustworthy country！ So I don't hope Koreans to hate me who was born in China because of communism, I love Korea.❤❤❤🇰🇷🇰🇷🇰🇷
The US involving in the Korean War had nothing to do with Americans wanting to help South Korea. It was for their bigger agenda which is to fight communism better in case a war broke out between the US and Soviet Union/China. After the defeat of Japan in WW2, the US originally only decided to occupy Japan and not control any beyond that. But the US feared, thinking that if entire Korea becomes communist, then Japan could also fall to communism. This makes sense. Japan would have to fight military forces of the Soviet Union, China and Unified Korea under communism. That is some major power to deal with. So the US decided to go to war and take over Korea under their control as well. Korea was already divided even before the Korean War. Guess who divided the country into two? The US and the Soviet Union. The US drew and made the 38th Line, DMZ. It wasn't Koreans. Why did the US took over Phillipines and have base there? Again, it's for China in case they try to invade Taiwan. Having bases in Korea, and Japan also give advantages to the US if a war between China and Taiwan breaks out.
Actually America wasn’t the only country that fought in korea. And a lot of men from all over the globe fought for freedom agains maoism, communism and marxism in the southern part of Korean Peninsula.
I’m separating from the US Air Force this month. I’ve been serving at Osan AB in Korea for over four years. This past week my Korean wife and I applied for her visa at the US embassy. Next door to the embassy is an amazing museum dedicated to the Korean War and South Koreans appreciation for America, their greatest and most thankful ally.
My wife isn’t very into history but even as we were going through the museum she pointed out the American Generals who Korea holds as heroes. Specifically the Incheon invasion and how crucial it was.
My grandfather served in the Navy on the USS New Jersey during the war. He passed in 2021 but he’s the only one in my family that served before me.
I don’t know if it’s the emotion of me leaving this country or the impact that museum had on me but… man when the video asked “was it worth it?” I got tears in my eyes. I seriously love this country probably more than my own. The people are so humble and welcoming. It’s safe, prosperous and beautiful wherever you go.
I’d gladly give my life for this country. I’m so thankful to those who fought against the evils of communism because without their sacrifices over 53 million people wouldn’t be free. Thank you to any of my brothers or sisters who served. And thank you to all of you or your families who fought the war for freedom in the 50s 😢❤
35000 dead
Ironically the same us then invaded another free country Iraq and did a military takeover
Standard proxy war of US fascisam that did not went the way they wanted. But they were happy about a brutal genocide they committed before and during the war, I guess, being the demonish genocide nation they are with many million innocent slaughtered worldwide since 2.WW.
I thought the United States started the Korean War? (That’s what Great Leader said) 🤨
My Great-uncle fought in the Korean War with the Canadian Navy, HMCS Nootka, he deserves recognition.
It was a just war. I commend amerika for fighting it. My countrymen also fought that war.
My uncle John fought in the Korean War. He served in the PPCLI (Canada.)
without the korean war, blackpink would never exist
Thank you Victor Davis Hansen for the video. My uncle died a hero in this war and was awarded a Silver Star & a Purple Heart. I’m so grateful for all those thankful Korean hearts that took the time to post their gratitude. It stills my soul to know he did not die in vain.