How did the U.S. get involved in the Korean War?

1 Answer
May 22, 2016

Because of the Cold War, the U.S. did not want Korea to turn into a communist state.

Explanation:

At the Yalta Conference, it was decided that Korea would be divided at the 38th parallel, with Soviet forces occupying the northern half and U.S. forces occupying the southern half. In May 1948, the communist state Korean Democratic People's Republic (KDPR) was founded in North Korea. In August of the same year, the democratic Republic of Korea (RK) was established in South Korea. By 1949, the U.S. and the USSR had withdrawn most of their troops.

On June 25, 1950, KDPR forces invaded South Korea and attacked RK forces. The RK forces were forced to retreat. On June 27, U.S. President Truman addressed the nation saying that the U.S. was going to intervene in the Korean conflict. He accused the Soviet Union of being behind the attack, as Soviet made tanks and weapons were used in the attacks. He also, of course, said that the U.S. would be stopping the spread of communism in East Asia. This only worsened the strain of the Cold War.