Background

The war had its origin in the refusal of the Soviet Union to allow a unified Korea to be established by free elections, supervised by the UN, after World War II. When two republics, separated by the 38th parallel, were established, the seeds of conflict were planted. With the support of the Soviet Union, North Korea built an army much stronger than South Korea's. North Korea's leaders apparently interpreted United States foreign policy to mean that the United States would not defend South Korea. The UN, they felt, would be powerless. By conquering South Korea, the Communists would control the entire Korean peninsula, which forms a bridge between Japan and the mainland of Asia.