In 1945 Soviet troops in the North and US troops in the South liberated Korea from Japanese control. Hostility between the leadership of these two ‘Koreas’ prevented reunification, and by June 1950 tension grew into conflict with North Korea’s invasion (with Soviet approval) of South Korea. By September 1950, the North controlled the South Korean capital (Seoul) and all but a small area around Pusan.
In September 1950, a United Nations force joined South Korean troops at Pusan and began to repel the invasion. US troops landing at Inchon provided further support. The invading North Korean army was quickly forced back. Although the original intention had been simply to end the invasion, the UN and US troops crossed the 38th Parallel, took the North’s capital (Pyongyang) and by November had advanced as far as the Yalu River (which was close to the border with China).
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