The Korean War

The Korean War

Learning target:

*Students will examine the potential causes of the Korean War, its events, and lasting impact.

​Click play and listen to my short lecture

Who started the Korean War?

Open Ended

According to textbook A, how did the Korean War start?

Upset by the fast and astonishing growth of the power of the Republic, the American invaders hastened the preparation of an aggressive war in order to destroy it in its infancy....The American imperialists furiously carried out the war project in 1950....The American invaders who had been preparing the war for a long time, alongside their puppets, finally initiated the war on June 25th of the 39th year of the Juche calendar. That dawn, the enemies unexpectedly attacked the North half of the Republic, and the war clouds hung over the once peaceful country, accompanied by the echoing roar of cannons. 

Having passed the 38th parallel, the enemies crawled deeper and deeper into the North half of the Republic...the invading forces of the enemies had to be eliminated and the threatened fate of our country and our people had to be saved.

Open Ended

According to textbook B, how did the Korean War start?

When the overthrow of the South Korean government through social confusion became too difficult, the North Korean communists switched to a stick-and-carrot strategy: seeming to offer peaceful negotiations, they were instead analyzing the right moment of attack and preparing themselves for it. 

The North Korean communists prepared themselves for war. Kim Il-sung secretly visited the Soviet Union and was promised the alliance of the Soviets and China in case of war. Finally, at dawn on June 25th, 1950 the North began their southward aggression along the 38th parallel. Taken by surprise at these unexpected attacks, the army of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) fought courageously to defend the liberty of the country....The armed provocation of the North Korean communists brought the UN Security Council around the table. A decree denounced the North Korean military action as illegal and as a threat to peace, and a decision was made to help the South. The UN army constituted the armies of 16 countries—among them, the United States, Great Britain and France—joined the South Korean forces in the battle against the North.

Open Ended

Which textbook do you find more trustworthy? Why do you find it more trustworthy? (Use specific examples)

Drag and Drop

Which of these sources is for textbook A and which is for textbook B?



Kim, Doojin. Korean History: Senior High. (Seoul, South Korea: Dae HanTextbook Co.), 2001. Textbook  ​ ​

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B

A

Drag and Drop

Which of these sources is for textbook A and which is for textbook B?



KHistory of the Revolution of our Great Leader Kim Il-sun: High School. (Pongyang, North Korea: Textbook Publishing Co., 1999).  ​ ​

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A

B

Open Ended

HOW DOES TEXTBOOK C COMPARE TO THE OTHERS? WHERE DO YOU THINK THIS TEXTBOOK IS FROM?

Textbook C

…Both Kim and Rhee were devoted Nationalists who wanted to reunite the two halves of Korea. However, they strongly disagreed about how the unified country should be governed. 

By 1949, under a UN agreement both the United States and the Soviet Union had withdrawn their troops from Korea, although both nations left advisors in place.  Negotiations intended to reunite the peninsula went nowhere leaving the two nations glaring at each other across the 38th Parallel. Each government claimed the sole right to rule all of Korea.

On June 25th 1950, North Korean forces swept across the 38th parallel in a surprise attack on South Korea.  Supported by money and materials from the Soviet Union, the North Koreans intended to take control of all of Korea through one quick strike.

Open Ended

Who do you believe started the Korean war? Use evidence from the text to support your decision!

Claim/Hypothesis

Guide

Restate the question and provide the why

Provide answers (evidence) from the documents to support your claim.

Open Ended

Use your headphones to watch the video and answer the following question:

Who are the two leaders of North and South Korea? Who was sent to aid the South Koreans? How does China Impact this war? How did the Korean War end and what is the result?

Hotspot

Which point is the area in which the United Nations forces were "boxed in" at

Hotspot

Which point is the area where Douglas McArthur landed his surprise attack behind North Korean Lines

Hotspot

The Yalu River where the Chinese warned The United States not to cross

Hotspot

The DMZ that was defined after the Armistice was signed