Korean and Vietnam Wars

Although there are varying accounts from different worldviews, who effectively started the Korean War by marching across the 38th parallel on June 25, 1950?

• China

• North Korea

• South Korea

• The United States

Answer explanation

On June 25, 1950, North Koreans swept across the 38th parallel in a surprise attack on South Korea. Within days, North Korean troops had penetrated deep into the south.

Who did the United States support during the Korean War?

• North Korea

• South Korea

Answer explanation

U.S. President Truman’s foreign policy of containment was being put to the test, and Truman resolved to help South Korea resist communism.

Who supported North Korea during the Korean War? (Select two.)

• China

• The Soviet Union

• The United States

• South Korea

Answer explanation

Communist states themselves, both China and the Soviet Union supported North Korea at some point during the Korean War.

How did the Korean War end?

• North Koreans captured Seoul and unified Korea as a communist nation.

• South Koreans captured Pyongyang unified Korea as an anti-communist nation.

• A ceasefire was signed with neither side victorious and Korea remained divided.

Answer explanation

A ceasefire was signed in 1953. The border between the two Koreas was set near the 38th parallel, almost where it had been before the war. In the meantime, 4 million soldiers and civilians had died.

Which of the following statements is false concerning the Korean peninsula?

• Kim Jong Un is the current "supreme leader" of North Korea.

• South Korea has fared much better economically than North Korea since the war.

• South Koreans lack basic human rights.

• A demilitarized zone divides North and South Korea.

Answer explanation

All of the selections are true except for this answer. Rather, it is North Korea that lacks basic human rights.

Who served as president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in North Vietnam?

• Kim Il-sung

• Ho Chi Minh

• Ngo Dinh Diem

• Emperor Bao Dai

Answer explanation

After WWII, seeing an opportunity to seize control, Ho Chi Minh's forces took over the northern city of Hanoi and declaring a Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) with Ho as president.

What was the "domino theory"?

• American politicians used this principle to limit the number of troops that were committed to the defense of South Vietnam.

• The U.S. held that if one Southeast Asian country fell to communism, many other countries would follow.

Answer explanation

Working under the “domino theory,” U.S. President Kennedy increased U.S. aid to South Vietnam. His successor, President Johnson, greatly increased the number of U.S. troops in Vietnam during the mid-to-late 1960s.

The Vietnam war ended in 1975 when...

• North Vietnam surrendered.

• U.S. forces invaded Cambodia.

• U.S. President Nixon signed a peace treaty with North Vietnam.

• North Vietnam gained control of South Vietnam's capital - Saigon.

Answer explanation

In 1973, the United States and North Vietnam concluded a final peace agreement, ending open hostilities between the two nations. War between North and South Vietnam continued, however, until 1975, when DRV forces captured Saigon, renaming it Ho Chi Minh City. In 1976, Vietnam was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Which statement is false regarding the attached map?

• "A" represents Cambodia.

• "B" represents Vietnam.

• "C" represents China.

• "D" represents North Korea.

Answer explanation

"A" represents Laos.

Which statement is false concerning the similarities and differences between the Korean War and Vietnam War?

• Both were started and fought to spread (and alternatively, contain) communism.

• Both were conflicts that occurred during the Cold War.

• The Vietnam War ended before the ceasefire was signed in Korea.

• Korea remained divided following its conflict, while Vietnam was unified.

Answer explanation

North and South Korea signed a ceasefire agreement in 1953. The war in Vietnam ended in 1975.