Korean War

From 1910 until August 1945, Korea had been annexed by Japan. Near the ending of World War II, the Japanese north of the 38th parallel were forced to surrender to the Soviets, while those south had surrendered to the Americans. The results created a Northern communist part of Korea that was ruled by Kim Il Sung, and a Southern democratic part of Korea that was democratic. After WWII, the American troops left, leaving only 500 remaining in the south.
On June 25th, 1950, the North Koreans attacked the south, causing the Korean War. South Korea then called the UN to help stop the invasion, and Soviets were not able to veto the plan, due to being busy with boycotting the presence of Nationalist China (Taiwan). President Truman also gave support to the south by ordering the troops in Japan to help. Eventually, there were 16 nations in total sending aid, and adding 520,000 troops to South Korea's 590,000. WWII hero, General Douglas MacArthur was assigned to lead them.

On September 15th, 1950, a surprise attack was launched at Ichon, while other troops moved north from Pusan. The North Koreans were trapped. Half of the troops surrendered, while the others fled back to the 38th parallel, only to be chased down by the UN army.

Meanwhile, China's foreign minister Zhou En-lai ordered not to let Americans come. 300,000 chinese troops were sent to aid North Korea, and they managed to drive out all of the forces away. MacArthur requested permission to attack China, though President Truman rejected it due to the fear of WWIII.

On June 23rd, 1953, both sides agreed on a cease-fire on the battle line, and the establishment of a demelitarized zone. An armistice was created in July, ending the Korean War. The US had ended up sacraficing 54,000 lives, and $67 billion.