I was drafted during the Korean War. None of us wanted to go. It was only a couple of years after World War II had ended. We said, “Wait a second? Didn’t we just go through with that?”
–Clint Eastwood
Korea was under the governance of Japan before the end of the World War II. As a result of an agreement with the US, the Soviets declared war and were able to liberate the North of Korea leaving room for the US occupation of the South. The Cold war also emphasised the differences between the two countries as a result of which Korea was split into two countries as they both believed themselves to be the legitimate rules of Korea. It wasn’t until the North, backed up by the Chinese and Soviets, invaded the South in an attempt to take over and unite the country. The US provided 88 percent of the force provided by the UN for the defence of South Korea. It was the first time in History that air to air combat was seen between both the countries. The war, though relatively short, was exceptionally bloody. As it came to an end in 1953, nearly 5 million people had passed away including soldiers and innocent civilians and more than a 100,000 people were left wounded. Due to the fact that no peace treaty was signed, the two countries still remain in a state of war, technically, and differences between the two are still seen today. The Korean War led to one of the most significant events in history completely disuniting a country into two for what seems to be an infinite period of time due to the lack of desire of the people to come together.