What does the Korean War have to do with World War 2?

Answer

Not a great deal except that long before WWII Korea had been a Japanese colony so after the war it was taken away from them and occupied by allied troops. The Russians occupied the North and set up a communist dictatorship. The U.S. occupied the South and permitted a relatively free, though not truly democratic, regime to be established. Thus the country was split and Russia misunderstood certain American signals and allowed their side to try to invade the South.

My thoughts on the subject

Based on the history involved it is clear that the decision by the US and Soviet Union to occupy all Japanese held territories was the catalyst for the Korean War. At the end of World War II it was decided that the Soviet military would invade the Korean Peninsula from the north, halting their advance at the 38th parallel, while US forces were to invade from the south with the same stopping point.

While Korea had been under Japanese rule for many years, this was the point at which there was a "split." It is possible that if only one of the two invaders had controlled the whole country, the Korean War would never have taken place. That was not an option that either side seriously entertained.

First answer by ID0000000000. Last edit by Lparadis. Contributor trust: 168 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 86 [recommend question]