North Korean Army Invades South Korea
June 25th, 1950
On June 25th, 1950, the tension between the Soviet- backed North Korea and the United States-backed South Korea came to an all-time high. The cause of this tension was because of the division of North and South Korea after the Second World War. The United States accepted the surrender of Japanese forces in the South and the Soviets did the same in the North. This division soon became permanent and it was only a matter of time before one side attacked the other. North Korean forces, led by Kim Il-sung, crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea. The North Korean forces were around 75,000 in number and they surprised the South Korean army as well as a small amount of American forces stationed in South Korea. The North Korean forces quickly overwhelmed the South Korean forces and headed towards the capital city of Seoul. On June 28th, 1950, North Korean forces captured Seoul after all the government officials escaped the city. In an attempt to slow down the North Korean forces from moving further south, ROK (Republic of Korea) soldiers destroyed the Han River Bridge even though civilians were using it to escape to the south. The invasion of South Korea through the 38th parallel was the first military action of the Cold War and the cause of the Korean War.