CAN SOME1 EXPLAIN THE 'Korean War' AND HOW IT STARTED IN SIMPLE ENGLISH =s?

Question

I LOOKED IT UP ON THE INTERNET BUT ITS HARD TO UNDERSTAND!!! CAN SOME1 EXPLAIN IT TO ME SIMPLY..LIKE THE WHOLE STORY WITH KOREA AND USA..AND STUFF =S

THNX

Answer 1

Japanese: Arrgh we're strong, we invade korea!
Koreans: Arrgh we're invaded! WWII!
Allies: We can take you! (A-bomb)
Japanese: grr, that stings
US (in korea): man this place is beat up and trashed. let's rebuild!
Soviets: We can help!
US: Okay, you take north, we take south!
(they rebuild)
Soviets: We made ours communist!
US: We made ours a democracy! (pauses.) that might cause some issues
N.Koreans: Time to reunite! Let's make the whole thing communist!
Soviets and Chinese: We'll help!
UN: we'll defend south korea!
US: we'll provide the most amount of troops!
(they fight)


And then it goes on.

Answer 2

I love Neil-Rob's answer! A little more detail. By 1950, the US and the Soviet Union had pretty much drawn up the battle lines over which the Cold War would be fought. In a speech, Dean Atcheson, President Truman's Secretary of State, left South Korea OUTSIDE the areas he said the US would defend. OOPS. Kim Il Sung, the Communist leader of North Korea, took this as an indication that he could conquer the South without the US intervening. He was wrong. Just for the record, he surprised and pissed off the Russians.

Other than that, Neil-Rob's answer is right. Except that Japan got Korea in 1905 as spoils from a war they fought with Russia. The invasion of Manchuria (in China) triggered WWII in the Asia.