Why was the United States involved in the Korean War?
The United States became involved in the Korean War (1950–53) because the United Nations (UN; an international organization formed to promote world peace and democracy) called upon member countries to give military support to South Korea. On June 25, 1950, South Korea was invaded by troops from Communist-ruled North Korea. (Communism is a system of government in which the state controls the economy and only one political party has power.) The UN, which had been formed only five years earlier, considered the invasion a violation of international peace and called on the Communists to withdraw. When North Korea refused to leave, sixteen countries sent troops and some forty countries sent supplies and military equipment to the aid of South Korea. About 90 percent of UN aid came from the United States. North Korea received aid from China and the Soviet Union,…
