Author: McDougal Littell

Phases of the Korean War 1950-1953

On June 25, 1950, the North Korean forces, spearheaded by tanks and self-propelled guns, unleashed all-out attacks across the 38th parallel. The Korean War consisted of four distinct phases.

Starting on 25 June 1950, North Korean forces advanced and forced the United Nations defenders into the Pusan perimeter in the most southeastern part of South Korea. The second phase began in 1950 when the North Koreans suffered a complete reversal of fortune when the UN forces landed at Inchon, far beyond the battle line; burst from the Pusan perimeter; shattered the North Korean Army; and pursued its remnants northward. The third phase began when China intervened in force in November 1950, surprising the scattered United Nations armies as they approached North Korea's northern border and driving them back to the vicinity of the 38th parallel. Finally, the fourth phase was a stalemate, during which neither side would risk vast casualties in an attempt to gain a complete victory.

(Source: GlobalSecurity.org)