Korean War Webquest

History of the Korean War

Welcome Group Two!

You are responsible for gathering information about the Korean War, what life was like in Korea before the War, Canada's involvement in the Korean War, etc. As you are researching your topic keep in mind that you will need photos, maps, pictures and drawings to illustrate your chapter of the coffee table book.

When preparing your chapter please include the following information:

• When did the Korean War begin?
• How did it begin?
• What countries participated in the Korean War?
• What international intervention was involved in the War?
• When did the Korean War end? What was signed?
• Why did Canada participate in the Korean War?
• How can we remember the Korean War?

History of the Korean War

The Korean War was the first major international conflict that followed the end of the Second World War. It was the initial test for the newly formed United Nations, which had been created in an attempt to prevent a future world war from happening, through the use of negotiations, dialogue, and, if necessary, the use of force as supplied by the Armed Forces of the member nations.

There are many different places to find information and pictures on the history of the Korean War including the following:

Background of the Conflict - Veterans Affairs Canada

Invasion of Korea and the World's Reaction -
Veterans Affairs Canada

A look at Korea's Past - Cultural Profiles Project (Opens a new window)

When war first broke out on the Korean peninsula in June 1950 the call for international forces to intervene was couched in the language of international diplomacy. Nations were asked to "furnish such assistance to the Republic of Korea as may be necessary to repel the armed attack and to restore international peace and security in the area." This was essentially a call to war.

Listen to a radio broadcast of Canada's promise to provide military aid to Korea on the CBC web site. (Opens a new window)

The United Nations called upon its members to take collective military action against an aggressor nation. Many nations answered the call. Such a response was quite remarkable as many of the sixteen nations who fought were only just recovering from the Second World War. Canadians, barely having recovered from the rationing of the Second World War, were anxiously looking forward to a future of peace and prosperity. Once again they were asked to help stop an aggressor country, bullying its way into a free nation. Canada and Canadians answered the call to duty.

Canada's Involvement in the Korean War

All branches of Canada's Armed Forces saw action in Korea: ground, naval and air. Our Navy, among the first in and last out, sent more than 3,600 officers and men into action. Our destroyers maintained a continuous blockade of the enemy coast, prevented amphibious landings, screened carriers from the threat of submarine and aerial attack, and supported land forces with the bombardment of coastal areas. On the ground 22,000 soldiers made up the Canadian Army Special Force, fighting a campaign that took them over mountains and through swamps and rice paddies. Enduring conditions that ranged from torrential rains to snow and freezing cold, there was danger behind every hill. Although the war was primarily a land campaign, without the supremacy of the naval and air forces, the ground forces would have been in great difficulty.

The following resource will help you to research your topic
Canada's Reaction to the Invasion of Korea - Veterans Affairs Canada

Description of Korean War:

There were several different battles during the war where Canadians could be found in the middle of the action. To learn more about where Canadians served in Korea you may wish to search the following sites.

Canadians in Action 1951 - Veterans Affairs Canada

Canadian Troops in Action - CBC web site (Opens a new window)

The Princess Patricia's Go to Battle - CBC web site (Opens a new window) The United Nations in Korea - Weblearn (Opens a new window)

 

End of the Korean War

On July 27, 1953, the Korea Armistice Agreement was signed at Panmunjom, ending three years of fighting. Find Panmunjom on the map and include this in your chapter of the coffee table book. You can read more about this here.

Chronology of the Korean War

A Chronology of the Korean War can be found here.

Remembering the Korean War

There is a cliche that those who forget their past are doomed to repeat it. And like all cliches, this one contains a lot of truth. Arthur Ogden, who was a young British prisoner of war in the Second World War, wrote a poem about our responsibility to remember:

"And we that are left grow old with the years
Remembering the heartache, the pain and the tears
Hoping and praying that never again
Man will sink to such sorrow and shame
The price that was paid we will always remember
Every day - every month - not just in November"

To this day his words remain a fitting sentiment - the need to remember our history and those who sacrificed so much so that we who followed could have a future. You may use this poem in your chapter of the coffee table book.

Additional information may be found at the following sites:

Canadian Book of Remembrance of the Korean War

 

Memorials of the Korean War:

Memorial Wall

In Brampton, Ontario, there is a 60 metre long "Memorial Wall" of polished granite, containing individual bronze plaques which commemorate the 516 Canadian soldiers who died during the Korean War. Each bronze plaques honours a Canadian who paid the price of freedom with his life. Behind each name is the story of a future not realized and a family left behind. Forever changed. Forever saddened. The plaques are replicas of those placed on the graves of the dead in Pusan, South Korea. Korean Veterans take tremendous pride in the Wall of Remembrance, as it is a significant tribute to their colleagues and stands proudly as one of Canada's finest memorials to her war dead. Learn more about the Wall of Remembrance.

The Canadian Memorial Naechon

The Canadian Memorial Naechon, in South Korea is a monument to Canada's unique contribution to the war effort. It is situated in front of the hills that were defended by Canadian Forces in the Battle of Kapyong and honours Canadians who served in Korea. The large memorial was dedicated by the people of South Korea to the memory of all Canadians who served in their country. The stone tablet lists the units that fought. The stone cairn commemorates the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, whose gallant stand at the Battle of Kapyong takes its rightful place along side other Canadian battles in other wars, as an outstanding achievement in our military history. Learn more about the Canadian Memorial Naechon

Cemeteries of the Korean War:

British Commonwealth Cemetery

In the British Commonwealth Cemetery in Yokohama, Japan, 24 Canadian soldiers of the Korean War are buried. Most Korean war dead lie in the United Nations cemetery in Korea. However, some of the soldiers were evacuated out of Korea to hospitals in Japan for treatment and later succumbed to their wounds. Others died after the war and that is why some soldiers lie in this cemetery.

United Nations Memorial Cemetery

In the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Pusan, Korea, stands a memorial to Commonwealth soldiers whose burial places are unknown.
Learn more about the Commonwealth Memorial (Pusan).

Read about the beginning of the war in Korea and Canada's involvement.