The Korean War

The Korean War (1950-53) began as a conflict between North Korea and South Korea and eventually involved the United States and nineteen other nations. An estimated three million people lost their lives during the war. For Americans who think that only gis and their United Nations contingent comrades fought effectively, "The Korean War" will be a surprising introduction to the valor and sacrifice of the South Korean army. This comprehensive view of the war from the South Korean perspective has not been previously available in English translation. "The Korean War" comprises three volumes. Volume two continues the account of the progress of the war, paying particular attention to the diplomatic and strategic background of the decision by the Chinese to intervene in late 1950. The volume describes the painstaking preparation by the communist forces, who came close to overwhelming the South Korean and United Nations troops, and follows the course of the conflict through the allied counteroffensive in the spring of 1951 to the stalemate and armistice of June 1951. The Korean edition was prepared by Chae Han Kook, chief of the War History Department of the Korea Institute of Military History; Chung Suk Kyun, senior researcher; and Yang Yong Cho, junior researcher. The volume was translated into English by Yang Hee Wan and Lim Won Hyok of the Korea Military Academy and revised by Thomas Lee Sims, Laura Marie Sims, and Kim Chong Gu. Introducer Allan R. Millett, Mason Professor of Military History at Ohio State University, is the author or editor of many works, including A War to Be Won: Fighting the Second World War, 1937-1945, with Williamson Murray.