As I left Korea, one lasting impression was of the confusing mixture of sentiments and thoughts that I encountered concerning the Korean War. First, we would do well to remember that Korea was first split after World War II, before the Korean War. Korea had been controlled by the Japanese Empire in the decades preceding World War II, and much like Europe, was split amongst the Allied powers after the war. Control of the South was given to the American military, the North fell under Soviet military control. Differences smoldered when free elections were not held as planned in 1948. Then, in 1950, the North invaded the South. The UN quickly became involved. Their action was in part made possible by the fact that the Soviet Union was boycotting the UN at the time over the
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