On June 25, 1950 the North Korean peoples army crossed the 38th Parallel and invaded South Korea. The U.N. Council called for an immediate cease-fire. The North Koreans ignored the U.N. protest and continued south. They captured Seoul, the capitol of South Korea, & Inchon on the 3rd of July and subsequently Taejon, which is located far to the south. The fast advance of the North Koreans had split the U.N. forces. After WWII, only a small token force had been left by the United States, and it was no match to the North Koreans. To prevent a complete take over of South Korea, the U.N. forces (the 8th Army) formed a defensive perimeter, on the southern most tip of South Korea, north of the city of Pusan.
On September 15th, 1950, General MacArthur directed the landing of United Nation forces at Inchon, west of Seoul. This bold move surprised the North Koreans, and the landing force, which was primarily made up of United States Marines, promptly captured Seoul and the Kimpo airfield. The North Korean forces now collapsed at the Pusan perimeter and the U.N. forces made a breakout from the Pusan perimeter. The North Koreans fall back in a rout to get back across the 38th parallel. The U.N. forces did not stop driving northward until the arrived at the Yalu River (the border between North Korea and China.
