After a long history of successive invasion, Korea was annexed by Japan as a colony in 1910. After the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II, the Allied forces divided responsibility for Korea between the United States of America (USA) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) until general elections could be held and the Korean people could determine their own government. As part of a settlement made at the Yalta Conference in 1945, the peninsula country was divided into two republics along a border referred to as the 38th Parallel because it was at latitude 38º north. In the lead-up to what the Allies hoped would be the unification and establishment of a democratic Korea, the USSR maintained a presence in the communist People's Democratic Republic of Korea in the north, while USA forces occupied the Republic of Korea in the south. By 1949 both the USA and USSR had withdrawn from Korea. In 1950, however, disagreement erupted over the United Nations (UN) supervision of the Korean general elections. North Korea invaded South Korea on 25 June 1950. Within a week the North Korean army had captured Seoul, the capital of the southern Republic.
The United Nations (UN) Security Council responded to the invasion by sending an armed force made up of representatives from its member countries to bolster the South Korean army and assist in pushing back the North Korean assault. The UN force was largely composed of soldiers from the USA, but the Australian Government also decided to assist by sending some of its own troops to Korea. The Australian Government made Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ships in the area available to the UN, including the HMAS Shoalhaven and the HMAS Bataan. Later, the 77 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) were added to the UN forces.
Australian military were involved in two major conflicts against the Chinese during the Korean War, the Battle of Kapyong, fought on 22 April 1951 and Operation Commando, fought on the River Imjin on 3 October 1951. The Australian Government sent further troops in 1952 with the 1 RAR, who were later replaced by the 2 RAR in 1953. However, despite almost three years of fighting, no clear winner emerged. The Korean War finally ended through negotiation, with North Korean and UN representatives signing a peace agreement on 27 July 1953. During the conflict, Australian forces suffered an estimated 1500 casualties and 339 deaths, while over half a million South Koreans died.
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