The Korean War occurred within the context of the Cold War; a global ideological battle between Communism and Capitalism. Korea had been under the rule of the Japanese Empire since 1910 and after Japan had surrendered at the end of World War 2 Korea was divided, at the 38th Parallel, between the Soviet Union and the United States. Soviet forces occupied the Northern half of the country and U.S. forces occupied the South. The North established a Communist Government and the South established a Capitalist Government – both in keeping with the ideology of the forces occupying the land.
