Coming Together/Coming Apart: A History of the Korean War

The Cold War did not begin in 1945. Why did it take a few years for the Grand Alliance of World War II to fall apart? What role did the United Nations play? What were the challenges the UN faced in the first years of its existence?

Two Koreas became independent in 1948 and immediately began trying to get rid of the other.

Update, 4/2021: Listener Brian S. informed me of the official ruble-dollar exchange rate for 1949 as provided by the Central Bank of Russia. At $.1887 rubles-per-dollar (or 5.3 dollars-per-ruble), the 212 million ruble loan the Soviets extended to the DPRK is equal to approximately US$40 million in 1949, or approximately US$432 million adjusted to 2021 value. Thank you, Brian!

Between 1946 and 1948, it was the best of times and it was the worst of times in Korea. How do we get from an occupied former colony to two separate states?

The American Occupation of southern Korea began in September, 1945. How did those first few months go? And why did things start to fall apart after the Moscow Conference of December 1945?

The Soviets pushed the Japanese out of Korea in August 1945, occupying one half of a divided peninsula. Who's Cho Man-sik and why was he the Soviet's first choice for leadership? When does Kim Il-sung come into play?

What happened between the surrender of Japan and the arrival of the American and Soviet occupation forces in Korea? Did the Koreans really have their own government controlling the entire peninsula?

Korea was not always divided. Why was division the chosen option for the peninsula post-WWII? Were there other options?

70 years ago, on June 25th, 1950, North Korean soldiers crossed the 38th Parallel into South Korea, marking the beginning of the Korean War. How was this reported when it happened?

Part 2 of the prologue, wherein we introduce five current and future authoritarians and witness the end of the Empire of Japan.

In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. How did we get there? Has Korea always been at the center of an East Asian tempest? Why are there even two Koreas in the first place? Can we really find the origins of the Korean War as far back as 1864?