Causes of the Korean War?

• A. Invasion of South Korea by North Korea in 1950
• B. Invasion of North Korea by South Korea in 1950
• C. U.S. invasion of the Korean Peninsula
• D. Invasion by China in 1950

Answer: (A)

The main thing this question tests is what directly started the Korean War. North Korea’s invasion of South Korea in 1950 is the immediate trigger: across the 38th parallel, North Korean troops swept into the South with the aim of unifying the peninsula under a communist government. That cross-border attack broke the existing division and prompted a UN-backed defense of South Korea, which then escalated into full-scale war.

The other statements aren’t what started the conflict. South Korea did not invade the North, there wasn’t a U.S. invasion to begin with, and China did not launch an initial invasion in 1950. China did later intervene against UN forces, but that came after the war had already begun with North Korea’s attack.