The Korean War (1950-1953) and Christianity

On June 25, 1950, war broke out between North Korea and South Korea, a country that had been divided since 1945. As soon as the war started, each side declared that the other had attacked first, and that its subsequent actions were primarily defensive. The United Nations Security Council branded North Korea as the aggressor and authorized armed intervention to repel them. In this emergency situation, the Korea National Christian Council cabled to the International Missionary Council (IMC) asking for immediate help from the United States. In two weeks, the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) approved the police action of the United Nations. Churches in the Western nations considered it imperative to support the United Nations in its effort to maintain international order. Churches in Eastern Europe and China, however, considered the action of the United Nations as an attempt to oppose the liberation of Asian peoples.