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The Forgotten War : Throughline President Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un are preparing to meet for a second nuclear summit. What has fueled the hostility between these two countries for decades? On this episode, we look back at the tangled history.

Throughline

The Forgotten War

The Forgotten War

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  • South Korean mothers and children shield themselves as they watch U.S. 105mm howitzers blast enemy positions across the Han River. The attack occurred during the U.S. drive from Gimpo to Seoul on Sept. 24, 1950.
    South Korean mothers and children shield themselves as they watch U.S. 105mm howitzers blast enemy positions across the Han River. The attack occurred during the U.S. drive from Gimpo to Seoul on Sept. 24, 1950.
    FRANK NOEL/AP
  • Kim Il Sung (1912-1994), Prime Minister of the Korean People's Democratic Republic and Secretary General of the Korean Workers Party. He was a former guerrilla leader who fought in the Soviet army during WWII and went on to become the first leader of North Korea. He authorized the invasion of South Korea in 1950 and sparked the civil war.
    Kim Il Sung (1912-1994), Prime Minister of the Korean People's Democratic Republic and Secretary General of the Korean Workers Party. He was a former guerrilla leader who fought in the Soviet army during WWII and went on to become the first leader of North Korea. He authorized the invasion of South Korea in 1950 and sparked the civil war.
    Three Lions/Getty Images
  • Dr. Syngman Rhee (1875 - 1965), first president of South Korea. Rhee led an authoritarian regime, jailing political opponents and ordering thousands of killings. He remained in power for more than ten years before resigning.
    Dr. Syngman Rhee (1875 - 1965), first president of South Korea. Rhee led an authoritarian regime, jailing political opponents and ordering thousands of killings. He remained in power for more than ten years before resigning.
    Fox Photos/Getty Images
  • American troops capture North Korean prisoners as U.S. forces retreat from Yongsan in Seoul.
    American troops capture North Korean prisoners as U.S. forces retreat from Yongsan in Seoul.
    Keystone/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
  • US Air Force B-29 Superfortresses drop bombs on a strategic target during the Korean War. By some estimates, up to twenty percent of the North Korean population were killed by bombs from American aircraft.
    US Air Force B-29 Superfortresses drop bombs on a strategic target during the Korean War. By some estimates, up to twenty percent of the North Korean population were killed by bombs from American aircraft.
    Keystone/Getty Images
  • A woman and her grandchild wander among the debris of their wrecked home in the aftermath of an air raid by U.S. planes over Pyongyang in 1950.
    A woman and her grandchild wander among the debris of their wrecked home in the aftermath of an air raid by U.S. planes over Pyongyang in 1950.
    Keystone/Getty Images
  • Former US President Harry S. Truman greets South Korean President Syngman Rhee in 1954 in Independence, Missouri.
    Former US President Harry S. Truman greets South Korean President Syngman Rhee in 1954 in Independence, Missouri.
    STR/AFP/Getty Images
  • North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung (left) with his son Kim Jong-Il (right), inspecting soccer grounds in Pyongyang.
    North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung (left) with his son Kim Jong-Il (right), inspecting soccer grounds in Pyongyang.
    AFP/Getty Images
  • On July 9, 1994, thousands of people gather in front the Korean Revolution Museum in Pyongyang to mourn the death of Kim Il-sung. After his death Kim Il-sung was named "eternal president" of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
    On July 9, 1994, thousands of people gather in front the Korean Revolution Museum in Pyongyang to mourn the death of Kim Il-sung. After his death Kim Il-sung was named "eternal president" of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
    AFP/Getty Images

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President Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un are preparing to meet for a second nuclear summit. What has fueled the hostility between these two countries for decades? On this episode, we revisit the tangled history that helps explain how we got to where we are today.

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