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

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?

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

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

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?

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?

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?