The war in Korea enters its third year, and the prospect of total victory has long since been deemed unrealistic. New leadership rises to power in both the US and USSR intent on brokering a ceasefire, but the situation in Korea remains shrouded in uncertainty.

We divert from the main narrative to examine one of the most controversial aspects of the Korean War- the prisoner of war issue. Although the treatment of prisoners of war was codified into international law following World War II, both sides in this conflict would violate these laws to further their respective ends.

The military situation in Korea devolves into a stalemate a year after the war began. Negotiations are opened to bring a stop to the bloodshed, but it very quickly becomes apparent that the diplomatic process will be more fraught than some may have hoped. 

As a new year dawns, the war in Korea nears another decisive turning point. Meanwhile, a domestic political crisis in the United States threatens to expand the conflict and plunge the world into a new conflagration.

As the UN coalition struggles to mount a defense in the face of China’s intervention in the final weeks of 1950, they are forced to reckon with the fact that they now face an ‘entirely new war’ in Korea.

The Chinese People’s Volunteer Army springs the trap on UN forces in Korea, inflicting significant losses and forcing the enemy to withdraw south of the 38th parallel. Against all odds, the US Marines trapped at the Chosin Reservoir try to fight their way to safety.

As the UN forces gain momentum following the Battle of Incheon, they must decide whether to continue advancing north of the 38th parallel. Meanwhile, China and the Soviet Union weigh the possibility of intervening on behalf of their North Korean comrades.

General Douglas MacArthur hatches an audacious plan to turn the tide of the war in favor of the United Nations coalition. Meanwhile, long-standing tensions in Korea explode to the forefront, with the resulting violence leading to unspeakable atrocities and the deaths of thousands.

War begins in earnest on the Korean peninsula, as North Korean forces cross the 38th parallel on June 25th, 1950. As the Korean People’s Army advances rapidly southward, the American government is forced to decide whether or not to intervene in the conflict before it is too late.

The year 1948 sees the establishment of two separate Korean governments in the north and south. Amidst growing tensions between the US and the USSR, the Korean peninsula seems poised to become the location of the first direct confrontation between the Soviets and Americans over spheres of influence.