Australia in the Korean War weeks later by the American forces who entered through Incheon. US Army Lieutenant General John R. Hodge formally accepted the surrender of Japanese forces south of the 38th Parallel on 9 September 1945 at the Government House in Seoul. Although both rival factions tried initially to diplomatically reunite the divided nation, it was the Northern faction that eventually decided to try and do so with military force. Troops from the Soviet backed North Korean Army crossed the 38th parallel on 25 June 1950 beginning a civil war. The invasion of South Korea came as a surprise to the United Nations.
December Massacres of 1950 in the Korean War generally declined following the December Massacres but the Rhee regime further cemented its heavy-handed image. The massacres made easy political propaganda for communist forces and were used to denounce the regime in the South for years to come. December Massacres of 1950 in the Korean War The December Massacres were a series of politically motivated executions carried out by the South Korean government following the recapture of Pyongyang by communist forces in the Korean War. The killings took place mainly in and around Seoul but also in other locations in South Korea. It is believed the South Korean government executed