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.
Canada in the Korean War about 30 miles across and was a section of the United Nations front occupied by British Commonwealth forces. Most of the Canadians' combat missions took place on the 30 mile zone. The Canadians' two main adversaries during the war were the North Korean army and the Chinese in the Battle of Kapyong. Canada's military objective was to give military support towards the resolution of the war on the central front, which was central Korea. Operation Killer was a counter-offensive by the United Nations forces to push Communist Chinese and North Korean Armies back behind the Han River and recover the