North Korea in the Korean War diseases and other illnesses were a constant threat. By the end of the summer, President Truman and General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964), the commander in charge of the Asian theater, had decided on a new set of war aims. Now, for the Allies, the Korean War was an offensive one: It was a war to "liberate" the North from the communists. Initially, this new strategy was a success. An amphibious assault at Inchon pushed the North Koreans out of Seoul and back to their side of the 38th parallel. But as American troops crossed the boundary and headed north toward the
Impact of the Korean War on the economy of the United States tensions with the Soviet Union, the Korean War further increased it. The Korean War cost the US$30 billion in 1953, which is equivalent to US$341 billion in 2011. During the last year of the war, annual war expenditure comprised about 14.1 percent of GDP. Approximately 34,000 Americans were killed in battle and about another 2,800 died from disease or injury, with total US casualties, which includes dead, wounded, and missing in action, adding up to 139,860. The "Korean War GI Bill" was implemented in 1952, eventually covering veterans between June 27, 1950 and February 1, 1955. It offered the same