My name is Daniel. I was an English teacher in Seoul, South Korea, and I am now a writer and scholar who has published a number of books including South Korea: Our Story by Daniel Nardini.

                            Far from needlessly sacrificing the lives of South Korean soldiers, the Incheon landing was one of the most successful operations in the entire Korean War. The success of the United Nations' forces meant that more and more South Koreans joined the newly reconstructed South Korean Army that only a matter of months ago had been shattered by the North Korean invasion. The Battle of Incheon more than caught the North Koreans off-guard; it completely devastated the North Korean Army in the rear and broke it as a fighting force. Out of the 125,000 North Korean invasion force that attacked South Korea, only about 30,000 managed to escape back into North Korea. The Incheon landing not only cut off most (but not all) of the escape routes for the North Koreans, but allowed the United Nations forces in Busan to be able to brake out and eventually link with the forces from the Incheon landing. The North Koreans managed to stage a bloody defense of Seoul in an effort to save what was left of the North Korean Army, but the North Korean Army had in fact ceased to be an effective fighting force. The Battle of Incheon helped to liberate South Korea, and why South Korea is a democracy with a vibrant economy.