meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
History Daily

The Korean War Begins

History Daily

History Daily

History

4.42.5K Ratings

🗓️ 25 June 2025

⏱️ 19 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

June 25, 1950. The Korean War begins as North Korea sends troops below the 38th parallel invading South Korea. This episode originally aired in 2024.


  • Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more.


History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.

Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad-free.

0:04.1

Listen with Wondry Plus in the Wondry app.

0:06.0

As a member of NoisorPlus at noisor.com or in Apple Podcasts,

0:10.6

or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at IntoHistory.com.

0:31.4

Thank you. It's June 25, 1950, in a small South Korean village close to the border with North Korea.

0:37.9

Local farmer Minjun Sun sits down for a much-needed rest in the shade after a morning of hard work.

0:43.2

He wipes the sweat from his brow with his forearm, then takes a long drink of water from a bottle. As he does, he listens to the birds for a moment. But that sound is soon interrupted

0:48.5

by the rumble of engines. Minjun stands and squints into the distance, trying to find

0:53.8

the source of the noise.

0:55.0

At first, all he can make out is a line of blocky silhouettes.

0:59.0

Then the shapes come closer, and he realizes what he can see is a line of tanks rolling over the countryside.

1:06.0

He watches in fascination as they get closer, and then it hits him.

1:09.0

These aren't South Korean troops,

1:11.6

they're North Koreans. Minjun drops his water and runs straight for his village. He has to

1:17.1

warn his neighbors before it's too late, but he's not fast enough. As he approaches his village,

1:23.0

the tanks behind him open fire. Minjun flings himself to the ground. The small buildings of his village

1:29.7

are no match for the shelling. So pressed against the earth, Menjun can only watch as his

1:35.4

home is ripped apart. A nauseous smell of explosives invades his nostrils. He can barely see

1:41.4

anything through the smoke, dust and fire consuming the village,

1:45.0

but the screams of his neighbors are unmistakable.

1:52.0

This attack on a border village is just the start of a brutal conflict between North and South Korea.

1:58.0

But it's more than just a regional territorial dispute. The Korean War

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from History Daily, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of History Daily and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.