# Chinese troops leave North Korea (26 October 1958)

URL: https://allhistories.com/korea/timeline/1958-chinese-troops-leave-north-korea
Location: North Korea
Themes: Economy, North Korea

On 26 October 1958 the last units of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army left North Korea, completing a withdrawal announced earlier that year. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers had fought in the Korean War and had remained in the country after the 1953 armistice, helping with reconstruction. The withdrawal came after the August faction incident of 1956, in which Beijing had intervened in the party's internal affairs. China decided to remove its forces while calling on the United States to withdraw its own troops from South Korea, which it did not do. American forces have remained in the south ever since. With no foreign troops on its soil, Kim Il Sung gained more freedom of action and could more easily purge the pro-Chinese faction. Relations with China remained close, and in July 1961 the two countries signed a treaty of friendship and mutual assistance. In the war's memory China's sacrifice is still honored, including at a cemetery for Chinese soldiers. The departure of Chinese forces strengthened North Korea's independence and Kim Il Sung's control.

## Why it matters
The withdrawal left North Korea free of foreign troops while US forces stayed in the south.

Ruler at the Time: [Kim Il Sung](https://allhistories.com/korea/rulers/kim-il-sung)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — People's Volunteer Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Volunteer_Army)
- [Wikipedia — China–North Korea relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%E2%80%93North_Korea_relations)
- [Wikipedia — North Korea: Kim Il Sung Era (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_North_Korea)