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Korea: The Forgotten War. Less than 5 years after the end of WWII Caught between WWII and Vietnam Undeclared War. No war since Korea has been declared “Police Action” No victory, Stalemate that continues today…. Korea 1950-1953 Cold War Proxy War. What is a “proxy war?”.
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Korea: The Forgotten War • Less than 5 years after the end of WWII • Caught between WWII and Vietnam • Undeclared War. No war since Korea has been declared • “Police Action” • No victory, Stalemate that continues today…
Korea 1950-1953 Cold War Proxy War What is a “proxy war?”
A proxy war is a conflict instigated by opposing powers who do not fight against each other directly. Instead, they use third parties to do the fighting for them
Three other important aspects of proxy wars • Most of the suffering and death are not borne by the superpowers (USSR and US) • The level of death and destruction is often magnified by the introduction of advanced weaponry • The roots of these conflicts usually start from local disputes or from conditions imposed by superpowers.
Civilian deaths • U.S.: Bombing of NK • South Korean military and police: Bodo League Massacre, Summer 1950. Dead 5,000-100,000 • North Koreans, elimination of educated persons (kidnapping as well) • U.S: No Gun Ri massacre Bodo League Massacre
1910 Japan annexes Korea after driving out Russia in 1904., • August 1945, Russian forces enter Northern Korea, U.S. troops enter Southern Korea • Korean intervention opposed by U.S. military initially, but State Department wants to stop communist expansion (early application of Truman doctrine; before it was even doctrine) • Kim Il Sung, a communist and nationalist guerrilla fighter, emerges as leader in NK, implements land reform and tries to rebuild a destroyed infrastructure • U..S. backs an autocrat, Syngman Rhee, in the South. U.S. backs a repressive dictatorship because it is anticommunist. Sets a pattern that will impede U.S. success in the Cold War
After WWII, Korean occupation is split at 38th parallel between US and USSR with unification plan in place after elections • 1948 – UN mandated elections held by S. Korea – Syngman Rhee elected president • N. Korea declares itself the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea under Kim Il Sung • Republic of Korea (South) & Dem. Peoples. Rep. (North) both claim to be true government of all of Korea • UN recognizes South’s gov’t
June 27th, U.N. sanctions action in support of RoK • US General Douglas MacArthur put in charge of UN forces (90% American)
Meanwhile---Civil War in China Communists and Nationalists, who had been in a civil war since the 1920s, resumed fighting after Japan surrendered.
Communists in Control – 1949 "Stand up, those who refuse to be slaves!...The 475 million people of China have now stood up.”Mao Zedong, October 1949 Chiang Kai-shek and Nationalists retreated to Formosa (Taiwan)
Geographical Changes Communist China gained control over: • China • Turkestan (Xinjiang) • Inner Mongolia • Manchuria • Tibet PRC = People’s Repblic of China (Communists) / ROC = Republic of China (Nationalists)
Course of the Korean War • http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/korea.htm
CHINA ENTERS THE WAR ~By the fall of 1950, UN troops have pushed DRK troops almost to the Yalu River on border of China, China enters the war, sending several hundred thousand troops across the Yalu River. ~The Chinese attack is brutally effective and turns into a successful winter offensive. ~UN troops are pushed all the way back into South Korea and Seoul is abandoned again. ~ Will lead to UN resolution to end war
Battle of the Chosin Reservoir Nov-Dec 1950 • Most famous battle of the warfought between 150,000 Chinese about 30,000 U.S. and British troops • Bitterly cold conditions due to a Siberian cold front: as cold as -36 degrees, frostbite common • U.S. troops fought their way out of a trap, but lost many (dead and POWs) and had to retreat, abandoning NE Korea
Brutal Conflict • “By this point, Fox company had captured more than 30 Chinese soldiers, including the three frightened kids Cafferata had collected on the hill. The prisoners were nearly freezing to death, they were hungry, they were lame with frostbite. Many of them had serous battle wounds. Some of them were already dead.”
Brutal Conflict • “Captain Barber had been avoiding the obvious, but he knew what he had to do…He called for a private from Georgia and told him to get a few other Marines and take care of the problem. And so they went around back, behind the command post and the med tent, back where the prisoners squatted in the snow. Then they shot every one of them in the head.”
Brutal Conflict • “Finally it dawned on Reeves what was going on: The Red soldiers must have been given an order to clear the road, to dispose of the American wounded and dead. They were incinerating the trucks with the wounded still inside…The Reds walked to the rear of the truck. One of the Americans perched near the tailgate offered his cigarettes, attempting to make friends with his executioner. He was promptly shot.
Brutal Conflict • “A soldier, armed with a rifle, climbed onto the bed of the truck. He came to the first man, leveled the barrel between his eyes, and fired He moved on to the next. Then the next.” • “The soldier was standing no more than three feet away when he squeezed the trigger. The muzzle blast knocked Reeves to the floor.”
After recapturing Seoul in March, General MacArthur’s behavior became increasingly bold. • He openly criticized upcoming plans for peace talks including criticizing President Truman. He demanded the Chinese admit defeat or face full scale war, which was outside his authority. He also actively suggested using nuclear weapons against China. • On April 11, 1951, MacArthur was relieved from duty under much controversy
SLOW & DEADLY PEACE TALKS July 10, 1951 Truce talks begin at Kaesong August 23, 1951 Communists break off talks October 25, 1951 Peace talks resume at Kaesong Nov 27 , 1951 Truce talks continue at Panmunjom and a cease-fire line agreed on Nov 1951 - April 1952 Talks at Panmunjom go on and on Dec 18, 1952 Exchange of POW lists January 2, 1953 UN POW Exchange Proposal January 3, 1953 POW Exchange Proposal rejected by Communists July 27, 1953 Cease-fire signed. September 4, 1953 Repatriation of POWs starts at Freedom
The Geneva Conference 1954 • After almost a year of true cease fire, interested parties came together in Geneva to come up with a permanent settlement • After debates failed to figure out how to unite Korea, Korea is officially broken into two countries (US/RoK (South Korea) were least compromising) • Communist North • Democratic South • These two Koreas are in a perpetual state of war with a cease fire in place
Cost of War - There were 6.8 million American men and women who served during the Korean War period, June 27,1950 to January 31, 1955. - about 40,000 US and UN military personnel lost their lives in Korea. More than 2 million Koreans, civilian and military dead 150,000-600,000 Chinese dead
War without an End… Permanent Demilitarized Zone
One war leads to another • After failing to resolve the issue with Korea, thus ending in a permanent split. Interested parties turned to Indochina • Vietnamese had just won independence from France • Vietnamese were split between supporters of communists and supporters of a democratic republic (Communists were in majority) • “In order to avoid war” Vietnam is temporarily split into North (Communist) and South (democratic) at the 17th parallel until unifying elections can be held GUESS WHAT THIS LEADS TO????
Perennial Question Under what circumstances, if ever, should the United States commit military forces to a situation where American lives and /or property are not at risk?
Today Korea is still divided around the 38th parallel-most heavily fortified border in the world
State of War still exists between N. and S. Korea-66 years after the 1953 armistice (ceasefire)
Kim Jong Il According the official North Korean Reports Kim Jong Il: learned to walk at the age of three weeks, and was talking at eight weeks. While at Kim Il Sung University, he apparently wrote 1,500 books over a period of three years, along with six full operas. According to his official biography, all of his operas are "better than any in the history of music." The first time he played golf, he shot a 38-under par round on North Korea's only golf course, including 11 holes-in-one. He then decided to retire from the sport forever. The first time he went bowling, he bowled a 300.
