World History: Korean War

Korean War (1950-1953) was the first hot war of the Cold War, fought between the armies of the North Korea and South Korea.

Background

From 1910 till end of the WW-II, Korean Peninsula belonged to Japanese Empire. Even while war was on, the allies were discussing what should happen to Korea if they win. In November 1943 at the Cairo Conference, allied decided that the peninsula should become a free and independent country. When Japan surrendered in 1945, a provisional government was set up in Korea, with the Soviet Union exercising control over the northern half and the United States exercising control over the southern half {US and Soviet Union were allies}.

A boundary between the two zones was set at 38th parallel, which was also called the Demilitarized Zone or DMZ.

Initially, there was a plan to unite the two halves. However, US and Soviet Union could not agree upon what kind of the government the new Korean nation should have. Naturally, the Soviet Union wanted a communist-leaning government while US wanted a democratic leaning pro US government. When they did not reach at an agreement, Southern half of the Peninsula was declared as Republic of Korea in August 1948. In next month, the Soviet zone of occupation was declared as Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. These two states are now South and North Korea. While South Korea was backed by United States and other democratic states; North Korea was backed by the Soviet Union and communist China.

The North Korean leader Kim Il-sung was determined to rule a united Korea. Since negotiation went nowhere, he decided to use force to achieve his aims.

Key Events of War

The two sides of Korean peninsula kept engaged in occasional border skirmishes throughout the late 1940s. On 25 June 1920, a full-fledged war broke out when one lakh North Korean soldiers crossed the DMZ and attacked South Korea. The North Korean forces advanced rapidly and within 3 days (28 June) Seoul fell.

Meanwhile on 27 June 1950, United Nations convened and passed a resolution 83 which authorised the member states to provide military assistance to South Korea. On the same day, US President Harry Truman authorised the use of US force to liberate South Korea. The war was now fought between United Nations forces {which were predominantly American} and North Korea’s Korean People’s Army (KPA).

The decisive battle in this war was Battle of Inchon (1950), which was an amphibious assault at the port of Inchon. The battle resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations. The operation involved some 75,000 troops and 261 naval vessels, and led to the recapture of the South Korean capital of Seoul two weeks later.

After the Battle of Inchon, the Chinese forces intervened to assist the struggling KPA. Chinese were able to give a series of defeats to UN forces. United Nations and South Korean forces were commanded by General of the Army Douglas MacArthur of the United States Army. MacArthur had increasingly called for an aggressive approach and advances into North Korea, and even into China. However, his boss Truman wanted a cautious approach. In 1951, MacArthur was relieved from the job and Korean War was settled into a stalemate around the 38th parallel.

Since neither side was unable to gain advantage, a Korean Armistice Agreement was reached on July 27, 1953. The agreement resulted in a ceasefire, the exchange of prisoners of war (POWs), and the establishment of a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

We note here that technically, the Korea War is never over because no official peace treaty was ever signed. Interestingly, North Korea maintains they won the war. Occasionally, small-scale conflicts continue to erupt along the DMZ.

In North Korea, the Communist dictator Kim Il Sung established collective farms, developed heavy industry, and built up the country’s military power. At Kim’s death in 1994, his son Kim Jong Il ascended to power. Under Kim Jong Il’s rule, Communist North Korea developed nuclear weapons. Although the country is well-armed, it has serious economic problems. It continues to struggle with shortages of energy and food. On the other hand, South Korea prospered, thanks to massive aid from the United States and other countries. In the 1960s, South Korea concentrated on developing its industry and boosting foreign trade. A succession of dictatorships ruled the rapidly developing country. With the 1987 adoption of a democratic constitution, however, South Korea established free elections. During the 1980s and early 1990s, South Korea claimed one of the highest economic growth rates in the world. Political differences keep the two Koreas apart, despite periodic discussions of reuniting the country. In a show of force in 1996, for example, North Korea sent troops into the demilitarized zone that separates the two nations. And the United States still maintains large troops in South Korea. In 1997, however, South Korea joined several other countries in sending food to North Korea. Although talks continue, the Communist North Koreans remain firmly opposed to reunification.