Korean War

Background of north korea

USSR refused to allow elections to

take place in North

They wanted to establish their political and economic dominance in the North

With Soviet support, the North established the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with Kim II Sung as their leader

Kim II Sung was also convinced Korea should be united, by violence if necessary

Like Stalin, Kim used propaganda and
developed a cult of personality He also promoted self-sufficiency and isolated North Korea from the rest of the world

Background of south Korea

UN Commission on Korea held national elections in Southern Korea

80% of eligible population took part but

boycotted by Korean communists

Syngman Rhee supported by the USA

American forces were to withdraw from Korea by June 1949

Seen as a patriot who spent his life securing independent of Korea from the Japanese

However, Rhee proved to be an intolerant and authoritarian ruler

The USA continued to support him to prevent communist influence from spreading to the south

Attempts to achieve unification

Both the leaders of the North and South appealed to the USA and the USSR respectively for greater military aid assistance

Despite the USA and the USSR earlier agreeing to establish a unified Korea, there are now two separate government with different ideologies

Both the North and the South claimed to be the rightful government The hostility between the two leaders reduced the possibility of a peaceful
reunification and increasing the possibility of an armed conflict

Kim made ties with China and the USSR while criticizing the South and the USA

Kim made several trips to the USSR to persuade Stalin to help rebuild the North and wage war against the South

Kim managed to get more weapons from Stalin but Stalin made it clear that he did not want to have any direct involvement in any war against the USA

Rhee was willing to use force to unify Korea

The USA thought that Rhee was rash and could possibly start a war with the North

The USA provided limited military and economic aid to South Korea despite Rhee's request for more

:The USA only provided Rhee with light weapons

Importance of Korea in cold war

Significance of Korea

Korea was important for the communists to expand its influence in the Asia-Pacific Proximity to USSR and China

North Korea was the only other USSR's ally in the Asia-Pacific other than China

Platform to further spread communist ideology in Asia-Pacific

Counterbalance American influence in Japan

USSR atomic bomb

August 1949, the USSR successfully exploded its first atomic bomb

Achieved atomic parity with the USA-USA can no longer threaten Soviet Union threate

The USSR can also now provide support to North Korea without a nuclear

This unleashed a nuclear arms race The USA and the USSR now competed with each other for superiority in the development and accumulation of nuclear weapons

Increasing fear of nuclear war

Communist Victory in China

Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War in 1949 was an event important which would affect the level of communist involvement in Korea

The civil war was between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China on 1 Oct 1949

Communist victory in China created a more favourable international climate for the USSR and they quickly formed an alliance

China, North Korea and the USSR met to discuss the military support for each other

Despite withdrawing in 1948, the USSR still wanted to support North Korea due to its strategic importance

For China, North Korea provided a buffer zone against the Americans in South Korea March 1949, the CCP and North Korea signed a mutual defence agreement

Lead-up to the outbreak of the Korean War

Sino-Soviet Alliance

February 1950, China and the USSR signed the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance to come to each other's aid if attacked

Mao can now focus on helping North Korea if the invasion of South Korea did not go as planned

For the USSR, this would allow them not to be directly involved in North Korea

Also made the USSR more willing to support invasion of South Korea Communist bloc becoming a more prominent threat to the USA in East Asia

American Foreign Policy

Initially, Korea was not deemed as a strategic importance to the USA

American Defense Perimeter in Asia mentioned only Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines and made no mention of the importance of Korea to the USA

However, rising communist influence in the Asia-Pacific led to the National Security Council to prepare a top secret NSC-68 report in April 1950

Increase American military capability to contain communism on a global basis

North Korean invasion of South Korea was a confirmation of the USSR's intentions of increasing the influence of communism

Military and strategic imbalance

American Defense Perimeter announcement convinced Stalin the US would not get involved in Korea

Stalin saw this as a chance to strengthen communism in the Asia-Pacific and counter American influence

South Korea only had light weapons and limited support

However, Kim Il Sung will only proceed with invasion with the support of his allies Stalin approached Mao to lend his support to Kim

With Mao's and Stalin's backing, Kim was ready to lead his forces in the south by June 1950

Withdrawal of the USA and the USSR from Korea

North Korea had begun requesting the withdrawal of the American and Soviet forces since 1947

It seemed that they did not was foreign interference to unite Korea after WWII

With Kim-II Sung's government and North Korean People's Army (NKPA) well trained, the USSR began to withdraw in late-1948

The USA considered staying longer to bolster South Korean defences

The USA withdrew in June 1949, leaving a few hundred men in South Korea

The American withdrawal took place before the Soviet explosion of the atomic bomb

and communist victory in China

This caused the USA to reassess the importance of Korea in the Cold War

The exit of the USA and the USSR signified that the two superpowers did not initially intend to be heavily involved in Korean affairs.

Limited support from the USA and the USSR from 1948 to early 1950

Both Korean leaders played an important role in convincing the external powers to provide military and economic aid

After Soviet withdrawal in 1948, Kim sought Stalin support to take over South Korea

The USA focused on rebuilding Japan

Believed economic assistance would be more effective than military to contain communism

Stalin did not want to risk war with the USA

However, communist China, Sino Soviet Treaty and announcement of American Defense Perimeter made Stalin change his mind

The USA did not want to provide Rhee with weapons to launch an attack on the North, which would drag the USSR and China into the conflict The USA did not want Rhee to think it would support an invasion

Civil War or Proxy War?

Soviet support

USSR had provided support to North Korea by organising and training the North Korean Peoples' Army (NKPA)

Soviet advisors were sent to train and equip NKPA with more weapons such as fighter planes, tanks, guns and artillery

The NKPA also had experienced soldiers who fought in the Chinese Civil War This made the NKPA a formidable force in the Korean War

By end of July 1950 the NKPA had successfully pushed the South Korean and UN

forces to Pusan

Entry of the USA

The USA as convinced the North Koreans were influenced by the USSR to launch the attack against South Korea

Truman believed that this was Stalin's plan to spread communism

He was convinced if South Korea fell, Japan and the rest of Asia would be next

He felt that American involvement was necessary to contain communism from spreading further

Involvement of the UN

The USA believed that if the UN did not take a firm stand on North Korea, it would lose all its credibility just like the League of Nations

The USA quickly mobilised the UN to condemn the North Korean aggression and pass resolutions to take action to support South Korea

On 25 June 1950, the UN Security Council the condemned North Korean invasion and called for its withdrawal from South Korea

On 27 June 1950, Truman called for use force as North Korea had not responded

16 countries agreed contribute to the UN and American forces to resist the invasion

of South Korea

The USSR could have vetoed the actions but it boycotted the Security Council at that time as the UN gave the Republic of China (Taiwan) a seat instead of the People's

Republic of China

Initial successes of the UN

General Douglas MacArthur was placed in charge of the UN Joint Command to drive the North Koreans back

The South Koreans were extremely dependent on the UN forces for leadership
manpower and equipment

The Incheon landing was an example how the involvement of MacArthur and the UN helped South Korea

The UN forces made a daring amphibious landing at the port of Inchon Under heavy bombing and their communications cut, North Korean forces were forced to flee back into the 38th parallel:

Entry of China

As the UN moved further into North Korean territory, they were also moving closer to China

Sept 1950, the UN granted MacArthur permission to push further into North Korea Truman cautioned MacArthur that operations in North Korea can only continue as long as Soviet or Chinese forces did not enter North Korea

Chinese Premier Zhou En-Lai warned that

If the US crossed the 38th parallel, China would intervene in the war

If the US advanced towards Yalu River, China would risk full-scale war

The proximity of the American forces was perceived as a threat as the US previously

support Chiang Kai-Shek and the KMT during the Chinese Civil War

Oct 1950, Zhou En-Lai warned the UN that 'any continuation of the Korean would lead to widening of the conflict'

Mid-Oct 1950, Chinese forces secretly entered North Korea

MacArthur defied Truman and the UN and continued to push towards the Yalu River His actions enlarged the scale of the war

Chinese forces responded to the UN advancement in late Nov 1950 and caught the

UN forces by surprise

By January 1951, the UN forces were forced to retreat.

Stalemate and MacArthur's dismissal

By April 1951, the two sides reached a stalemate around the 38th parallel

Truman wished to limit the Korean War even if it meant just pushing the North Koreans to the 38th parallel and containing communism

However, MacArthur wanted to continue the war and even use nuclear weapons on China if necessary The UN were well aware that if they attacked China, the USSR might join the war

and a nuclear weapons might be used

MacArthur publicly criticised Truman's decision and insubordination

Armistice

:The USA, the UN, the Soviet Union and China were Keen to end the Korean war The USA, the UN and China suffered heavy casualties

However, the North and South Korean leaders did not want to end the war until they had achieved reunification

Syngman Rhee wanted to push on to Yalu River but he could not achieve his aims without the support of the UN

Kim Il-Sung depended on China and the USSR for weapons but was pressured by China and the USSR to participate in armistice talks

The external powers pressured the two leaders to sign a temporary agreement until a peace treaty could be signed

Negotiations from July 1952 to July 1953 were not smooth

There were issues over the division lines and Prisoners of War, thus armistice talks

stalled and fighting dragged on until 1953

Jan 1953, Dwight D. Eisenhower replaced Truman as President of the USA and promised to end Korean War

March 1953, Stalin passed away and the new leadership of the USSR wanted to reach an armistice agreement quickly as well

Eisenhower persuaded Rhee to accept the armistice and end the war and he also told China and North Korea he would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons if they did not sign the armistice

Armistice was signed on 27 July 1953

A new boundary was drawn close to the original 38th parallel boundary and demilitarised zone was established to separate the two Koreas.

The area is heavily guarded by North Korean, South Korean and American forces till today