Korean War (25th June 1950 - 27th July 1953.)
Arguments that suggest US fought in Korea to defend the South:
- South Korea had been supported by the US since 1945; after the refusal of North Korea to allow elections in 1947, it became
an independent state under the US’s approved Syngman Rhee.
- The invasion of the South was a clear act of aggression of one state against another; Kim Il Sung was an ardent nationlist
who wanted to take over the whole country.
- The US wanted to protect the South from communism.
“The US believed that the UN needed to be seen to play a role in stopping aggression in the post war world so it did not go the way of
the League of Nations; the US thus called for collective security action in order to defend South Korea from the aggression of North
Korea. Because the League Of Nations was such a disaster- for example Japan took over Manchuria and nothing happened to them as
the LON had no army, this was the USA’s opportunity to prove how powerful the UN was!”
Arguments against that the US fought to defend the South:
- Stop the expansion of communism in Asia
- The USA believed in monolithic communism and so believed that Stalin had planned everything.
- Instead it was about defending the entirety of Korea.
“The USA was already worried about China having gone Communist; the Democrats were accused by Republicans of having ‘lost
China’ and so Truman had to take action in Korea so that he would not be seen as ‘soft on Communism’. The USA was already
changing its policy with regard to Japan to ensure that it acted as a bulwark to the spread of communism. You could also mention the
election that was in 1952 and Truman would have wanted to get the ‘democrats’ re-elected, also this was at the same time as
McCarthyism so there would have been huge support from the US public to go into Korea to protect it from communism.”
The position and aims of Kim Il Sung and Syngman Rhee
In the Soviet zone of North Korea, Kim Il Sung emerged as the chairman of the newly formed Korean Provisional People’s Committee.
The communist wanted to avoid any chance of a non-communist coalition. Similarly, the US wanted the South Korean government to be
made up of an anti communist representation drawn from the political right and centre - Syngman Rhee emerged as the USA’s favored
anti communist leader in 1948. Both leaders wanted a united Korea under a single leader influenced by their ideology. A CIA report in
1948 stated “Rhee has devoted his whole life to the cause of an independent Korea with the ultimate objective of personally controlling
their country.”
Rhee was both a nationalist and a anti-communist who wanted to reunite Korea as a sovereign country that would not tolerate any form
of communism. Rhee believed in defending a border at Manchuria rather than at the 38th parallel. Rhee needed a guaranteed security
from the USA that would protect the South from a Northern attack and provided military aid to the South Korean Army to enforce the
national reunification of Korea.
Kim Il Sung was committed to using force as the vehicle to achieve unification. This process began with the development of extensive
guerilla action by the North, which aimed to destabilize the South and undermine Rhee’s regime. The south was resolute in its
determination to use force, not only to defend itself but also to attack the North. In the later months of 1949, Rhee was confident that a
major assault against the North could be successfully mounted and the reunification of Korea would be easier to defend than the
division that currently existed. Kim Il Sung was aware of wider cold war tensions, he feared the consequences of the US-Japanese
relationship. Kim Il Sung wanted to use the collective power of the communist world in order to increase the North’s strengths against
South Korea and its Western allies. Stalin used these four points to persuade Stalin to support an attack of the South:
1. It would be a rapid and decisive victory.
2. There was a hard core of 200,000 communist supporters already in the South.
3. There was a well organised guerrilla force operating in the South.
4. The USA would have no time to intervene.
The USSR
In March 1949, Sung approached Stalin asking for support in an attack against the South, however Stain rejected Sung’s plea due to
the USSR having 7,500 stationed troops in the country. By February 1950, China had successfully turned to Communism and the
Americans had not included Korea in the Defensive Perimeter Strategy. As a result, Stalin agreed to send 1600 pieces of artillery, 178
military aircraft and 258 T-34 tanks. Stalin did not want to place soviet troops into the country as he was not prepared to participate in a
war. Stalin believed that:
1. A war in Korea might bring in the USA and this could lead to a US-Soviet conflict that could spread into Europe. Stalin did
anticipate a global conflict but he was conscious of the fact that Europe was the epicentre of Cold War confrontation at this
time.
2. A united communist Korea state as an ally of the USSR would be a positive outcome. It would strengthen Soviet borders, put
pressure on Japan (the USA’s principal ally in Asia) and provide economic opportunities for the USSR.
3. If he stopped supporting North Korea, Sung may turn to China for primary support (undermining soviet influence.)
4. The USSR had nuclear technology by 1950.
In April 1950, Stalin made it clear to Sung that he would not place Soviet forces in the North if conflict with the North was faced. Stalin
accepted that indirectly for the North would benefit the USSR. A war between the North and South would certainly bring the USA into
the conflict, so Stalin made it clear that if the invasion failed and the US came in, they would not be asserting their own troops into the
country - Stalin was not prepared for direct confrontation particularly due to the USSR’s nuclear inferiority to the USA.
China
Mao’s priorities in 1949 were focused on consolidating communist control in China as well as Chinese territory (e.g. regaining control of
Taiwan.) When the North invaded the South, China originally provided no support, especially by April, Mao did not want to become
, involved due to the threat of the USA. In August 1950, Mao argued that if the US imperialists won the war, they would become more
arrogant and therefore threatening to China. He argued that Manchuria was to near to the Soviet Union meaning the USA would most
likely not bomb due to appearing as threatning. China wanted to be seen as supporting fellow communist comrades against capitalism.
In November 1950, China became involved due to the pressures of Stalin.
The USA
Until 1949, the USA’s national security priority in Asia was Japan, and Korea was only of secondary importance. The USA was more
focused on Europe however due to the assumption that Japan and the Defensive Perimeter States were secured. The North Korean
invasion refocused the US’s policy towards Korea rather than Japan. In May 1951, Dean G. Acheson took the view that North Korea’s
purpose was to destabilize Japan, Southeast Asia and the Philippines, and even to influence the position in Europe. These areas in the
far east, according to Acheson, would become unsettled if a communistr assault on the South was successful.
The United Nations
Immediately after the invasion became known, the USA requested a special session of the Security Council. At this point, the USSR
was boycotting the Security Council due to their refusal of offering Mao a seat and instead recognising the Republic of China. As a
result, the USSR was not there to veto the UN’s vote to enter Korea. The UN’s ‘scheming’ moved the attention away from primarily the
US as Canada, the UK and other commonwealth countries were also deployed.
Military involvement
The UN force was led by Douglas MacArthur. The was consisted of four stages:
Phase one - June to September 1950 (offensive)
- North Korea advanced into the South , reaching a perimeter point close to Pusan.
- Chinese troops were massed in Manchuria in readiness for a move into Korea.
- Through the UN, 19 states committed to military, economic or medical aid.
Phase two - September to November 1950 (counter offensive/ offensive.)
- MacArthur landed at Inchon and pushed the North back past the 38th parallel to the border of China.
- In October, Mao sent 300,000 Chinese troops into North Korea.
- Led to a counter attack against the UN forces.
Phase three - December 1950 to June 1951
- By January, China had pushed past the 38th parallel and captured Seoul.
- In February, the UN condemned China as an aggressor.
- Due to his demands that the US should push into North Korea and engage the Chinese, and use airstrikes and nuclear
weapons against them, MacArthur was dismissed by Truman in April 1951.
- By June, the US was showing a willingness to negotiate with China and the USSR.
Phase four - June 1951 to July 1953
- Neither side amounted to significant military offence. The UN’s lack of action convinced Stalin and Mao of a real desire for a
peace settlement.
- The US has consolidated its relationship with Japan and felt more secure in Asia.
- A natural disinclination to cooperate with one another as well as the negotiation for prisoners of war led to long delays
securing a peace settlement.
The settlement
Although negotiations started in July 1951, one was not reached untilJuly 1953 that an armistice was agreed in Panmunjom. Rhee
wanted the USA to commit to maintaining stronger ties with South Korea, by allowing the US a greater position of dependency upon the
South as an agent of US containment. Stalin’s death quickened the negotiations as Malekov was more ‘to the point.’
The Panmunjom Armistice Agreement confirmed
1. There was to be a military demarcation with a demilitarised zone of two kilometres on both sides (roughly that of the 38th
parallel.)
2. All military forces should withdraw.
3. The repatriation of prisoners would begin.
Basically, pre war status had been redeemed and nothing was achieved.
The mark scheme about China’s intervention being the only reason as to why North Korea was not defeated
“Stronger responses were able to evaluate the Chinese intervention against a range of other factors,
including the weaknesses of the South Korean Army, the role of the USSR, as well as weaknesses in the
US approach and with MacArthur.”
Provenance, tone and emphasis
- This is a speech made to the people of North Korea. The date indicates that it was made the day after the invasion of the
South and so it is of value for showing how Kim Il Sung justified the invasion of South Korea and rallied the support of the
North Koreans
- it is made by the leader of North Korea which gives it value as this would mean that it had great impact on the people; as it
was on the radio it would have been heard by most North Koreans
- the tone is aggressive and warlike; the language is designed to emphasise the illegality of the Syngman Rhee government by
the use of words such as ‘clique’ and ‘puppet regime’
- The emphasis is on destroying the South and reuniting Korea into one country; thus it has value in showing the nature of
North Korean propaganda, though is limited in giving the true picture as to the reasons for the attack.
Content and argument
