Transcript Korean War - George Washington High School

Liberation and the Aftermath
On August 15th, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced on the radio that Japan had surrendered and
that the long war in the Pacific was finally over. The news of the Japanese capitulation was
welcomed with a great deal of relief and joy in Korea. The Japanese surrender to the Allies meant
that forty years of harsh colonial rule would come to an end. The 15th of August, the day that WW II
was officially over, was also the Day of Liberation in Korea. Unfortunately, liberation from the
Japanese would not spell the end for Korea's misfortunes. The division of Korea into two separate
states loomed just beyond the horizon. And perhaps the greatest tragedy of all, the Korean War,
lingered not too far behind. The events that would occur between Liberation Day and August 25th
(the day that there were two official governments in the Korean peninsula) would set the stage for
the tragedy of the Korean War.
To learn more about the liberation of Korea,
the American & Soviet occupation of Korea, or
the emergence of separate states in Korea
just "click " on one of the following choices:
Allied Plans for Korea
The Americans enter Korea
Liberation and the division of Korea
The Emergence of Two Koreas
Consolidation and Confrontation
Timeline of main events
British foreign minister
1943
met with
Roosevelt
Anthony Eden
Discussed what
to do with
should be
agreed
Manchuria
Formosa
Korea
governed
by an
international trusteeship
after the war
For a period of
they
30-40 years
"schooled" their theories and forms of democracy prior to being granted national
independence.
Which
"the aforesaid three great
proclaimed powers, mindful of the
enslavement of the people
that
"Cairo
of Korea are determined
Declaration"
that in due course Korea
shall become free and
independent."
Roosevelt
1943
Churchill
Chiang Kai-shek
Roosevelt
1944
Churchill
"some period of apprenticeship before full
independence might be attained."
Ask
Stalin
for
Truman
1945
Potsdam Conference
Churchill
left a
general agreement on
trusteeship
Stalin
which possessed
numerous holes that would
later foster conflict between
the former war-time allies.
Expecting a long and difficult campaign to drive the Japanese out of the Asian mainland and to
invade Japan itself, U.S. military planners
General Douglas MacArthur
sought Soviet
assistance in ending the Pacific War. The American State Department was willing to "swallow"
Soviet control of Manchuria and Korea as the price to be paid for the Soviet entrance into the war
against Japan.
The sudden Japanese collapse
meant that nothing was in the way of Soviet
control of the entire Korean peninsula. The State department now devised a plan which would
divide the peninsula in half, leaving the Soviets to occupy Korea north of the 38th parallel and an
American occupation south of the line. The State Department proposal, otherwise known as
General Order #1, was drafted by two young colonels, Dean Rusk and Charles Bonesteel.
This hastily drafted division of Korea along the 38th parallel still remains to this day.
Depending how one looks at it, the Soviet decision to go along with General Order #1 and halt at
the 38th parallel was simultaneously both predictable and an utter surprise. The Soviet halt was
surprising because
nothing was in the way of Soviet domination of the whole of Korea.
Japanese forces, were in a state of disintegration in the face of the Soviet
juggernaut.
American forces were in Okinawa and too far away to meet, much less challenge,
the Soviet rush southward down the peninsula.
The American proposal
because
was predictable
The Soviets
conclusion
it was construed by the
Soviets as an American test
of Soviet intentions in the
post-war era.
a direct Soviet challenge to the United States in Korea was
deemed too "expensive" and risky, given the Soviet need to
come to terms with the Americans in the post-war order of
Europe, an area that was of greater strategic importance to
the Soviet Union.
that the possible gains in seizing the whole of Korea were not worth inherent risks.
P'yongyang
The Soviets moved to occupy
Hamhung
all the major cities north of the 38th parallel.
The Americans arrived in
a full month after the Soviets crossed the border into Korea.
Inchon Harbor
on September 8th
The American military quickly occupied
the southern half of the peninsula
Seoul
Korea was now occupied militarily by two foreign nations with separate and conflicting
agendas. Their influence on the hapless nation and its people would soon be felt.
The Emergence of Two Koreas
suggested a
a multi-lateral conference
U.S.
China
before the United Nations
could be
because
Britain
U.S
swayed to follow the
American line
favored
Soviet Union
1947
American proposal
because
rejected
United Nations passed a resolution
It was not agreed at the Moscow
Conference.
"United Nations Temporary Committee on Korea"
UNTCOK
watchdog national elections to be scheduled sometime before March 31st 1948.
denied entrance
in
American Occupational Zone
Soviet Zone
so
The Committee opted for separate elections to be held in the South
some
Koreans
separate elections would lead
to a permanent partition of the
country
rejected the
Syngman Rhee
U.N. plan
approved of the U.N. plan for separate elections
because
Only a South Korean government would be able to raise a South Korean Army to repel an
invasion from the north.
Rightist leader Kim Ku
leftist leader Kim Kyu Sik
broke with Rhee
Both attended a
"unity conference"
in
over the issue of separate elections for South Korea
P'yongyang
voiced opposition against
the idea of separate elections that transcended all political faiths
But
the U.S. military government in Korea decided to implement the U.N. plan.
elections were held in the South
1948
"a valid expression of the free will of the electorate
in those parts of Korea which were accessible
to the Commission"
UNTCOK
declared them
The new Representatives
established the
Three months later
the
in the
Republic of Korea
National Assembly
southern end of the peninsula
elected Syngman Rhee
to become the
autumn of 1948
president of the ROK
Elections were in held in the North
born
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
elected as its first premier
Kim Il Sung
The creation of two separate regimes
the formation of quasi-governmental bodies that possessed some administrative
such as
in the
the Interim People's Committee
the Interim Legislative Assembly
North
in the
South
With these elections the division of Korea had an air of permanence
Consolidation and Confrontation
Both regimes faced similar challenges
The first challenge
attaining legitimacy the existence of the "other" state was an obstacle in achieving it
ROK led by Syngman Rhee
competition for the allegiance of the nation
DPRK led by Kim Il Sung
domestic opposition that seriously endangered
the consolidation of one-man rule.
The second challenge
had to
Syngman Rhee
Kim Il Sung
As head of the Korean
Worker's Party
so
contend with the politically powerful southern landlords
that grew suspicious of Rhee's growing autocratic ways
confront what was left of the Left in South Korea who
began threatening his rule by engaging in armed
rebellions and mass demonstrations throughout the
country
he use all the autocratic means at his disposal
to insure his position at the top.
a union of various communist groupings
was faced with a party that had four different "voices".
leader of the Soviet faction
The first "voice was accented by Russian headed by Ho Kai-I
The second "voice“ led by Pak Hon yong which had a southern Korean accent
The third "voice" led by Kim Tu Bong had a heavy Chinese accent
leader of the Yenan faction
The last "voice" was Kim Il Sung's own Kapsin "guerrilla" faction
so
He embark on a campaign to systematically wipe out all the other
voices leaving the party and the state united under the only voice of
Kim Il Sung.
1948-1950
was marked by
an intense drive towards political consolidation on the part of the two regimes and its rulers.
Kim Il Sung & the Consolidation of the North
Kim Il Sung
was
on the road to socialism
was able to nationalize nine-tenths of the nation's industrial production
with Soviet assistance and advice, embarked on a two-year economic plan
1950
placed on heavy industry
the economic life of the country was firmly in the hands of the government.
strove for political consolidation of his own rule
when he became chairman of the Korean Worker's Party
Kim Il Sung
was able to
remove potential challengers from "center stage"
Pak was delegated as vice-chairman of the party
erstwhile leader of the South Korean Communists
prestige Kim's own image
in the south
yet contained and enclosed enough so that
Kim was able to pull the reins in on Pak if it
ever proved necessary
relegating
remove most Soviet-Koreans from positions of power
Ho Kai-I
Kim Tu Bong
co vice- chairman with Pak Hon Yong.
Was the
leader of the Chinese
"Yenan" faction
leader of the "Soviet" faction within the Korean Worker's party
become chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly
Kim Il Sung was the lone master of North Korea.
The Central issue of North Korean regime
Was of
The DPRK considered itself as
wanted to extend their rule southward to Pusan
unification
the sole legitimate government in Korea
because
the southern regime did not have the support of the populace
June 1949
Kim Il Sung
declared that
unification was
"the most important and immediate
task of the party and the people".
Later than
made the fateful decision that he would have to call on the military to unify the nation
Korean People's Army,(KPA)
the presence of Soviet military advisors
Strength ened by
the large amounts of military equipment
Syngman Rhee & the Consolidation of the South
Rhee's hunger for the enlargement of executive authority
soon ran into conflict with the legislative body.
When he
expand the mandate of the
National Security Law (NSL),
designed to
used the
Syngman Rhee
to
crack down on alleged communist inspired sedition
suppress any political opposition to his authority
against members of the National Assembly who called for the dismissal of Rhee's cabinet
the purging of former Japanese collaborators in the Rhee bureaucracy
Rhee's main base
of political support
pushed through a
Rhee
strengthening support of farmers
land reform bill
to
Those who objected
weakening the influence of
Korean landlords.
were
jailed by invoking the NSL
Communist inspired insurrections threatened Rhee's bid for political consolidation
Cheju-do uprising
response was a
In other areas
called for a
severe crackdown in Cheju-do
guerrillas broke out
"march north"
Rhee succeeded in squashing these internal
threats to his power
overthrow the communist regime in P'yongyang
to
Syngman Rhee
where
a rebellion of communist guerrillas and peasants that
challenged the authority of the new regime
1948
1949 and 1950
replace it with that of his own.
stepped up his rhetoric to a feverish pitch
Despite the intensity of his
The South Korea Army
was
much inferior
The Republic of Korea was incapable of launching a
major military campaign to unify the peninsula.
to the
Korean People's Army
Until
MacArthur’s ampphibious attack
Towards Confrontation
The Belligerent rhetoric
of
both sides
tension
created a
high level
along the
of
anxiety
38th parallel.
The border separating the two Korea was often the scene of violent clashes and routine
cross-border raids.
Rhee was born in Kaesong in 1875, the son of a poverty-stricken Yangban(Korean Gentry) family.
As a young adult, Rhee studied English. In 1896, Rhee played a minor role in forming the
Independence Club. By 1897, Rhee was imprisoned for various political activities. In 1905, a year
after his release from prison, Rhee went to the United States to study. After receiving his Ph.D from
Princeton University in International Law, Rhee went back to Korea for just a short while before
returning to the U.S. where he remained until 1945 as a Korean nationalist in
exile laboring and lobbying for Korean independence. While in exile, Rhee
became the President of the Korean Provisional Government for a short
stint. He maneuvered to position himself as the principal spokesman for the
Korean Right. By 1947, Syngman Rhee, had received the unofficial "blessing"
of
the U.S. to lead the Koreans after the withdrawal of the American presence in Korea. Syngman
Rhee was chosen by the National Assembly to become the first President of the Republic of Korea
in 1948. As President, Rhee cracked down on political opponents and coerced the press to print
news more favorable to the government.
Rhee's rhetoric about a "march north" to unify the Peninsula under his rule did not lessen a bit.
During the war, Rhee helped to stir controversy by encouraging General Douglas MacArthur and
the U.N. forces under his command to liberate the north. He led Korea until the age of 85 when a
student uprising toppled his government in April of 1960. From there Rhee left
for theUnited States where he remained in exile until his death in 1965.
Kim Il Sung (Kim Song Ju) was born in P'yongi in 1912. Kim and his family emigrated to Manchuria
in the 1920's where he attended a Chinese school. At the age of fifteen, Kim was arrested and
imprisoned for a year for having been a founding member of a Communist Youth League. After his
release from jail in 1930, Kim founded the Korean Revolutionary Army. In 1931, Kim join a Chinese
Communist guerrilla group, fighting the Japanese military in Manchuria. Kim swiftly rose up the
ranks of the Chinese Communist Army. Between the years 19321941, Kim led a band of Korean guerrillas against Japanese
positions and personnel in Manchuria. In 1941, Japanese
counterinsurgency forces forced Kim to leave Manchuria for the
Soviet Union. There he remained until he "hitched" a ride with the
Soviet Army into Korea in 1945. Kim strove to unify Korea under the
banner of communism. After the creation of the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea in 1948, Kim became not only the head of the Korean Workers' Party,
but premier of the new communist state as well. In late 1949, Kim made the fateful decision to
launch a major military campaign to unify Korea under force of arms. After the war, Kim continued
the trend towards one-man rule. He succeeded in constructing a cult of personality with himself
as the main icon for adoration .In the post-Korean War years, Kim developed the idea of juche, an
ideology of self-reliance blended with Marxism, thus creating a distinct "native" Korean communism.
At the age of 82, Kim Il Sung died.
15 Aug
26 July
15 Aug
Korea divided into US and Soviet occupation
zones along 38th parallel
President Truman's National Security Act creates US
Department of Defense
After supervised elections, US military government
turns over power to Republic of Korea
25 - North Korean People's
Army invades South Korea UN calls for an end of
aggression
27 - UN asks member
countries to aid Republic of
Korea - US announces
intervention. North Korea
attacks Seoul airfield.
28 - US bombers attack
troops in Han River area North Korean army captures
Seoul
30 - President Truman orders
ground forces into Korea and
authorizes Air Force to bomb
North Korea
5 - Near Osan, Task
Force Smith troops
fight for the first
time and suffer
heavy casualties
18 - US Cavalry
lands at Pohangdong
- US aircraft destroy
key oil refinery in
Wonsan
22 - Battle for
Taejon ends with
heavy US losses and
retreat
4 - Pusan perimeter
established in
southeastern Korea
13 - First UN
counterattack collapses
15 - Four-day battle of
"the Bowling Alley" UN forces hold back
North Korean
offensive
15 - Inchon landing of
UN forces
29 - UN troops complete
recapture of Seoul
7 - UN forces cross 38th parallel
- UN sanctions defeat of North
Korea and attempted
reunification
14 - Chinese Communist troops
cross Yalu River into Korea
19 - UN captures P'yongyang,
the North Korean capital
4 - Seoul captured by
Chinese
25 - UN forces resume
offensive
f
1 - Chinese attack in
force near Unsan
24 - General
Douglas
MacArthur's final
"Home by
Christmas"
offensive begins
11- Chinese
counteroffensive
begins north of
Hoengsong
11 - End of Chinese strike
against marine and army
divisions at Chosin Reservoir marines retreat
1 - UN line reaches
between the 37th and
38th Parallels
18 - UN forces retake
Seoul
11 - MacArthur
recalled - General
Matthew Ridgway
given command
13 - UN forces dig in
on the 38th Parallel
f
10 - Truce talks begin
at Kaesong Communists break off
talks six weeks later
f
28 - North Korean
and Chinese leaders
agree to POW
exchange
18 - Three-day battle
of Pork Chop Hill
ends in victory for
UN forces
s
26 - Full peace talks
resume at Panmunjom
f
23 - UN forces
take Heartbreak
Ridge after 18day battle
d
27 - Truce talks resume at
Panmunjom
14 - Communist offensive pushes Republic of Korea
troops south
18 - South Koreans release 27,000 North Korean POWs,
who refuse repatriation
25 - "Little Truce Talks" secure Republic of Korea's
acceptance of armistice. Chinese launch massive attacks
against South Korean divisions.
10 - Communists return to negotiations
27 - Cease fire signed - fighting ends 12 hours
later
4 - Processing of POWs for repatriation begins at
Freedom Village, Panmunjom
Bibliography
•Alexander, Bevin, Korea, The First War We Lost. New York, New York. Hippocrene Books, 1986.
Fehrenbach, T. R., This Kind of War, A Study in Unpreparedness, New York, New York.
•Presidio Press, 1990. Paschall, Rod, Witness to War, Korea, New York, New York.
•Bruce Cumings' "The Origins of the Korean War" Volumes I & 2.
•"Political Change in South Korea" edited by Ilpyong J. Kim and Young Whan Kihl.
•"The Failure of Democracy in South Korea" by the former Foreign Minister of the Republic of
Korea, Han Sung Joo.
•George E. Ogle's "SOUTH KOREA-Dissent Within The Economic Miracle"