6.04 The Korean War
What Is the Relationship Between North and South Korea Today?
Although the fighting on the Korean Peninsula ended in 1953, the tension has continued. During the Korean War, North and South Korea each saw an opportunity to reunite a divided land. Today, they remain separate with soldiers from each side on guard along the demilitarized zone, which has been called "the most dangerous place on Earth." The United States has more than 25,000 troops in South Korea. Many of those troops are situated along the demilitarized zone. The two nations have followed extremely different paths since 1953. One country has become an economic powerhouse in Asia. The other has become one of the most secretive nations on Earth. After the armistice, South Korea began to expand economically. However, the country was ruled by a series of military dictators. Since 1953, South Korea has experienced tremendous economic growth, with its per capita income rising to about 17 times that of North Korea's per capita income. It is one of the top automobile exporters in the world. In 2012, South Korea hosted the G-20 summit, a conference at which leaders from the world's top economies meet to discuss their economic plans. South Korea is slated to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Since 1953, North Korea has become an international outcast because of its quest to develop nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. Although it claims a communist system, Kim Il-sung, his son, and grandson have ruled North Korea like royalty. While its army is large and powerful, North Korea is one of poorest nations in the world. It commonly struggles with shortages of consumer goods. It must use international aid to feed its people, yet outsiders are rarely allowed into the country. Occasionally, discussions about reuniting North and South Korea resume. In 2000, South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung announced that he would go to Pyongyang to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. These talks eventually led to several periods in which families separated by the war could travel across the 38th parallel to see loved ones who they had not seen in fifty years. The families were allowed three-day visits before returning to their homes. For his efforts to open dialogue with North Korea, Kim Dae-Jung received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000. Despite occasional encouraging signs, there are still vast economic and political differences between North and South Korea. South Korea enjoys many freedoms, while North Korea continues to be one of the most brutal and unfree places to live. Kim Jong Un leads with an iron fist by harshly punishing dissenters or Christians with harsh labor camp sentences or death sentences. Evil permeates this nation which is in desperate need of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In Korea, MacArthur opted to command his troops in the way that he saw fit.
By November 1950, the North Koreans had been pushed far north. When his force reached the Yalu River, MacArthur pressed for permission to cross into China. He believed that total defeat of the Communist Chinese was the only way to achieve victory. Without Chinese troops, MacArthur explained, the North Koreans would be a small fighting force. He sought public support for this move, speaking to newspapers, magazines, and Republican party leadership. Truman, concerned that attacking China would bring the Soviet Union into the war, reminded MacArthur several times that MacArthur needed to follow orders. And there was no intent on the part of the United States or the UN to invade China. That point became unimportant when Chinese forces crossed the Yalu and drove the UN force south of the 38th parallel. MacArthur had been wrong in his assessment of the Chinese. They were a powerful army, and their entry into the war caught him by surprise.
Korean War:
Cold War conflict between North Korea and South Korea that included the United States, Soviet Union, and China
What Caused MacArthur to Lose His Command?
In 1950, most Americans regarded General Douglas MacArthur as a war hero. He had supervised Japan's transition into a modern, democratic nation after WWII. On the other hand, after narrowly winning a second term in the 1948 election, Democratic President Harry Truman's popularity was falling. Since that election, the Soviet Union had acquired the atomic bomb, China had fallen to Communist rule, and there were widespread reports that communists had infiltrated the federal government. Republicans blamed Truman for "losing China." The conflict in Korea made matters worse.
The documents above show (left) the message from Truman to MacArthur relieving him of command. The second message is the public announcement.
In April 1951, Truman announced that he was relieving MacArthur of his command. This "firing" of MacArthur caused an uproar in the United States. Much of the public backed MacArthur in the controversy that followed. Several senators called for Truman to be impeached for his action. However, Truman carefully presented his case to the public. Public opinion slowly turned to support Truman. MacArthur had been so well respected as a military leader during and after World War II, but his disrespectful attitude to his superior, President Truman cost him dearly. Romans 13 describes God's will for obeying civil authorities. At the end of verse 7, God's wisdom through the pen of Paul reads, "respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed."
President Truman and General MacArthur met at Wake Island in October 1950. MacArthur did not wear a military dress uniform to meet the president, which some onlookers considered disrespectful. MacArthur also shook hands with Truman rather than saluting him as commander-in-chief.
In October 1950, Truman flew to Wake Island in the Pacific to meet MacArthur for a face-to-face discussion. There was already tension between the two men. MacArthur had publicly accused government leaders, meaning Truman, of "appeasement" regarding China. This infuriated Truman. When the two men met at Wake Island, some onlookers felt that MacArthur was disrespectful toward the president. During discussions on Wake, MacArthur assured Truman that the Chinese army would not join the war when his force reached the Yalu River. MacArthur was so confident in his success that he promised American troops would be home for Christmas.
At the start of the Korean War, General Douglas MacArthur was regarded as a war hero. He was respected by both the American public and government leaders.
In the mid-1950s, Americans feared that communism might take over Asia. The American public strongly disliked its leader and worried about the fighting in Korea. It was in this political atmosphere that a conflict between Truman and MacArthur led to a showdown. The specific issues centered on the Korean War. But the overall issue was the basic American principle of civilian control of the military. At the outbreak of fighting in Korea, Truman had appointed MacArthur to command U.S. and UN forces. MacArthur's successful counterattack at Inchon was widely praised. Truman then approved MacArthur's request to pursue North Korean forces beyond the 38th parallel.
The Korean War 1950-1953
June 1950: North Korea invaded the South, capturing Seoul. September 1950: UN and South Korean troops are pushed all the way back to Pusan. November 1950: UN and South Korean troops advance after MacArthur lands at Inchon. They advance past the 38th parallel and proceed all the way to the Yalu River. January 1951: The Chinese join North Korea and push UN and South Korean troops past the 38th parallel. July 1953: On July 27, 1953 an armistice agreement ended the fighting, but an official peace treaty was never signed.
General MacArthur delivers his famous "Old Soldiers Never Die" speech to Congress on April 19, 1951.
On April 19, 1951, MacArthur appeared before Congress to give a farewell speech. He received numerous standing ovations from the members of Congress. MacArthur concluded the speech with these famous words: "I am closing my 52 years of military service. When I joined the Army, even before the turn of the century, it was the fulfillment of all of my boyish hopes and dreams . . . I still remember . . . one of the most popular barrack ballads of that day which proclaimed . . . 'old soldiers never die; they just fade away.' And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty."
How Did the Cold War Begin to Heat Up?
The Cold War began as a war of ideas and beliefs that pitted the democratic Western Powers against the communist Soviet Union. Between 1945 and 1950, international tensions increased as the world powers flexed their military "muscles" and ideologies clashed. In 1949, the Soviet Union successfully tested an atomic bomb. That same year, the Chinese communists triumphed in that nation's long civil war. Communists now ruled the two largest nations on Earth—and one nation had atomic weapons. Helping to keep peace in these tense times was the newly created United Nations. The UN would soon face a difficult test in Asia. In 1950, communist North Korean forces stormed into South Korea. Less than five years after World War II ended, the world stood at the brink of World War III. The United States and United Nations reacted quickly, and the Korean Peninsula became a battleground. Although most of the fighting took place in 1950, the Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953. By the time it was over, little ground had been exchanged in Korea. But the political and military landscape of the United States had changed dramatically.
What Made the Korean War a "Seesaw" Conflict?
The North Korean invasion was immediately successful. The North Korean army captured the South Korean capital of Seoul. They pushed the South Korean and UN troops to the tip of the peninsula. There the defenders set up a small perimeter around Pusan. It looked as if South Korea was bound to fall until MacArthur launched a counterattack. On September 15, 1950, MacArthur surprised the North Koreans with an attack from behind their lines. MacArthur made a daring amphibious landing at Inchon, on the west coast of the Korean Peninsula. The North Koreans were not expecting an attack there because the conditions were highly unfavorable. There were shallow channels, rocky beaches, and challenging tides to overcome. But MacArthur was successful. The First Marine Division, along with the Army's Seventh Infantry Division and dozens of Navy warships, landed an attacking force that steadily drove toward Pusan. At the same time, UN troops stationed around Pusan began an offensive and pushed north. The North Koreans were caught between two armies. About half of the North Koreans surrendered. The UN force pursued the retreating North Korean troops north. By November, UN troops under MacArthur were close to the Yalu River, the border between China and Korea. The success of the UN forces drew the Chinese communists into the conflict. The Chinese viewed North Korea as a buffer between them and the democratic South Korea. Chinese foreign minister, Zhou En-lai, pledged he would not let American troops come to the border of China. In November 1950, more than 300,000 Chinese troops moved south to assist North Korea. Now the United States faced two communist opponents in this Cold War clash—the Soviets and the Chinese. With fresh reserves, the North Koreans outnumbered their opponents by as many as ten to one in some places. They pressed steadily southward, pushing the UN and South Korean troops back past the 38th parallel and recapturing Seoul. The seesaw battle continued with neither side capable of making a big push. By late 1951, the opposing sides were basically back to their positions prior to the North Korean invasion. The seesaw from south to north and back again had ended in a stalemate. Unfortunately, there were two more years of bloodshed to follow as each side tried to gain an advantage. Thousands of lives were lost. Families were torn apart, with some ending up on one side of the 38th parallel and some on the other. And the career of General Douglas MacArthur was ended.
How Did the Korean War Begin?
The ancient country of Korea had a tortured history in the 20th century. The agony began when Japan annexed Korea in 1910. Japan was already a military power at that time. But as an island nation, it needed the natural resources, especially iron ore, on the Korean Peninsula. During World War II, Koreans made up about one-third of the slave labor force used by Japan. Thousands of Koreans were forced into the Japanese Army during the war. In August 1945, as Japan was close to surrender, Soviet forces gathered in Manchuria. Following an agreement that Josef Stalin had made with the Allies at Yalta, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan on August 9. The Soviet army in Asia included Korean troops who had fought a guerilla war against Japan since the 1930s. These were battle-hardened troops led by Kim Il-sung, a member of the Korean Communist party. The Soviet troops crushed the weakened Japanese forces and by September had reached the 38th parallel of North latitude. A previous agreement between the Allies installed U.S. forces in the land south of the parallel. As they did in occupied nations in Europe, Soviet leaders installed a communist government in Korea. It was led by Kim Il-sung. U.S. troops remained south of the 38th parallel, and the peninsula remained under control of the two world powers. The original plan for Korea, set out by the newly formed United Nations, called for democratic elections to be held in the entire country. However, by 1948, it was apparent that the communist north and the democratic south were separate regions. In May, the Republic of South Korea was formed with a capital at Seoul. In September, the People's Republic of North Korea was formed with a capital at Pyongyang. At this point, the United States had reduced the number of troops stationed in South Korea. Soviet leader Stalin and the North Koreans viewed the withdrawal as an indication that the United States would not fight to keep South Korea. With support from the Soviet Union, the North Korean army launched a surprise attack on South Korea on June 25, 1950. They quickly took over much of the country. The sudden invasion was the first test of the United Nations and influenced the Truman administration's resolve to expand containment to include Asia. South Korea asked the United Nations to intervene. The UN had two options. It could propose economic sanctions against North Korea, or it could use an international peacekeeping force. Economic sanctions were not effective because the Soviet Union refused to honor them. This left the military option. The decision was made to send a force to Korea. The Soviet Union was boycotting the UN Security Council at that time. As a result, the Soviets were not present to veto the UN's decision. The decision forced U.S. troops back into action only five years after the end of World War II. However, most Americans supported the use of military force against the communists, which shows how much the United States opposed this anti-God and anti-freedom form of government that now appeared ready to spread like a plague. After all, this war had come only a year after China had been taken over by communists. Americans feared that the fall of South Korea made it more likely that other Asian nations would become communist. Each would topple its neighbor, like a line of dominoes set up on a table. This belief was given a name—the domino theory. Once the UN decision was approved, President Truman quickly moved American troops stationed in Japan to Korea. Fifteen other nations sent more than half a million troops to support South Korea. South Korea supplied 600,000 soldiers. General Douglas MacArthur, a World War II hero who was directing the rebuilding of Japan, took charge of the UN forces.
How Did the Korean War End?
The controversy over MacArthur's dismissal slowly died down. Bloody fighting continued with opposing forces pushing each other back and forth across the 38th parallel. In June of 1951, the Soviet Union's UN delegate proposed a cease-fire. UN representatives met with officials from North Korea and communist China first in the village of Kaesong and later at Panmunjom. The talks centered on two topics. One topic was the exchange of prisoners of war. The other topic was the insistence on the part of the Republic of South Korea that the peninsula be united as one country under democratic rule. The fighting continued for much of the next two years. In peace talks afterward, both sides agreed on a cease-fire line where hostilities had stopped. They also created a demilitarized zone (DMZ) which would serve as a buffer between the two nations. In July 1953, they finally signed an armistice that ended the fighting. However, a peace treaty between the opposing countries has never been signed. The Korean War ended in a stalemate. Korea remained a divided land. For the American public, the Korean War stoked fears of communist aggression. However, the superpowers that had driven much of the fighting had not used nuclear weapons. The chart on this screen shows how bloody the three years of fighting were for the opposing sides and for civilians trapped between them. In the United States, the Korean War was costly for the Democrats. The bloody stalemate turned public opinion against the Democrats and made a Republican victory in the 1952 election almost certain. Truman's approval rating plummeted to 23 percent in 1951. He chose not to run for reelection. Instead, the Democrats pitted Adlai Stevenson against the Republican candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower, popularly known as "Ike." The Republicans used the Korean War, fears of communism, and the expanded power of the federal government against the incumbent party. Eisenhower had demonstrated his ability as a strong leader during World War II, and was skilled at evading controversial issues during his campaign. The slogan "I Like Ike" summed up Eisenhower's easy charm and America's desire for a new direction in its politics. In November 1952, Eisenhower captured 55 percent of the popular vote and most of the electoral college votes. The American political scene was about to undergo dramatic changes.
cease-fire:
a cessation of hostilities while a peace treaty is negotiated
demilitarized zone (DMZ):
area where no military activity is permitted
38th parallel:
international boundary between North Korea and South Korea in 1945 established at the end of WWII
amphibious:
military operation that involves forces landed from the sea
domino theory:
the theory that events that happen in one country will make them more likely to occur in neighboring countries