The Korean War, 1950-53

What happened to Korea at Potsdam in August 1945?

Korean Peninsula was taken from Japanese control and divided into two zones of occupation

• division at the 38th parallel (Soviet Zone - North & American Zone - South)

What happened in August 1948 regarding Korea?

USA orchestrated the creation of the (capitalist) Republic of Korea from its zone

How did the Soviet Union respond to the USA’s creation of the Republic of Korea?

Soviet Union undertook an identical process in the North with the creation of (communist) Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in September 1948

Who emerged as the Chairman in North Korea?

Kim II Sung

• emerged as the Chairman of the newly formed Korean Provisional People’s Committee

• acted as a provisional communist government

Who emerged as the favoured anti-communist leader in South Korea?

Syngman Rhee

What was the common goal between North and South Korea’s leaders?

both leaders were committed to the restoration of a united Korea under a single leader

What was Syngman Rhee like?

both a nationalist and virulent anti-communist who wanted to reunite Korea as sovereign country that would not tolerate communism in any form

What did Syngman Rhee want in Korea?

wanted to remove communism from the North - establishing in the process a stronger state that could resist any threats from the USA

• defending a border with Manchuria was better than defending a border at the 38th Parallel

What did Syngman Rhee need guaranteeing from the USA?

that it would protect South Korea from an attack from the North - provide military aid to enable the South Korean Army to enforce the national reunification of Korea

Did Kim II Sung follow a uncompromising stance similarly to Syngman Rhee?

Yes

• committed to using force as the vehicle to achieve unification

What did Kim II Sung start to develop as a tatic against the South?

extensive guerrilla action

• aimed to destabilise the South and undermine Rhee’s regime

By late 1949 what was Kim II Sung feeling about the reunification of Korea?

confident that a major assault against the North could be successfully mounted - reunification of Korea would make it easier to defend than the division that currently existed

What did Kim II Sung develop his strategy based on?

winning external support

• wanted to use collective power of the communist world in order to increase the North’s strength against South Korea and its Western Allies

What four issues did Kim II Sung focus on in order to persuade Stalin to support an attack on the South?

• it would be a rapid and decisive victory

• hard core of 200,000 communist supporters already in the South

• well-organised communist guerrilla force operating in the South

• USA would not have time to intervene

What happened in March 1949, regarding the USSR in Korea?

Kim II Sung turned to Stalin for Soviet support for a North Korean assault of South Korea

• Stalin rejected Kim II Sung’s pleas and reiterated his support - suggested Kim II Sung should strengthen the guerrilla forces in the South in order to undermine the government there

Why had Stalin’s position on Korea shifted by February 1950?

the international scene had changed by this time

• Chinese communists had defeated the nationalists and set up the People’s Republic of China

• Americans had no included South Korea in their Defensive Perimeter Strategy

How had Stalin’s position on Korea shifted by February 1950?

Stalin agreed to provide North Korea with 1600 pieces of artillery, 179 military aircraft and 258 T-34 Tanks

• not prepared to commit Soviet troops to participate in a war

In April 1950 what had Stalin make clear to Kim II Sung?

would not commit Soviet forces if North Korea faced conflict with the USA

• Stalin accepted that indirect military support for North Korea was the best possible option for the USSR

Why did Stalin refuse to commit his own troops against the Americans?

Stalin was not prepared to engage in direct military confrontation with the USA - particularly in the context of nuclear weapons and the USSR’s inferior position at this time compared to the USA

In 1949, what were Mao’s immediate priorities for China?

focused on consolidating communist control in China and the consolidation of Chinese territory through regaining control of Taiwan from the nationalists

Initially, when North Korea invaded the South what did China do?

China did not intervene or offer any form of overt support

• even as late as April 1950: Mao determined to take no action that might inflame the USA

• greater focus on China’s most immediate geostrategic priorities

What activated China’s involvement in the Korean War?

Truman ordered the US 7th Fleet to defend Taiwan by positioning itself between China and Taiwan

How did Mao rationalise his view to pursuing the war in Korea in August 1950?

argued that if US imperialists won the war - they would become more arrogant and would threaten China

How was Mao’s options limited regarding China’s involvement in the Korean War?

• China’s image would be permanently tarnished in the eyes of the communist world and those aspirant post-colonial communist movements

• China had to be seen to be supporting fellow communist comrades in their struggle against capitalist imperialism

In November 1950, what would China be compelled to do?

intervene in the Korean War due to pressure from Stalin - but at the start of the war Mao did his best to stay out of the conflict

Until 1949, what was the USA’s national security in Asia prioritised in?

Japan

• emerging struggle between North and South Korea was of secondary importance compared to the USA’s national security by protecting Japan and reviving its economic strength

What did the USA regard as its greatest threat until 1949?

USSR - focus was on Europe rather then Asia

• assuming Japan and the Defensive Perimeter States were secured

What event fundamentally re-orientated US policy towards Korea?

North Korean invasion

In May 1951, what was Acheson’s view on North Korea’s purpose in invading South Korea?

purpose was to destabilise Japan, Southeast Asia and the Philippines, and even to influence the position in Europe