We explain what the Korean War was and who faced each other. In addition, the intervention of the USA and the USSR in the context of the Cold War.
What was the Korean War?
The Korean War was a military conflict in which The governments of North Korea and South Korea faced with the control of the Korean Peninsula. It was held between 1950 and 1953, and was the first armed conflict of the Cold War.
The conflict It began as a civil war between the different Korean power factions that the Government of Korea disputed. The communists had established a government under the leadership of Kim Il Sung in the North and the nationalists the government of Syngman Rhee in the south.
However, both the United States and the Soviet Union were involved directly and The combat became an important international dispute. In the context of the beginning of the Cold War, the outcome of the dispute in Korea affected the interests of both powers. The USSR and China sent their troops in support of North Korea and, on the other hand, the United States pressed so that the United Nations Organization would send a set of troops from Western countries to support the nationalist side (South Korea).
For the number of combatants involved and the level of militarization to which the conflict reached, The Korean War was one of the most brutal in history. It is estimated that there were between 2,500,000 and 3,000,000 fallen combatants and more than 10 % of the civilian population was killed or missing in those years. The consequences of the war had a great reach since they defined the international political scenario that marked the cold war during the following fifty years.
The war ended with an armistice that established the definitive separation of the Korean Peninsula in two independent countries. In South Korea, the nationalist government maintained the dictatorship of Syngman Rhee and was aligned with the United States. In North Korea, Kim Il Sung installed a communist dictatorship that lasts until today under the government of his son Kim Jong-un.
See also: Blocks of the Cold War
Background of the Korean War
Since 1910, Korea was part of the Empire of Japan. However, when Japan was defeated in World War II, The north of Korea was occupied by the troops of the USSR and in southern Korea the United States Army was installed. Temporarily, the USSR and the USA decided to divide the territory by the 38th parallel. This division had to end when the armies of occupation were removed from the country.
However, when this happened in 1949, both the authorities of the North and the South were proclaimed as a legitimate government of Korea.
- In North Korea The Democratic Popular Republic of Korea was established directed by Kim Il Sung, with a communist political and economic system and the support of the Soviet Union.
- In South Korea The Government proclaimed the Republic of Korea, with a dictatorship in the hands of Syngman Rhee supported by US forces.
Corea War Development
In 1950, Syngman Rhee's government requested military and economic support from the United States to advance on the border with North Korea. For his part, Kim Il Sung had been negotiating with the Soviet Union its support to achieve total control of the Korean Peninsula. Finally, Stalin (leader of the USSR) authorized the intervention of Soviet troops to support Kim Il Sung and invade South Korea.
North Korea's troops, known as the Popular Army of Korea, managed to advance rapidly over the South Korean territory. By September 1950, they had managed to occupy most of the Peninsula.
However, the United Nations Organization (UN), under American pressure, decided to intervene in the conflict and sent an international force composed of troops from different Western countries. UN forces managed to stop North Korean advance and make it back to the Yalú River, beyond the parallel 38.
Given this situation, Stalin pressed Mao Zedong (the leader of the People's Republic of China, a country that had recently turned to communism) to get involved in the Korean War and militarily support North Koreans. In October, More than 300,000 Chinese soldiers were sent to combat and managed to recover the possessions of North Korea between the Yalú River and the 38th parallel.
Between 1951 and 1953, the front between both sides was stagnant in that position and none of the armies made significant progress on his opponent. Finally, it was defined to finish the conflict and Maintain the division of the Peninsula in two independent countries.
In July 1953, North Korea and South Korea signed the armistice that ended the Korean War. A demilitarized border area was established in parallel 38 to divide both countries. This situation is maintained today.
Korea War Results
The Korean war was very destructive. As in most civil wars, Atrocities were carried out both against military and against civilians. It is estimated that more than a tenth of the civilian population was injured, killed or missing during those years.
The exact number of the total fallen fighters is not known (because the Soviet Union kept the secret about its records), but it is believed that the figure amounts to 2,500,000 people (between dead and missing).
The political consequences of the war were very important and had a great reach in the international arena. The Korean War was the first armed conflict of the Cold War and precipitated the militarization of the powers.
The United States extended its military bases in Europe and its assistance to the allies to allow the rearmament of Germany. In addition, he sought to extend their alliances to prevent all Asian countries from being within the communist bloc. He promoted an alliance with Japan (defeated in World War II) and, through the purchase of its armaments and war technology, helped its capitalist economic restructuring in postwar.
For its part, The Soviet Union rearmed the communist countries of Eastern Europe. China began an unprecedented military investment and created its Air Force. However, the relationship between the different leaders of the communist countries was stressed.
Although the USSR and China sent their troops to attend Kim Il Sung, the North Korean leader decided to maintain an independent path against Stalin and Mao. He had lost prestige and being able to go to his military assistance and decided to recover them, from now on without the protection or protection of the rest of the communist states.
The Korean War created a political configuration of the Asian northeasternbeyond the cold war. The Korean Peninsula remains divided into two separate countries with opposite political and economic systems. While South Korea and Japan maintain their close relationship with the United States, North Korea managed to last a communist dictatorship until today.
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References
- Millett, Allan R. (2023). “Korean War”. Britannica Encyclopedia https://www.britannica.com/
- Palmowski, J. (2000). “Korean War”. To Dictionary of Twentieth-Century World History. Oxford University Press.
- Suh, DS (1988). Kim Il Sung: The North Korean Leader. Columbia University Press.
- Van Dijk, R., Gray, WG, Savranskaya, S., Suri, J., & Zhai, Q. (eds.). (2013). “Korean War.” Encyclopedia of the Cold War. Routledge.
