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     The Korean War is usually a sore point in United States history. Many Americans do not know a lot about the Korean War presently, just as they were uninformed during the war era. For these reasons the conflict in the Korea is often considered the “forgotten war.” However, it was a brutal war; one that “lasted exactly three years, one month and two days: June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953. Over 54,000 Americans died in it, and over 103,000 suffered wounds serious enough to earn the Purple Heart medal.” (Tomedi, 1993: v) China and North Korea also lost many lives in this conflict. Although much of the casualties were due to the fighting many deaths arose from the inhospitable terrain. Leadership was questioned many times throughout the war as well as involvement in Korea. How could something so brutal and controversial begin?

     The Korean War has strong roots in World War II. At the conclusion of World War II the Japanese claimed Korea as a colony for forty years. However, Japan’s stronghold in Korea came to an end when it surrendered in August 1945. Even with Japan’s surrender a large number Japanese troops remained in Korea. To deal with this problem the United States and Russia devised a plan; “The Americans, approaching from the South, would disarm the Japanese occupation troops in southern Korea while the Russians, hurrying down from Manchuria and eager for a share of the spoils, would disarm all Japanese troops in northern Korean.” (Tomedi, ix).

     The only thing that needed to be discussed now was what was north and what was south. To discuss the problem meetings were held between American and Soviet Officials. An agreement was reached at the Potsdam Conference, in July 1945. At the time that that line was drawn, splitting Korea into North and South Korea, the line was considered temporary. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2003: par 1) In the North the Soviets tore up railroad tracks, blocked roads, and shut the North off from the South. They even placed armed guards at the parallel. At this same time a Russian-trained Korean Communist, Kim Il Sung was placed in charge of North Korea and Pyongyang became its capital. Soon the United Nations tried to sponsor elections for government officials in Korea. The elections only occurred in the South, since “any free expression of choice was ruthlessly blocked the Soviets [in the North].” (Tomedi, x)

     As a result of the elections the South elected Syngman Rhee as president and declared Seoul its capital. In the North Kim Il Sung hosted “his own mock elections…and when they were over proclaimed himself the head of a separate state.” (Tomedi, x). During the next few years the Northern government and military was propped up by the Soviets. In the South, the United States supported the South Korean government and military. Then in 1949 both superpowers withdrew their forces. The south was left “a poorly trained and equipped force of some 65,000 men, an ‘army’ that had no armor, no air support, and less than a hundred heavy guns.” (Tomedi, x) One of the main reasons the United States left behind such a poor force was that it underestimated the North Korean force. However, the Soviets left behind a completely different military force. North Korea was left with “an intensively trained and highly motivated army of 135,000 men equipped with heavy artillery, tanks trucks, automatic weapons, and almost two hundred combat aircraft.” (Tomedi, x)

     By mid 1950 there were only about 500 American soldiers in South Korea, all advisors to various South Korean units. There were also four US divisions in Japan, but many were not ready for another war. However, the Communist countries: China, Russia, and Korea, we working closely together. The North Korean Army had aided the Chinese Communist in their civil war. Then in 1949 “two PLA [People’s Liberation Army] divisions, the majority of whose soldiers were Korean, returned to North Korea. In July 1949, the PLA’s 166th Division, headed by Pang Ho-san, crossed the Yalu [River] and was transformed into the Korean People’s Army (KPA’s) Sixth Division.” (Jian,110). Based on this information it can be assumed that the Chinese were extremely grateful for North Korea’s support and would help aid North Korea in return. Then in April of 1950, Kim Il Sung visited the Soviet Union. Here he hoped to get approval from Stalin of his plans to unite the two Koreas with force. Kim Il Sung, also, sought Mao Zedong’s approval of his plans. Kim Il Sung succeeded in gaining approval from both Communist leaders and his plans soon were carried out.

     The Northern attack began at dawn on Sunday, June 25, 1950. At this time, “the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) struck south with full force—more than seven divisions, with 150 Russian built tanks—across the length of a 150 mile front at the thirty-eighth parallel.” (Thompson and Perry, 1981:238) This is the act of aggression of the Korean War. Although some will argue that “Syngman Rhee had rattled the saber and claimed ‘we can take Pyongyang in three days’” (Thompson and Perry, 238) there is no real evidence that this is true. Another thing that supports the fact that the South did not provoke the North is the fact that the South was unprepared for such a war. After the break out of war, the North Korean army rampaged through South Korea, capturing Seoul.

     To find out more about the conflict in Korea President Truman direct General Douglas MacArthur to fly from Japan to Korea. Upon doing so MacArthur saw the Republic of Korea (ROK) army was on the verge of collapsing. MacArthur asserted the American ground troops were need quickly and claimed that if he had two divisions he would be able to hold off the North Koreans. (Thompson and Perry, 239) This was a gross underestimation of the North Korean forces. Even though the North Koreans were greatly underestimated the United States was fully committed to fighting the North Korean People’s Army within five days of the war breaking out.

     Which such a weak force in Asia, where did the ground forces come from? First an American task force from the 24th Infantry Division in Japan was dispatched by air. Task Force Smith, as it was called after its commander Charles Bradley Smith, contained about 500 men. This force was soon overwhelmed north of Osan and forced into a disorganized retreat. The rest of the 24th Infantry Division arrived shortly after and held the North Koreans back at the Kum River and Taejon. However, they were soon forced to retreat as the possibility of being encircled by the North Korea military grew. The 25th Infantry Division and the 1st Cavalry also arrived in Korea, only to be forced to retreat into the South. In August additional ground troops arrived in Korea. Two battalions of the 29th Infantry Regiment came from Okinawa. The 2nd Infantry Division, the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, and the 5th Regimental Combat Team from Hawaii, soon landed in Korea. Then in October the 3rd Infantry Division from Japan arrived. Each unit helped to defend the Pusan Perimeter, and was boosted greatly with the arrival of United Nation troops. (Baldovi, xvii)

     Then in September 1950, the United States performed a task that would go down in history books as a stroke of military genius. General MacArthur devised a plan to perform an amphibious landing at Inchon. The risks were high, as the attack had to performed at just the right time. The sea were rough at the time of the attack and the tides only allowed for a small period for the attack to be successful. Although, some opposed MacArthur’s plans he pushed for them to be approved. He soon one the approval and the Inchon landing took place on September 15. The attack was a success and the tides turned for the United States. The UN troops moved soon captured Seoul and secured the Pusan Perimeter. In October the UN made their push North past the Perimeter. They continued to push north, slowly nearing the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. Would this be the end of the war? Would the UN be successful in defeating the North Korean People’s Army? Or would the tensions that were building with the Chinese have an effect on the outcome of the war?

ESSAY WRITTEN BY DANIEL EISEN
eise9255@pacificu.edu
LAST REVISED 21 NOVEMBER 2003

 

Works Cited

Baldovi, Louis. A Foxhole View: Personal Accounts of Hawaii’s Korean War Veterans. Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press, 2002.

Jian, Chen. China’s Road to the Korean War: The Making of the Sino-American Confrontation. New York: Columbian University Press, 1994.

Ridgeway, Matthew B. The Korean War. New York: Da Capo Press, 1967.

Tomedi, Rudy. No Bugles, No Drums: An Oral History of the Korean War. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1993.

Thompson Jr, James; Stanley, Peter; Perry, John Curtis. Sentimental Imperialist: The American Experience in East Asia. New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1981.

"38th Parallel." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2003. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. 21 Nov, 2003
(http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=74026)

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