Korean Veterans of the Vietnam War
(ROK)
Republic of Korea
The Republic of Korea (ROK) sent three divisions of troops to Vietnam, beginning in September of 1963, to help the Americans fight against North Vietnam. The "White Horse," "Blue Dragon," and the "Tiger" divisions totaled 312,853 men over a twelve year period, forming the second largest army fighting in Vietnam. Similar to many of the United States soldiers, the only other foreign army to outnumber the ROK soldiers in the war, the Korean soldiers were not considered heroes upon their return home after the Vietnam War.
There are many different aspects as to why Korea got involved in the Vietnam War. There has been much speculation that the main reason Korea participated in the Vietnam War was they felt they needed to "payback" the United States for their assistance during the Korean War. The Korean people did not "want" to get involved, but due to the powers in control, felt as though they "had" to get involved. Unfortunately, the history of Korea's involvement in the Vietnam War is rarely discussed in history books, both in highschool and at university levels.
Our research, combined with past documents, book reviews and interviews, creates a legacy that the world needs to know. We hope that by reading our findings, we will have encouraged people to continue learning about the efforts the Korean people have provided in helping to make and keep Vietnam the free country that the Vietnamese wish to have. This page is meant to tell the Korean Veteran's story through interviews, literature, and photographs.
InterviewInterviews with Korean Veterans of the Vietnam War.
Agent Orange and Korean Veterans How Agent Orange affected Korean soldiers and what is happening with Korean Agent Orange victims today. There are also links to other Agent Orange sites included.
MercenariesWhat defines a Mercenary.
Book ReviewsReviews of key entries we thought contributed to our research.
Critical BibliographyA brief description of the resources that we used.
Additional Web ResourcesMore sites dealing with the Vietnam War, Korea, and Korean War.
Write to us with Questions or Comments:
Patty Im, Vallie Wells, Jonah Joyner, Emanuel Cunningham, Janet Styffe, Michelle Bowling
Please send any comments, questions, or suggestions
about Pacific University's Asian Studies Program to
Dr. Jeffrey Barlow
(barlowj@pacificu.edu).
