Korean War – History, Causes and Consequences

The Korean War started in June 1950 when North Korea launched an attack on South Korea. It lasted till 1953 and was an important event in the history of the Cold War , that was happening at a larger international stage. Responding to this situation , The United States responded by, leading a United Nations force of more than a dozen countries, and came to help South Korea.

USSR covertly supported North Korea and China, which entered the scene much later in November 1950, also came to support North Korea which led to a massive clash between the Chinese and American forces. The war ended in a stalemate after three years in 1953, with the border between North and South Korea remaining almost unchanged.

To this day the tension between North and South Korea remain high as technically the two countries are still said to be at war, since no peace treaty was ever signed between them. The Korean war holds a great deal of significance with regards to the Cold war because it was also being seen as a power struggle between the US and Soviet union, as they both chose their sides to support.

Brief overview of Korean history that led to the Korean War

Given below is a brief summary of the events that led to the Korean war, Please go through these points to have a better overview of the Korean political scenario in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, for a better understanding:

• We find that initially the Joseon Dynasty ruled the Korean peninsula for over 5 centuries (1392-1897) and they had ties to China because they used to be vassals of the Qing Dynasty at one point, therefore there was a great amount of Chinese influence in the peninsula in the beginning.
• We see that the Korean peninsula in a span of a few years went from being under Chinese influence to Russian and to finally under Japanese influence, which created a climate of political unrest in the region.
• Emperor Gojong is an important figure in the Korean history who brought forth the idea of a “Korean identity” which was not influenced by anyone; One that was unique to the people living in the Korean peninsula.
• Japan occupied the Korean peninsula in 1910 despite signing a Protectorate Treaty with them in 1905 after defeating Russia, and ruled over Korea till the end of the Second World War in 1945. The Japanese occupation of Korea ended after Japan’s defeat in the war.
• Hence we find that until the Second World War, there was great political turmoil, and instability in the Korean peninsula, as the power kept changing hands creating a chaotic environment for everyone living there.
• These events laid the foundation for the Korean War.

The Korean War: North Korea vs South Korea

• Korea finally became free from Japanese control after the Second World War ended, only to get caught in a bigger political unrest.
• After the War ended, the Korean peninsula was divided into two parts at the 38th Parallel of latitude north of the equator, which was done under the watch of the Allied leaders aka United States and Soviet Union.
• As a result of this division two nations were created: North Korea, which was supported by Soviet Union and was Communist in nature and South Korea that was backed by the United States.
• North Korea was under dictator Kim Il Sung who established a socialist state, while South Korea was governed as a capitalist state by Syngman Rhee. Both countries did not recognize each others legitimacy to rule and claimed to be the sole ruler of all of the Korean peninsula.
• The whole North vs South situation was inevitable because both countries chose polar opposite ideologies to govern their countries; On a larger scale it was a battle between Communism and Capitalism.
• In 1950, North Korea launched an attack on South Korea in an attempt to unify the Korean peninsula under the North Korean rule was the beginning of the Korean War. This event shaped the two countries into what they are today and their relationship with each other, which still remains hostile.
• It was a war to claim the legitimacy to rule over the entire peninsula by both the countries, because both the governments wanted absolute power over the entirety of the region like the rulers in the past. They wanted to bring back the old days of Korean glory and prestige.
• Even though the Korean War was a small part of bigger happenings during the Cold War, it is an important event that greatly impacted history.

The Korean War and the Cold War

The Korean war should be seen in the larger context of the Cold War which was a period of geopolitical tension between the US and USSR and their respective allies aka the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc; It started at the end of the Second World War and lasted till 1991. The Korean war had a major effect on the Cold War because it showed us how far the US and USSR were willing to go in supporting their allies for their respective ideologies, so much so that they did not hesitate in directly getting involved with their military as well. Although USSR supported North Korea and its communist ideologies, it was very covert and not direct like the US support of South Korea.

The Korean War was so significant in the history of Cold War, that historians have called The Korean War as a “proxy war” for the Cold War, implying that the US and USSR fought each other through the Korean War, meaning that whoever won the Korean War, was also the victor in the Cold War.

Hence we must understand and conclude that the Korean War and the results of the Korean war posed a great deal of significance on a larger international scale for a number of reasons.

Escalation

As the situation between North and South Korea escalated due to the North’s surprise attack, the United States pressured the UNSC to declare support for South Korea; In this context it is important to note that the US had a ‘Policy of Containment’, according to which it could not allow communism to spread in any part of the world. If North Korea took over the South Korea, there would be a unified communist Korea which the United States did not want at any cost. As a result, a US backed force was deployed in South Korea.

By 1950, a large part of South Korea including the capital city Seoul, was under the occupation of the North because of the surprise attack by them. Only a small part of Busan continued to remain under American control, because the North Korean surprise attack took them by surprise.

15 September 1950 – Battle of Incheon:

The Battle of Incheon (code name: Operation Chromite) was a decisive battle commanded by U.S. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur against the Northern troops. During this amphibious operation, the UN forces successfully moved out of Busan and managed to secured Incheon through a series of landings in North Korean occupied territory. The Battle of Incheon greatly helped in turning things in favor of South Korean forces as the UN coalition troops began a counterattack recapture of Seoul.

19 October 1950 – UN forces take Pyongyang:

North Korean forces were soon forced to retreat back to the 38th parallel, because of an offensive counter attack by American troops; In fact the US led coalition force pushed the northern troops further back beyond the 38th parallel, well into the North Korean border and went ahead and occupied Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, by October 1950.

November 1950 – China declares war:

Soon the UN coalition troops faced attacks from Chinese forces, because they pushed the attack too close to the China border. The Chinese retaliated with a heavy military attack which resulted in severe losses for the coalition troops. China ended up helping the North Korean side to push back and once again turned things in their favor.

Winter 1950 – Retreat to the South:

The South Korean troops, led by the UN coalition force, were forced to retreat from Pyongyang, following the brutal attack by Chinese troops as they faced severe casualties and ended up going back to the South by end of 1950. Seoul by 1951 once again came to be occupied by North Korean forces as they were now being helped by Chinese troops as well.

The Korean War Reaches a Stalemate

In order to turn things around for South Korea, after the heavy damage they endured due to the Chinese involvement, the American reinforcements were sent to South Korea by June 1951 to counter attack which pushed the North Korean forces back to the 38th Parallel. The US acted with swiftness, because it was totally against the idea of the entire Korean peninsula being turned into a communist state, if the North succeeded. A stalemate between the countries set in after this event, however the air warfare continued to be carried out by both the nations.

A conclusion of sorts was finally reached between both countries in 1953 when the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed and the war was brought to an end eventually.

Korean War Casualties

The direct result of the Korean War was the heavy casualties seen on both sides. A recent research conducted on casualties during the Korean war suggests that at least 2 million North and South Korean civilians died, along with millions of military troops from both sides being killed. We must also keep in mind that along with Korean troops, hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops also lost their lives. Overall it can be seen that the Korean War resulted in great devastation and bloodshed for the entire Korean peninsula.

Consequences of Korean war

• The signing of the armistice between North and South Korea did put an end to the war, however in the absence of an official peace treaty, the two countries are still said to be technically at war.
• The Armistice agreement led to the setting up of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to separate North and South Korea, which continues to exist even today. It is a 150 miles long region with no military presence and acts as a buffer zone between the two countries.
• The area surrounding the DMZ is however heavily militarized.
• The Korean war was devastating for the entire Korean peninsula, as there were heavy casualties on both sides. Civilians were also killed along with the soldiers and the estimated number of people killed in the war is approximately 3 million.
• Great damage was also caused to the economy, property and mental health of the people.
• The shared trauma by people in both the countries still remains very much alive, and it will take many more years, before the political relationship between both nation actually sees any significant improvement,
• To this day, the bitterness remains unresolved between both the countries, and the present day hostile relations between North and South Korea is living proof of it.

Conclusion

The Korean War was an important event that shaped the Cold War. It has greatly impacted the present day political scenario between North and South Korea; In fact a lot of impact of the war can also be seen in the culture, thinking process of these countries. The war was a result of a once unified nation in the past falling prey to external influences and not becoming strong internally. Had the Korean rulers not been so dependent on external factors, North and South Korea would have probably been united today. The war caused a great deal of devastation on both sides, the after effects of which are still visible today.

FAQ’s on Korean War

When did the Korean War begin?

The Korean War began in 1950 when North Korea launched a surprise invasion of South Korea in an attempt to unify the country under the North Korean government.

What is the policy of containment?

The policy of Containment is a policy of the United States which mandates that the US will not allow communism to spread anywhere in the world.

Who “won” the Korean War?

It is difficult to say who won the Korean war because the damage to both sides was equal, and an armistice agreement was reached between both countries, before any conclusion about war was reached .

Who were the supporters for South Korea and North Korea?

The United Nations, with the United States as the principal participant, joined the war on the side of the South Koreans, and the People’s Republic of China came to North Korea’s support

What is the role of India in Korean War?

India had no specific geo-political interests in the Korean Peninsula and maintained a neutral position before and during the war years; However India believed in the reunification of the peninsula.