Korean War 1 Catherine Ordonez Daniel Blackmon IB Contemporary History Period 1 Outline 22 October 2010 The Korean War I. Type of War A. Civil 1. Fought between the southern Republic of Korea and the northern communist Democratic People s Republic of Korea 2. Although both sides found support from outside forces (the Republic of Korea mostly from the United States and the United Nations and the Democratic People s Republic of Korea mostly from the Soviet Union and the People s Republic of China), the foundation of the war was Koreans vs. Koreans on the Korean peninsula B. Guerrilla 1. Included northern guerrilla forces sabotaging in the south and southern guerrilla forces attacking the opposition in the north 2. Facilitated by the Koreans knowledge of their own peninsula
Korean War 2 3. US forces partook in some South Korean guerrilla activities 4. Led to the killing of civilians a. Shoot first, ask questions later policy is adopted after Northern guerrilla soldiers approached US soldiers under the guise of southern civilians C. Limited 1. Korean War was a limited war for those countries that weren t Korean, i.e. the United States 2. Limited war is usually unpopular with the general population because its exact objectives aren t made clear (also true of the Vietnam War) 3. Korean War was classified a police action by the United States to prevent Congress having to declare war D. Total 1. The Korean War was a total war for North and South Korea 2. War was fought on their homeland with innocent civilians killed in the process a. Civilians often killed because they were suspected of being the opposition in disguise
Korean War 3 b. North Korea eliminated those intellectuals they deemed dangerous to the cause as South Korea apprehended perceived political dissenters 3. South Korea contributed almost 591,000 troops to the war a. 138,000 killed in action b. 451,000 wounded in action c. 33,000 prisoners of war or missing in action 4. North Korea had almost 260,000 troops a. 215,000 killed in action b. 303,000 wounded in action c. 120,000 prisoners of war or missing in action 5. Korean attention was entirely consumed by the war while it ensued E. Was an important proxy war during the Cold War, thus setting a precedent for superpowers vying for dominance by using other nations as proxies.
Korean War 4 Alessandria San Roman 22 October 2010 Period 1 II. Origins and Causes of the War Alessandria San Roman A. Long Term Causes 1. Korea found itself in a crisis at the end of the 1800 s and early 1900 s due to the decline of the Ch ing dynasty in China, the landward expansion of the Russian empire, and Japanese colonization in Korea (Lowe 1) 2. The Japanese War of 1894-1895 a. Occurred due to Japanese strong desire to establish a presence in Korea and Chinese attempts to prevent this ambition b. Close geographical proximity between Japan and Korea allowed for Japanese determination to establish herself in Korea B. Short Terms Causes 1. Towards the end of World War II, the Soviet Union occupied North Korea and the United States occupied South Korea. a. The Soviet Union put Kim Il-Sung as head of North Korea. b. South Korea was led by anti-communist Syngman Rhee who was supported by the United States.
Korean War 5 2. The U.S. asked the United Nations to resolve the issue of a divided C. Immediate Causes Korea. United Nations chose to hold elections and South Korean communists boycotted it. 1. North Korea attacked South Korea a. On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces mounted a th surprise attack along the 38 parallel. 2. Kim Il Sung (head of North Korea) claimed that South Korea had attacked North Korea first in Haeju and North Korea was defending itself. This statement was not true. 3. Kim Il Sung s policy was to secure by force what could not be D. Economic Causes gained by any other means (Lowe 155). 1. Prior to the Korean War, Japan aimed to exploit Korea E. Ideological Causes economically after the Japanese War. a. Japan was driven out of Korea and economic issues were no longer much of a concern. The Soviet Union and China had other political affairs to attend to. 1. Kim Il Sung was ambitious and longed for a united communist Korea.
Korean War 6 a. He believed that if something could not be easily obtained, the only way to secure it was through force. b. Tried to spread communist ideology to Korea with the help of the Soviet Union and China. F. Political Causes 1. Kim Il Sung was motivated to end political dependence from the Soviet Union and China. a. Annoyed at failure of the cross border raids and uprisings and wanted Stalin to agree that he should attack South Korea. b. Stalin and Mao Tse-Tung did not agree with Sung s idea of attacking South Korea and risking U.S. invasion. 2. China entered the Korean War in order to acquire strategic advantage. a. North Korea served as a buffer against a U.S. invasion 3. The United States wanted to stop the spread of communism while the Soviet Union tried to spread communism to as many countries as possible.
Korean War 7 Alejandro Ruperti Period 01 Mr. Blackmon 22 October 2010 III. Nature of War A. Technological Developments 1. Armored, Aerial, and Infantry warfare were the same as in WWII a. Tank Warfare i. US M4 Sherman tanks vs Soviet T-34-85 tanks ii. Unlike in WWII tank warfare did not prove to be a decisive weapon i. Mountainous, forest terrain did not allow for it b. Aerial Warfare i. Korean war was first war to implement jet fighters in a notable scale i. The Mig-15 would shift the balance in favor of the DPRK ii. U.S. developed F-86 Sabre to counter and was decisive in giving their side air superiority ii. First time helicopters were used for medical evacuate B. Strategy and Tactics 1. Air a. Both sides struggled to achieve air superiority with DPRK incurring early advances with the support of soviet Mig-15s. b. Eventually the U.S. aerial presence grew in number of F-86 Sabres deployed.
Korean War 8 i. Jet fighters represented viable threats to bombers like the B-52 so whoever developed a superior fighter could basically acquire air superiority c. Bombing runs were integral parts of military campaign 2. Land 3. Sea i. 18 of North Korea s cities were laid close to ruin a. Infantry was assisted by aerial campaigns b. Tanks warfare did not play a major role in the war because of environment a. Because N. Korean navy was not large, there were few naval battles in the war. b. Navies functioned as artillery for landed armies c. U.N. navies actively engaged supply ships in an effort to deny North Korea sea access C. Military Campaigns 1. Battle of Inchon a. Marked successful U.N. landing in North Korea b. Success came from bomb raids that preceded the offensive 2. Battle of Ch ongch on River a. Marked a major turning point in the war as it was China s effort to counter retaliatory attacks by UN forces after they had been forced to retreat by Chinese First Phase Campaign th b. Forced UN forces out of N. Korea and back to the 38 Parallel c. Chinese victory came from surprise attacks that destroyed UN s right flank and almost completely surrounded their forces
Korean War 9 D. Intervention by Outside Powers 1. United States and UN coalition supported South Korea 2. China and Soviet Union supported N. Korea 3. Proxy war for greater Cold War objectives a. Soviet Union wanted to gain an advantage over American Forces b. China wished to secure its national security because of proximity to North Korea 4. Became first armed conflict of Cold War 5. Heightened threat of Nuclear War a. U.S. threatened to deploy nuclear weapons E. Non-Combatants and the War 1. Economic impact a. 80% of infrastructure was destroyed b. Initially S. Korea suffered economically from warfare but in 1950s it gave rise to a rapidly growing market economy that helped it become one of the East Asian Tigers c. N. Korea enjoyed economic growth after war 2. Social Impact a. Three quarters of Government buildings and houses were destroyed b. 1 million S. Koreans missing/killed (80% of them civilians) c. 1.13 million N. Koreans killed 3. Women/Minorities a. U.S. recruited women as nurses for the war for Army, Navy, and Air corps 4. Influence on the arts/media/propaganda a. Numerous film adaptations of the war in U.S. and Asia
Korean War 10 b. Essay Who are the most beloved People by Chinese writer Wei Wei is considered to be the most literary and propaganda piece produced by China during the war c. Massacre in Korea is a painting by Picasso depicting civilian casualties
Korean War 11 Federico Zegers Contemporary History Period 1 Korean War Outline 22 October 2010 IV. Effects and Results of the War A. Peace Settlement 1. Negotiations began on July 10, 1951 in Kaesong, North Korea (144) 2. After a two week struggle to agree on an agenda, negotiations officially began on July 25, 1951 a. Delays were due to the inability of the Communist and United Nations to actually agree on a stalemate. b. Agenda consisted of five points i. There should be an agenda ii. Drawing of a military demarcation line iii. Proposal for a cease-fire and control and oversight of mechanisms iiii. Disposition of Prisoners of War iiiii. Mutual recommendations to governments
Korean War 12 3. Disagreement on Demarcation Line th a. Communist wanted the line to be drawn at the 38 parallel b. Because the United Nations, UN, was substantially above the 38 th parallel, returning to it would have been a huge accomplishment for the Communists. c. The UN was determined to make the demarcation line reflect the current military situation. i. Admiral Joy backed this by stating that the UN had absolute military superiority on land, air and sea. th ii. UN did not want to return to the 38 parallel th iii. Demarcation line was drawn at the 38 parallel due to the desire of the American public to acquire a speedy cease-fire agreement 4. Cease-fire Agreement and Control of Mechanisms a. Called for the following: i. Removal of foreign troops from the Peninsula ii. Reconstruction of facilities iii. Inspection Teams iiii. Permissible inspections and Reconnaissance
Korean War 13 b. UN- Communist Agreement i. Rebuild railroads ii. Five ports of each country would be monitored as inspection points iii. Offshore islands would be evacuated iiii. i. North Korea s desire to have the Soviet Union as a neutral party to monitor the armistice, airfield reconstruction, and the liberation of UN prisoners of war complicated the Peace Settlement 5. The Prisoner of War Issue a. After months of bitter disagreement and continued fighting, negotiations resumed on April 26, 1952 b. Major issue was dealing with the POW s who did not want to go back home c. Another major issue was which state would hold the none repatriates i. UN wanted Switzerland ii. Communist were uncertain iii. On May 25, a five member repatriation commission was created, with India as the main source of supplies and support staff
Korean War 14 iiii. On June 8, the Communist agreed to the settlement of the POW question d. The armistice was signed on July 27, 1953 e. Prisoner exchange began on August 5 i. Repatriation Commission consisted of Czechoslovakia, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and India ii. Process was significantly stifled by Communists B. Attempts at Collective Security 1. The UN a. The UN served as a medium for the U.S.- Soviet rivalry. b. U.S. pursued regional collective security i. In 1947, the Inter American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance allowed the U.S. to defend Latin American nations
Korean War 15 ii. In 1949, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ended American isolationism by involved U.S. in a long term military alliance with western European nations iii. U.S. extended security provisions to Asia and the Pacific, includes: Australia and New Zealand in 1951 (ANZUS) and Southeast Asia in 1954 (SEATO) C. Territorial Changes 1. Before the Korean War, North and South Korea were divided along the 38 th parallel 2. After the Korean War, North and South Korea were still divided by the 38 th parallel. Except that a 2.5 mile buffer zone, Demilitarized Zone, was added th along the 38 parallel D. Political Repercussions 1. North Korea remained communist although some consider it to be Stalinist or Isolationist in nature 2. Originally, South Korea was under authoritarian rule, but emerged as a capitalist liberal democracy
Korean War 16 E. Post- War Economic Problems 1. South Korea a. Economy idled at first, but eventually developed into an industrial and modernized economy 2. North Korean a. Remained Communist b. Collapsed in 1990
Korean War 17 Catherine Ordonez Daniel Blackmon IB Contemporary History Period 1 Outline 22 October 2010 IV. Conclusions A. Were the issues that caused the war resolved by the war? 1. No th th 2. The war started at the 38 parallel and ended at the 38 parallel 3. Stalemate reached but North Korea still remained communist 4. Did achieve the goal of keeping South Korea from the grasp of the North B. Did the war result in a just and lasting peace? 1. Why or why not? a. No, the war did not result in a just and lasting peace for all
Korean War 18 b. South Korea has a modern, industrialized, free market economy while North Korea is largely under-developed i. South Korea GDP: $1.196 trillion ii. North Korea GDP: $40 billion iii. South Korea per capita income: $24,500 iv. North Korea per capital income: $1,800 C. Did the war create new problems that might in the future lead to another war? 1. The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides North and South Korea since the end of the war occasionally experiences disputes and combat but another large-scale war is unlikely a. North Korea doesn t have the economic stability that South Korea does so invading and maintaining control of South Korea is unrealistic b. The spread of Communism doesn t pose the same threat it used to during the Cold War