KOREAN WAR: BACKGROUND, CAUSES, DEVELOPMENT, CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2025

The Korean War was a military conflict that took place between 1950 and 1953. The contenders were, on the one hand, the Republic of South Korea supported by the United States and other allied countries and, on the other, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), which was assisted by China and the Soviet Union.

After the end of World War II and the subsequent defeat of Japan, the two great powers divided the then unified Korea into two different countries. The border was marked at the 38th parallel: to the north, a communist republic under Soviet orbit; to the south, a capitalist republic supported by the Americans.

Soviet-made tanks in the Korean War - Source: Unknown US Army soldier).push ({});

According to the Americans, the operation in Incheon involved the capture of almost 135,000 North Korean soldiers, who were deported to their country.

This battle ended the fear of a complete conquest of South Korea. However, the South Korean president and the Americans themselves thought it was time to continue the conflict to achieve the unification of the country and the defeat of the North Korean regime. Thus, in their advance, they crossed the border and entered North Korea.

To this we must add that MacArthur and other Western military proposed that the offensive should reach China. Truman, however, disagreed.

Chinese intervention

Communist China had previously warned that if UN troops crossed the Amnok River their response would be inevitable. Faced with MacArthur's advance, the Chinese requested help from the USSR. Chinese leader Mao himself told Stalin the following: "If we allow the United States to occupy all of Korea… we must be prepared for the United States to declare… war on China."

Mao delayed his military response until the Soviets decided to help. The support, finally, consisted only of logistical aid and air coverage limited to 96 kilometers from the front.

China entered the war on October 19, 1950. The presence of Soviet aircraft was an unpleasant surprise to United Nations pilots and, for a time, gave air superiority to the Chinese army.

The United States knew that the Soviets were helping China, but there was no reaction whatsoever. As was the case throughout the Cold War, both powers preferred not to confront each other directly.

The 380,000 soldiers that China mobilized for the conflict managed to stop the advance of the UN troops.

McArthur and the atomic bomb

In the winter of 1950, one of the most decisive battles of the war took place, that of the Chosin Reservoir. Furthermore, it was the moment when a possible nuclear war was closest.

Chinese troops managed to take UN troops by surprise near a reservoir in North Korea. Although the Americans and their allies managed to escape the encirclement they had been subjected to, this defeat caused them to retreat.

China and North Korea took advantage of this withdrawal and, on January 4, 1951, they retaken Seoul. However, the Americans took the city back on March 14 of the same year.

For its part, the United Nations approved a resolution condemning the entry of the People's Republic of China into the conflict. In it, they demanded that they withdraw their troops from Korea.

Meanwhile, MacArthur was removed as head of the UN army. The first reason that led Truman to make this decision was that MacArthur had come into contact with the president of nationalist China (Taiwan), something that had been prohibited.

In addition, after the defeat in Chosin, MacArthur had requested that 26 atomic weapons be sent to him to attack China. This request caused the logical fear throughout the world. Truman refused the request.

Stagnation

After six months of war, in January 1951 the situation was totally stagnant. Both sides had returned to their pre-conflict positions and neither seemed strong enough to prevail.

Despite that, the war still dragged on for two more years. In those months the fighting took place on the border, although without significant progress. In addition, the United States launched a bombing campaign against North Korean cities.

Armistice

The contenders, despite continuing to fight, began to negotiate a possible peace agreement in July 1951. The positions were irreconcilable, making it impossible for them to reach a total agreement.

For this reason, the end of the war came through an armistice. This figure is equivalent to a ceasefire, but does not mark the end of a conflict.

The two sides signed the armistice on July 27, 1953. The signed document established the cessation of military actions, the creation of a Demilitarized Zone on the border, and the return of all prisoners.

Consequences

As noted, the armistice that stopped the Korean War was signed by the United States and North Korea on July 27, 1953. By means of it, hostilities were ended throughout the Korean peninsula.

In addition, the agreement established a Demilitarized Zone around the border located at the 38th parallel. This zone is still in force.

Although the war was stopped, the truth is that, legally, the armistice did not mean the end of it. Today, until a peace agreement is reached, North and South Korea are officially at war.

Consequences for participants

The conflict did not change the previous situation of division of Korea into two parts. Thus, the border continued to be in the same place and the two states maintained their forms of government. Similarly, North Korea remained in the Soviet orbit and South Korea in the US.

According to Henry Kissinger, the war also had different meanings for the rest of the participants. The American politician affirms that for the United States it was the first conflict that did not win clearly. For its part, Communist China experienced the end of the fighting in a positive way, since it had not been defeated by the great Western superpower.

Finally, the consequence for the Soviet Union was more negative. From then on, his American enemies maintained military forces and bases in Asia.

Low

The three years of the Korean War were really bloody. In addition to the casualties caused during the conflict, there were also numerous deaths due to lack of food and poor living conditions. In total, it is estimated that there were about 2 million deaths.

North Korea was the country most affected during the conflict. Historians put the death toll at between 1,187,000 and 1,545,000, of whom about 746,000 were soldiers. In his enemy to the south, the deaths were about 778,000, half of them civilians.

The American casualties, all military, reached 54,000. In the Chinese army, for its part, the deaths were about 180,000.

Apart from the above figures, 680,000 people have also been reported missing in North Korea.

The exact number of deaths due to lack of food in North Korea is not known. On the other hand, it is known that in 1951 between 50,000 and 90,000 soldiers died for this reason while they were withdrawing under the Chinese offensive.

Set the tone for the Cold War

Despite the fact that the Cold War had already started during the blockade of Berlin, it was the Korean War that marked how it would unfold over the following decades.

From that point on, the Soviet Union and the United States participated indirectly in multiple wars. In almost all the armed confrontations of the second half of the 20th century, one can find the support of the superpowers for one of the sides in conflict.

Permanent tension

As mentioned, the war ended, technically, in a draw. The armistice did not speak of winners or losers, nor did it establish any type of compensation on the part of the belligerents.

One of the consequences of this open ending was the distrust shown by North Korea towards the West. Since the end of the conflict, their leaders have feared that the United States would try to conquer them. To try to curb that threat, North Koreans have spent years wanting to develop nuclear weapons. Finally, in 2006, they achieved their purpose.

Although the US attack never occurred, there was an increase in its military presence in the area. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States withdrew much of its atomic arsenal, but kept the one that protected Seoul.

Relations between North and South Korea never became normal. On many occasions, in addition, there were serious armed incidents on the border that were on the verge of provoking a new open war.

Development of both countries

North Korea maintained its political and economic regime when the war ended. The regime, moreover, was increasing its authoritarianism until it became the most closed country on the planet. In reality, it became a hereditary dictatorship. Today, the president is the son of Kim Il Sung.

During the decades following the war, North Korea received economic aid from the USSR and China. However, the disappearance of the Soviet Union caused a great crisis, with great problems of famines.

South Korea also maintained its alliances after the war. In addition, it was democratizing its political organization until it became a consolidated democracy. Its economy benefited from its relationship with the United States and from investment coming from Japan.

From the 70s and 80s of the last century, South Korea opted for the electronics and chemical industry, which led to great economic growth. In the 1990s, his industry turned to computer hardware.

References

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