Episode 5 “The Korean War” (CNN - The Cold War)

1. How was Korea divided at the end of WW2?

➔ Kim Ilsung - Wanted a communist Korea (with the help of the USSR and China)
and a unified Korea
➔ Stalin was busy with Berlin when Kim Ilsung first proposed the request to invade
the South
➔ Russia had tested first atomic bomb
➔ PRC
➔ Treaty of alliance between the USSR and China; opening a second front of the
Cold War in Asia

2. Why did Stalin support the North’s invasion of the South by 1950?
➔ April 1950, Stalin was confident that US lacked the will to respond to events in
Asia.

3. What was America’s first reaction on hearing of the invasion?

➔ June 25th 1950, North Korean army surprise assault on South.
➔ Equipped by Russian artillery and Russian advisors
➔ Alarmed; immediate action to be taken.
➔ Syman Rhee called Korean embassy in Korea for support.

4. Why was the USSR absent from the UN Security Council when the vote was taken?
➔ Boycotting; UN refusal to admit communist China
➔ Security council decided to create a united nations military force to defend
against South Korea
➔ Korea hoped for a unification

5. Why were USA troops in Japan not ready for combat?

➔ Poor shape for a war; Not ready to fight a war after WW2

6. How many countries joined the USA in the Korean War?

➔ 15 different nations joined US in Korea in the UN army

7. How did General MacArthur drive the North Koreans out of the South?
➔ UN forces driven to Pusan, seaboard invasion 150 miles behind enemy lines
would attempt to sever and rollback to North Korea.

8. Why did China enter the war?

➔ Attacks on Incheon seaboard between Korean allies and North Korea
➔ Chinese feared American army in North Korea would invade Chinese mainland;
NK and China were bordered by the Yalu river
9. What was the effect of the Chinese invasion?
➔ Stalin sent secret messages to Mao telling him to join the war to save North
Korea
➔ October 19th, Pyongyang fell to the US
➔ Mao ordered Chinese army; people’s volunteer to enter Korea; half a million
chinese crossed the Yalu river
➔ US army were unaware of this Chinese invasion; Macarthur and the rest thought
they were going to win the war by Christmas
➔ 300,000 Chinese attacked
➔ UN forces across North Korea were thrown back as a consequence; defeated
➔ Possible use of atomic bomb during Washington press
➔ Clement Atlee flew to the US; Truman assured Atlee that no atomic bomb would
be used

10. How were the Soviets involved in the war?

➔ If US uses atomic bomb, so does the USSR; agreement with China

➔ Retreating UN soldiers adopted scorched earth policy (?)

➔ Chinese recaptured Pyongyang and Seoul fell again to communists
➔ UN began to slow Chinese advance
➔ Russian sent aircraft military to the war; Russian government kept it a secret

11. Why did Truman sack MacArthur?

➔ MacArthur aimed to attack Chinese cities and the war in China
➔ ‘I believe we must try to limit the war to Korea. For these vital reason: To make
sure that the precious lives of our fighting men are not wasted. To see the
security of our country and the free world is not needlessly jeopardized and to
prevent a third world war [...]’ -- MacArthur did not stick to the policy

12. Why did armistice talks not make progress?

➔ Armistice talks began July 1951; both sides -- communists and Korea/US found
each other’s attitudes impossible
➔ How the prisoners of the war was treated; both North and South Koreans
maltreated their prisoners. 1 in 3 American POW held by North Koreans died the
following winter; shows cruelness from the North Koreans
➔ Chinese took over the prisoners in North Korea; daily lecturers to indoctrinate
them

13. What was the effect of the Korean War on the country and Korean people?
➔ The issues in Korea was minor in the US; there was few exposure
➔ In Japan, the Korean war brought an increase to the Japanese economy. Japan
became bastiame(?) of capitalism with communism in Asia.
➔ In South Korea, the UN held 130,000 communist prisoners.
◆ Communists were outraged that half of POW chose not to return to their
homes. Resulting in violent protests.
 ➔ American bombs were dropped as much as when they dropped in Germany
during WW2; this resulted in many casualties in North Korea and many
destruction to houses in cities and villages.
◆ 2 million civilians killed.
➔ Stalingrad 96% destroyed, PyongYang 100% destroyed.
➔ Northerners killed southerners accused of sympathising with the enemy
◆ Rhee supporters massacred those suspected of being communists
➔ Ultimately, innocent civilians were always the victims

14. How did the election of Eisenhower and the death of Stalin affect the Korean War?
➔ Panmunjom, 2 years = 100s of meetings
➔ 1952, election year in America, Eisenhower is elected.
➔ People of America blamed Truman for the war; they saw hope in Eisenhower
➔ March 1953, Stalin’s death
◆ Stalin had kept the war going, his successors wanted to end the war
➔ Soviet and North Korean leaders thought it was impossible to win the war due to
the strong Korean allies; armistice was impossible
➔ July 27th 1953, ceasefire; Chinese, North Koreans and UN backed the
agreement. Rhee opposed the truce and refused to sign.
➔ Exchanging war prisoners; 75,000 communist prisoners were handed over.
12,000 UN POW were set free.
➔ 54,000 Americans died. 3,000 men from the army of 15 other nations died.
➔ China, Mao called victory and volunteer soldiers came home. Half million soldiers
died in war.
◆ China showed power through this(?)
➔ North and SOuth 3 million were dead, wounded or missing. 5 million were
homeless.
◆ Truce would have meant a sense of freedom but war did not bring any
sense of victory whatsoever.
➔ In Korea, communism had been contained
➔ Socialism was defeated, unable to impose socialism in South Korea
➔ Korea remains divided by the 38th parallel