Case Study #2: The Korean Conflict

Post WWII Korea

Who’s who? North Korea: Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Lead by Kim Il Sung Supported by _____ in China Supported by _____ in the USSR South Korea: Republic of Korea (ROK) Lead by Syngman Rhee Supported by ______ in the US Recognized by the _________

Invasion

Counter Attack U.N. forces, under the command of U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, landed at the port of Inchon near Seoul on September 15, 1950. U.N. forces, breaking out from Pusan and coming south from Inchon, were able to overwhelm the Northern troops in South Korea. Seoul was taken by U.N. forces on September 26. U.N. forces moved north of the 38th parallel, capturing the Northern capital Pyongyang on October 19. Some U.N. forces reached the Yalu River -- the border between North Korea and China -- on October 25

Chinese Advance In late October 1950, a large Chinese force had already entered North Korea. U.N. forces began encountering Chinese troops at that time. Some 20,000 U.S. Marines and Army infantry fought their way out of a Chinese encirclement at the Changjin Reservoir.

Armistice U.N. forces reoccupied Seoul in March 1951. In April, MacArthur -- who had openly disagreed with President Truman over how to conduct the war -- . Truce talks began on July 10, 1951. By that time, the war had become static – By the time the armistice was signed in 1953, U.N. casualties were estimated at more than 550,000 -- while North Korean and Chinese casualties were believed to be around 1.5 million. As part of the cease-fire, both sides agreed to withdraw 2 kilometers along the final battleground and establish a demilitarized zone along the armistice line -- a zone that still exists today.

Significance

Outcome

Impact: US The United States assumed the role of patron to a variety of Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American, and eventually African client-states. US effectively replaced the European colonial powers dispossessed in the Second World War’s aftermath by creating a new form of international empire, based on indirect and informal controls rather than outright colonialism The impact of the Korean War was global, converting the Cold War into a truly worldwide struggle in which both the United States and the Soviet Union would regard all international developments as potentially related to their rivalry (Roberts, OHA)

Recap

Limited War Concept “One in which the belligerents restrict the purposes for which they fight to concrete, well defined objectives that do not demand the utmost military effort of which the belligerents are capable and that can be accommodated in a negotiated settlement...The battle is confined to a local geographical area and directed against selected targets—primarily those of direct military importance. It demands of the belligerents only a fractional commitment of their human and physical resources. It permits their economic, social and political patterns of existence to continue without serious disruption” (Osgood, 1957; taken from Dr. Chandran)

General Objectives of Limited War According to Kissinger, a limited war “is fought for specific political objectives, which by their existence, tend to establish a relationship between the force employed and the goal to be attained. It reflects an attempt to affect the opponent’s will not to crush it, to make the conditions imposed seem more attractive than continued resistance, to strive for specific goals and not for complete annihilation.” (Chandra, 2004)

References Information provided in this PPT was taken in part, or whole, from the sources listed below: 1. Dr. Suba Chandran, Limited War with Pakistan: Will It Secure India’s Interests? ACDIS August 2004 found at: http://www.acdis.uiuc.edu/Research/OPs/Chandran/contents/chapter1.html 2. http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/korea/truce/ch23.htm 3. http://www.oah.org/pubs/magazine/korea/roberts.html 4. http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/