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Posts Tagged ‘south korea’

Korean War’s 63rd Anniversary No Cause To Celebrate

25 Jun

Today marks the 63rd anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War.  The war in Korea was an unusual and unique conflict in many regards, not the least of which is the fact that the war technically never ended, but is only on a hiatus with an armistice.  And, unlike many other more “typical” wars, the non-outcome of the Korean War continues to haunt East Asia, the United States, and, in a sense, the whole world.

When North Korea’s Communist dictator, Kim Il-Sung launched his invasion of South Korea on June 25, 1950, he set in motion a conflict that would engage much of the world.  By the end of 1950, the United States and over a dozen other nations, including the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, Turkey, and other members of the so-called Free World, were fighting to preserve South Korean independence under the authority of the United Nations.  Also, by the end of 1950, the world’s most populous nation, China, entered the war on the Communist side.  And, as this conflict was a significant component of the new Cold War, the Soviet Union was heavily involved, providing material, moral, and diplomatic support for the Communist war effort.  In a little-known fact, Soviet pilots were aiding the North Koreans by flying North Korean warplanes as they battled the UN air forces.  All this made the Korean War a potential starting point for a new World War, with potentially disastrous consequences as both the U.S. and the Soviets possessed atomic bombs by then.

The Korean War, while very significant historically, is often left out of the popular consciousness in America because it is sandwiched between the Second World War and the Vietnam War.  This is despite the opinion that in many ways, the Korean conflict, and the fact that it never truly ended, has had more far-reaching effects on world history and the current world situation than the Vietnam War or most of the other Cold War conflicts fought by the U.S. and her allies.  For example, the survival of the North Korean regime allowed the Kim family dynasty of dictators to develop nuclear weapons, with which they now threaten and harass not just South Korea, but also Japan and the United States.  In addition, the North Koreans are known proliferators of their nuclear technology, with known links to the nuclear programs of Pakistan, Iran, and Syria.

Every few years, actual combat breaks out between North and South Korean forces, always as a result of a North Korean provocation.  In the 1960s, the U.S. and South Korean troops along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two warring Koreas waged a defensive war against North Korean infiltrators for several years in what is now called “The DMZ War.”  In 1968, North Korean forces seized a U.S. naval ship, the USS Pueblo, and held the crew captive for nearly a year.  In the 1970s, North Korean troops attacked some American soldiers with axes.  In the 1980s, a North Korean submarine landed a large force of commandoes inside South Korea, leading to running gun battles throughout the South Korean countryside.  In the 21st Century, North Korea has sunk a South Korean naval ship, and bombarded a South Korean island with an artillery barrage.  While all this

North Korea is now ruled by a Kim of the third-generation of dictators.  Under the latest Kim, frequent threats of war against the United States, South Korea, and Japan are an almost monthly occurrence.  The Korean War began in the hills and fields of Korea 63 years ago.  It is still being fought in many ways today, June 25, 2013.  Except that while the weapons of 1950 were for the most part leftovers from World War Two, the weapons of today, with which Kim Jong-Un, the latest North Korean tyrant threatens to use on his neighbors and enemies, are the weapons of the long-feared Third World War.

 

Sources on the Korean War’s ongoing issues, from Historyguy.com:

http://www.historyguy.com/korean_border_conflicts.htm

http://www.historyguy.com/korean_nuclear_crisis.htm

http://www.historyguy.com/korean_naval_battle_2009.htm

 

Profiles of North Korea’s Ruling Kim Dynasty

19 Dec

With the sudden death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il and the apparent succession of his son, Kim Jong-Un, tension in East Asia is on the rise.  Traditionally, when North Korea undergoes a transfer of power, or some other significant change takes place in the leadership, relations between North Korea and her neighbors, especially with South Korea, become more tense and dangerous.  Below are Profiles of the Kim Family of North Korean Dictators.

 

Kim Il-SungKim Il-Sung–Founder of Communist North Korea. Ruled (1948-1994) on the Stalinist model and set up a cult of personality. Passed power on to his son in the first hereditary transfer of power in a Communist system. Started the bloody Korean War in 1950.

Kim Jong-IlKim Jong-Il–Communist dictator of North Korea (1994-2011) Inherited power from his father. Attempted to set up one of his sons to inherit the country upon his passing. Under the Kim Jong-Il, North Korea developed nuclear weapons and engaged in dangerous nuclear diplomacy with the U.S. and neighboring nations, and has engaged in occassional military skirmishes with South Korea, including the bloody attack on Yeonpyeong Island in 2010. Kim Jong-Il died on December 17, 2011

Kim Jong-UnKim Jong-Un–New Communist dictator of North Korea (2011) Inherited power from his father, who died in December, 2011. Upon his introduction as “The Great Successor,” Kim Jong-Un was in his 20s, is known to have been educated in a German boarding school, and is a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers National Basketball Association (NBA) team. It is unknown what the North Korean military thinks of their young, new leader.

 

Wars of Korea Page Online

22 Dec

New page on the Wars of Korea at http://www.historyguy.com/wars_of_korea.htm

Wars of Korea

 

Donghak Peasant Revolution (1894)–This rebellion caused the Korean governement to request Chinese military intervention. This caused Japan and China to fight a war in Korea.

First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895)–Japan defeated China. Many battles fought on Korean soil. The war resulted in Japan gaining increased influence in Korea.

Japanese Annexation of Korea (1910)–Though Japan retained effective control over Korea from 1905 on, the annexation was formalized in a 1910 treaty.

Anti-Japanese Resistance (1919-1945)–Many different groups and rebel forces resisted Japanese rule over Korea.

World War Two (1939-1945)–Many Koreans were drafted into Japanese forces during World War Two. The war ended with Japan defeated, and Japanese occupation of Korea ended.

Jeju Rebellion (1948-1949)–Communist rebellion on the South Korean island of Jeju

The Korean War (1950-1953)