Today, there are not so many major military conflicts in the world that "de facto" have not been completed, remaining in the "cold" phase. The category of exceptions includes perhaps the military confrontation between the USSR and Japan, the peace treaty on which has not yet been signed, as well as the Korean conflict. Yes, both sides signed a "truce" in 1953, but both Koreas treat it with slight disdain. In fact, the two countries are still at war.
It is generally accepted that the intervention of the USSR and the USA was the main cause of the war, but this was somewhat wrong, because the internal situation on the peninsula by that time was very unstable. The fact is that the artificial delimitation that was carried out shortly before that, in fact, cut the country in half, and everything was even worse than in the situation with West and East Germany.
What were the two Koreas like before the conflict began?
Many people still believe that northernerssuddenly and unmotivated attacked the southerners, although this is far from the case. At that time, South Korea was ruled by President Lee Syngman. He lived in the USA for a long time, spoke excellent English, although Korean was difficult for him, at the same time, oddly enough, he was not at all a protege of the Americans and was even frankly despised by the White House. There was every reason for this: Lee Seung, in all seriousness, considered himself the “messiah” of the entire Korean people, irresistibly rushed into battle and constantly asked for the supply of offensive weapons. The Americans were in no hurry to help him, as they were not too willing to get involved in the hopeless Korean conflict, which at that time did not give them anything useful.
The “messiah” also did not use the support of the people themselves. The left parties in the government were very strong. So, in 1948, an entire army regiment rebelled, and Jeju Island “preached” communist beliefs for a long time. This cost its inhabitants dearly: as a result of the suppression of the uprising, almost one in four died. Oddly enough, but all this happened practically without the knowledge of Moscow or Washington, although they clearly believed that the “damned commies” or “imperialists” were to blame. In fact, everything that happened was the internal affair of the Koreans themselves.
Deterioration of the situation
Throughout 1949, the situation on the borders of the two Koreas strongly resembled the fronts of the First World War, as cases of provocations and open hostilities occurred daily. Contrary to the current opinions of "specialists", most often in the roleSoutherners acted as the aggressor. Therefore, even Western historians admit that on June 25, 1950, the Korean conflict, as expected, entered a hot phase.
A few words should also be said about the leadership of the North. We all remember the "great helmsman", that is, Kim Il Sung. But in the times we are describing, his role was not so great. In general, the situation was reminiscent of the USSR of the 1920s: Lenin was then a significant figure, but Bukharin, Trotsky and other figures also had tremendous weight in the political arena. The comparison, of course, is rough, but it gives a general understanding of what is happening in North Korea. So, the history of the Korean conflict… Why did the Union decide to take an active part in it?
Why did the USSR intervene in the conflict?
On the part of the Communists of the North, the duties of the "messiah" were performed by Pak Hong Yong, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and, in fact, the second person in the country and the Communist Party. By the way, it was formed immediately after the liberation from the Japanese occupation, and the legendary Kim Il Sung still lived then in the USSR. However, Pak himself also managed to live in the Union in the 30s and, moreover, he made influential friends there. This fact was the main reason for our country's involvement in the war.
Pak swore to the leadership of the USSR that in the event of an attack, at least 200,000 "South Korean communists" would immediately launch a decisive offensive… and the criminal puppet regime would immediately fall. At the same time, it is important to understand that the Soviet Union did not have any active residency in those parts, and therefore all decisions were made based on the words and opinions of Pak. This is one of the most important reasons why the history of the Korean conflict is inextricably linked with the history of our country.
For quite a long time, Washington, Beijing and Moscow preferred not to interfere directly in what was happening at all, although Comrade Kim Il Sung literally bombarded Beijing and Moscow with requests to help him with a trip to Seoul. It should be noted that on September 24, 1949, the Ministry of Defense assessed the proposed plan as "unsatisfactory", in which the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU fully supported the military. The document openly stated that "it is clearly not worth counting on a quick victory, and even the breaking of the enemy's resistance will not be able to prevent massive economic and political problems." China responded even sharper and more specifically. But in 1950, the permission sought by Pak was obtained. This is how the Korean conflict began…
What made Moscow change its mind?
It may very well be that the emergence of the PRC as a new, independent state in one way or another influenced the positive decision. The Chinese could have helped their Korean neighbors, but they had a lot of problems of their own, the country had just ended the civil war. So in this situation it was easier to convince the USSR that the “blitzkrieg” would succeed completely.
It is now known to all that the United States also provoked the Korean conflict in many ways. We also understand the reasons for this, but in those days it was far from being so obvious. All Koreans knew that the Americans strongly dislike Lee Seung Man. With someRepublicans in Parliament knew him well, but Democrats, who were already playing first fiddle at that time, quite openly called Lee Seung an “old senile.”
In a word, this man was for the Americans a kind of “suitcase without a handle”, which is terribly inconvenient to drag, but you shouldn’t throw it either. The defeat of the Kuomintang in China also played its role: the United States did practically nothing to openly support the Taiwanese radicals, and yet they were much more needed than some kind of "senile". So the conclusion was simple: they would not interfere in the Korean conflict either. They had no reason to actively participate in it (hypothetically).
In addition, Korea by that time was officially removed from the list of countries that the Americans pledged to defend in the event of unexpected aggression from third parties. Finally, there were enough points on the world map of those times where the "commies" could strike. West Berlin, Greece, Turkey and Iran - according to the CIA, all these places could provoke much more dangerous consequences for US geopolitical interests.
What made Washington intervene
Unfortunately, Soviet analysts were seriously mistaken in not thinking at what time the Korean conflict occurred. Truman was president, and he took the “communist threat” very seriously, and perceived any successes of the USSR as his personal insult. He also believed in the doctrine of deterrence, and did not put a penny on the weak and puppet UN. In addition, in the United States, the mood was similar: politicians had to be tough so as not to be branded as weaklings andnot lose the support of the electorate.
One can speculate for a long time about whether the USSR would have supported the northerners if it had known about the real lack of support from the "southern communists", as well as about the direct intervention of America. In principle, everything could have happened in exactly the same way, but vice versa: Lee Syng-man could have “finished off” the CIA, the Yankees would have sent their advisers and troops, as a result of which the Union would have been forced to intervene … But history does not tolerate the subjunctive mood. What happened, happened.
So how did the Korean conflict (1950-1953) come about? The reasons are simple: there are two Koreas, North and South. Each is ruled by a person who considers it his duty to reunite the country. Everyone has their own "cartridges": the USSR and the USA, which, for one reason or another, do not want to interfere. China would be happy to intervene to expand its possessions, but there are still no forces, and the army does not have normal combat experience. This is the essence of the Korean conflict… The rulers of Korea are doing everything they can to get help. They get it, as a result of which the war begins. Everyone is pursuing their own interests.
How did it all start?
In what year did the Korean conflict happen? On June 25, 1950, the Juche troops crossed the border and immediately entered the battle. They practically did not notice the resistance of the thoroughly corrupt and weak army of the southerners. Three days later, Seoul was taken, and at the moment when the northerners were marching along its streets, the victorious reports of the South were broadcast on the radio: the “commies” fled, the armies were moving towards Pyongyang.
After capturing the capital, the northerners began to wait for the uprising promised by Pak. But he was not there, and thereforeI had to fight in earnest, with the troops of the UN, the Americans and their allies. Manual UN quickly ratified the document "On restoring order and expelling the aggressor", General D. MacArthur was put in command. The representative of the USSR at that time boycotted the UN meetings because of the presence of the delegation of Taiwan there, so everything was calculated correctly: no one could impose a veto. This is how an internal civil conflict grew into an international one (which still occurs regularly to this day).
As for Pak, who started this mess, after the failed "uprising" he and his faction lost all influence, and then he was simply eliminated. Formally, the sentence provided for execution for "spying for the United States", but in fact he simply framed Kim Il Sung and the leadership of the USSR, dragging them into an unnecessary war. The Korean conflict, the date of which is now known throughout the world, is another reminder that interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states is completely unacceptable, especially if the interests of third parties are pursued.
Successes and failures
The defense of the Pusan Perimeter is well-known: the Americans and the southerners retreated under the blows of Pyongyang and fortified themselves on well-equipped lines. The training of the northerners was excellent, the Americans, who perfectly remembered the capabilities of the T-34, which they were armed with, were not eager to fight with them, leaving their positions at the first opportunity.
But General Walker managed torectify the situation, and the northerners were simply not ready for a long war. The grandiose front line devoured all resources, the tanks were running out, serious problems began with the supply of troops. In addition, it is worth paying tribute to the American pilots: they had excellent cars, so there was no question of air supremacy.
Finally, not the most outstanding, but quite experienced strategist, General D. MacArthur managed to develop a plan for landing in Inchon. This is the western tip of the Korean Peninsula. In principle, the idea was extremely extravagant, but MacArthur, due to his charisma, nevertheless insisted on carrying out his plan. He had that "gut" that sometimes worked.
On September 15, the Americans managed to land and after fierce fighting were able to recapture Seoul two weeks later. This marked the beginning of the second phase of the war. By the beginning of October, the northerners completely left the territory of the southerners. They decided not to miss their chance: by October 15, they had already captured half of the territory of the enemy, whose armies simply ran out of steam.
Chinese join the game
But then China's patience snapped: the Americans and their "wards" crossed the 38th parallel, and this was a direct threat to Chinese sovereignty. To give direct access to your US borders? This was unimaginable. General Peng Dehuai's Chinese "small detachments" went into action.
They repeatedly warned about the possibility of their participation, but MacArthur did not react in any way to the notes of protest. By that time, he openly ignoredorders of the leadership, as he fancied himself a kind of "specific prince". So, Taiwan was forced to accept it according to the protocol of meetings of heads of state. Finally, he repeatedly stated that he would arrange a "great massacre" for the Chinese if they "dare to intervene." Such an insult in the PRC simply could not be lowered. So when did the Korean conflict involving the Chinese happen?
On October 19, 1950, "volunteer formations" entered Korea. Since MacArthur did not expect anything like this at all, by October 25 they completely liberated the territory of the northerners and swept away the resistance of the UN troops and the Americans. Thus began the third phase of hostilities. On some sectors of the front, the UN troops simply fled, and somewhere they defended their positions to the end, systematically retreating. On January 4, 1951, Seoul was occupied again. The Korean conflict of 1950-1953 continued to gain momentum.
Successes and failures
By the end of the same month, the offensive slowed down again. By that time, General Walker had died and was replaced by M. Ridgway. He began to use the "meat grinder" strategy: the Americans began to gain a foothold on the dominant heights and simply waited for the Chinese to occupy all other locations. When this happened, MLRS and aircraft were launched, burning out the positions occupied by the northerners.
A series of major successes allowed the Americans to launch a counteroffensive and recapture Seoul for the second time. By April 11, D. MacArthur was removed from the post of commander-in-chief due to the obsession with nuclear bombing. He was replaced by the above-mentioned M. Ridgeway. However, by that time the “fuse” had ended with the UN troops: they did notrepetition of the march to Pyongyang, and the northerners have already managed to arrange the supply of weapons and stabilize the front line. The war took on a positional character. But the Korean conflict of 1950-1953. continued.
End of hostilities
It became clear to everyone that there is simply no other way to resolve the conflict, apart from a peace treaty. On June 23, the USSR called for a ceasefire at a UN meeting. On November 27, 1951, they had already agreed on the establishment of a demarcation line and the exchange of prisoners, but here Syng-man Lee intervened again, who ardently advocated the continuation of the war.
He actively used the differences that arise in the exchange of prisoners. Under normal conditions, they change on the principle of "all for all". But here difficulties arose: the fact is that all parties to the conflict (North, South and China) actively used forced recruitment, and the soldiers simply did not want to fight. At least half of all prisoners simply refused to return to their "place of registration".
Son of Man practically disrupted the negotiation process by simply ordering the release of all "refuseniks". In general, by that time the Americans were so tired of him that the CIA even began planning an operation to remove him from power. In general, the Korean conflict (1950-1953), in short, is a perfect example of how the government of the country sabotages peace negotiations in their own interests.
On July 27, 1953, the representatives of the DPRK, the AKND and the UN troops (the representatives of South Korea refused to sign the document), signed a ceasefire agreement, according toto which the demarcation line between North and South Korea was established approximately along the 38th parallel, and on both sides a demilitarized zone 4 km wide was formed around it. This is how the Korean conflict (1950-1953) took place, a summary of which you saw on the pages of this article.
The result of the war - more than 80% of the entire housing stock on the Korean Peninsula was destroyed, more than 70% of all industries were disabled. So far, nothing is known about real losses, since each side greatly inflates the number of dead opponents and minimizes its losses. Despite this, it is clear that the conflict in Korea is one of the bloodiest wars in recent history. All sides of that confrontation agree that this should not happen again.
