Lecture 7 Korea

Picture 1: North Korea and South Korea borders western tourists. Hardly any Koreans. Half table north
K, half in south. Theyre shaking hands across the border. It came down to a table.

Picture 2: On the boundary, there are guards dressed exactly the same way. Their body types also
match. Their positions are fixed so as to create perfect symmetry. The person in the middle has been
authorized by both countries and he must stand in was so as to not move towards any one side/not
favouring any side.

The last foreign dignitary who visited the place was Bill Clinton who said it was the scariest place. You
cannot violate the line of control no matter what. You will be shot if you do so. Something has happened
to make situations reach this level of hostility. The point is to understand what the Korean conflict is all
about.

China and Korea have always been separated because there is a massive river separating them. This is
called the Yalu River. It played a significant role even in the division of Korea. The region from coast to
coast between north and South Korea is called the DMZ Demilitarized Zone. There are tunnels underway
where diplomats meet. Officially there are just 4 tunnels, but unofficialy more exist. From north to south
people actually try to dig tunnels with their hands to go to the south. The LOC is in the middle of the DMZ
equidistant at all points. The line is called the 38 parallel.
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South of the DMZ within a days journey (30 miles) is the capital of SK Seoul. Capital of NK is Pyongyang.
This becomes an advantage for the North because S N, Capital takes 4 days, but N S it takes 2 day.
The capital of NK is much better protected.

Chinese conquerors have ruled Korea. The north is snow covered, and it is largely agrarian. The Chinese
conquerors used to rule the peasant societies. In 1910 WW1 japan came to Korea to sign a treaty
which is generally an agreement, but this treaty was called the Japanese Annexation Treaty. From WW1-
2, Korea became Japans colony. There is a region in the north of korea called Manchuria. This gave the
Japanese power to invade china due to proximity at any time.

The Japs cross over into Manchuria, and this was the beginning of world war 2, even before Hitlers
missions were in the picture. Japan invaded Nanking and over the span of 1 week 80,000 men and
100,000 women were murdered and raped respectably. These are believed to be conservative
estimates. This atrocity started off world war two. China is crushed and under Japanese occupation for
all of WW2. The japs who had been training for war, crushed China which was an agrarian society, they get
china and thereby also end up controlling Korea. Japan controlled China, Korea and also were attacking
the Russians and taking on the Americans.

At the end of WW2 the Russians and Americans agree to divide all the countries they liberate in half half
under soviet and half under American influence as it happened with Germany. In Korea, Russian forces
liberate China, and then occupy the northern sector of Korea. The US troops following the bombings have
occupied japan. They walk southwards, and meet at the deciding line the 38 parallel, therefore causing
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the first rough division by the meeting of two armies.

They decide korea must be given back to Koreans. But there wasnt a government? The Russians said
you can come up with a proxy government, who we will loosely control. The head of this government
becomes Kim Il Sung a local Kim Jong Uns grandfather. He was told to rule the northern region based
on more or less Russian ideals. He is their man. In the south, the American establish their puppet state
the head being Syngman Rhee Korean national, but born and brought up in America. He was to rule the
south using American methods. Here, situations start deteriorating

The Russians had an advantage because they were closer to Korea. Americans trust Syngman Rhee and
start backing out. The Russians however ensure that their leader gets all the support he needs military
and non-military.

The conflicts between north and south were bound to occur because the working was so different. There
were constant attempts to spy on each other and find out what the other side was doing. The Americans
want to know what is happening here. Spies were SHOT DEAD brutally. They were shocked to see these
executions.

VIDEO NK spies in South

The Americans began to get apprehensive about their chosen puppet because he was getting far too
violent. They started removing their support as things were going out of hand. When the US was in the
process of removing support, North Korea decided to invade (1950) leaving USA in a fix.

VIDEO

Hence began the Korean War (US President Harry Truman plays major role). The red region is NORTH,
and one tiny fragment is left on the southern tip SOUTH. Hence, Harry Truman is expected to come and
do something about it, who simply wants to nuke the North. However, he threatened the same before,
and did not have too much credibility. Nuclear strikes after Japan was anyway not a viable option due to
its fallouts. Harry Truman starts trying to gain support from the UN. However, the UN asks why? Say they
dont have an army, and says they will only sanction a police action to push back NK to their side of the
border, but there will be no war, no invasion, no destruction of NK.

Hence, American forces began to move to South Korea in order to begin action, and were headed by
Douglas MacArthur. He was also a part of the liberation of Philippines, and the final staging of declaration
of surrender for WW2. Because he was well versed with politics, he was told to head this mission too. He
asked for an extensive list of weapons for a whole scale war. However, DM says we cant be lax, we cant
risk defeat.

The American forces reach Korea. They land, there is a small coast called Busan where they first arrive.
DM gets just half the weapon power he wanted. In the first battle against the north, USA is defeated,
when HT realizes that if this goes on, the entire peninsular will become Northern, on which he will have
to give it to Kim Il-Sung, because the only way to take it back is hard-core invasion. DM tells them again
we need more fire power, tanks, aircrafts. (NK is using Russian help).

Hence, Truman says is NK wins, one by one all other countries in the region will also start falling to China.
He tries to hype the issue up.

DM is told to hang on to Busan. He makes an assumption + secision, that because NK is using Russian
equipment sans Russian presence, they may not be very good strategists or tactical, and maybe just
getting weaponry advantage. Hence, he managed a landing in Incheon very close to the 38 Parallel. He
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made the landing in order to signify that American can attack NK from the rear, because NK had gone so
further down south, they had left their own bases defence weak.

McArthur was very tactical - If you land at Incheon, with troops trapped in Busan, you will try to get to
them from the rare. DM tries a gamble he tries to go closer to 38 //. DM creates an impression that he
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will invade and take over Pyongyang, which the NK forces start feeling as well, thereby retreating. While
they retreat, the American forces already well prepared butcher them.

UN+US troops recaptured all of south 38 // - and McArthur tells Truman, that the morale is high, lets
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capture Pyongyang. HT says okay, but stop after that. They capture Pyongyang in 4 days. Kim Il-Sung are
trying to escape as close to the Chinese border as possible. China is assumed to be peasant driven, and no
threat weapon weak. But nobody really knows whats been happening in china, and the Americans feel
that they must be making rudimentary weapons coming from the fact that they fought the Japs with
spears and arrows. DM says he wanted to go further from even Pyongyang. HT tells him to stop by the
time they reach the reservoirs closing the Chinese border, but DM insists on going all the way to the Yalu
river.

Phase 1: SK > NK

Phase 2: UN + US (On Behalf of SK) > NK

Phase 3:

DMs forces are driven right back to the 38 //. As the troops near the cinese borders they hear rumours
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of an offensive but do not feel the same is a threat as such was Chinas reputation. They did not take into
consideration that Russia could have been arming china in the complete secrecy of 5 years.

VIDEO

On paper, the Chinese were American allies who saved them from Japanese annihilation. But that was
just on paper, you didnt know what Mao was doing.

VIDEO

The Chinese seem to be launching an offensive, but the Americans were not sure as to what they aimed
to do, so the Americans try to find out aerially what the Chinese were doing and how many people were
there. They estimated it way wrong, there were MANY MORE Chinese than estimated.

VIDEO

Truman says, dont close up too much to the Chinese, they have driven us back but they are not launching
war against us - so just call for peace. DM refuses, and launches another offensive to get back at them.
This time china did not back down, and a massive attack was launched. The Korean war became a big
problem, because it was now US + UN (27 countries) v.s China (Backed by Russia) with no trace of the
Koreans. In the third year of the war, china managed to make the troops go back all the way down to
seoul. DM asks for more firepower to get back again, and HT agrees due to the humiliation caused to USA.
DM takes the troops back to 38 //. He now asks for airplanes to bomb china. HT fired DM because he was
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simply filled with bloodlust and he couldnt see the war ending.

HT now says that the only way to end this war in nuking china. Fortunately, this period also marks the end
of HTs term. They are so frustrated, they want somebody to come up who can just end this. 1952 USA
general elections HT openly promoted the candidature of his opponent Supreme commander of all
forces in WW2 Dwight D Eizhenhower. On being asked his plans to end the war he said I shall go to
Korea. This convinced everybody that he would get the troops back.
Even before his official term in the white house, he travels to SK. He says you can only begin negotiation
when there. This negotiation is for peace, there is status quo, and 38 // is the border. But, the negotiation
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needs to happen with china and korea. China came to the table as victims. They knew HT bluffed the
nuking. DDE simply says lets resolve this, America is losing patience, and lets not get all the options are on
the table. The Chinese back down. He was supreme commander, and him talking about options and HT
talking about nuking world of difference. This man had won WW2 for America.

Hence, certain conclusions are reached 38 // becomes LOC, 4 miles around it become DMZ and this has
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remained intact since 1953 when the armistice was signed till today.

DMZ has barbed wire fortification with soldiers patrolling. There are two miles to the N and 2 to the S.

On the southern side, almost inside the DMZ - there is a village fully functional, residential called
Daeseong Dong. If war breaks out they will be the first targets. This is a part of SK, but also a separate
entity in itself. They have to report back to the city every night latest by 11 p.m. this is a permanent curfew,
and if you miss it more than twice you are stripped off your citizenship of DD, and remain a normal citizen
of south korea. People want to remain citizens of DD because everything is given at concessional rates
and there are no taxes. They have a very tall flagpole with the SK flag.

Bang opposite in North Korea again inside the DMZ - there is Kyojong Dong. This has a population of 200
people. Their flagpole Is 500 feet to beat SK at it highest in the world. Since 1953 SK use binoculars
have observed it, and they understood that there are no residents here, NK officials switch lights on and
off, make smoke come out of chimneys, ring the bells in school. This village is called peace village, but SK
calls it propaganda village. This pretend city also has loudspeakers saying how happy they are, how corrupt
the Americans are, and this has been happening since 50 years. On the guided tour at SK they show you
this city.