The demilitarised zone divides the Korean peninsula into North and South at the 38th Parallel. The armies of both sides face each other along the border. This stand off has continued since the end of the Korean War in 1953. It’s a precarious balance of power that’s often been threatened. The Kim Dynasty, 2018
North Korea’s transformation into a nuclear power should come as no surprise: they’ve been working towards this goal for decades. ibid.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was proclaimed in 1948. In June 1950 North Korea invaded the South. ibid.
The fighting dragged on for 3 years and killed an estimated 2.5 million. ibid.
North Korea: a highly militarised state dominated by one family for half a century. The product of a conflict reinforced by nuclear threat that still endures today. It began with the Korean War fought between 1950 and 1953. A war that left a deep ideological and physical division between North and South and reverberated across the world. Nearly 70 years on, this unresolved conflict continues to pose a serious threat to America and her allies. The Korean War was one of the bloodiest chapters in the country’s history. A civil war that nearly ignited World War III. It took the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and millions of Koreans. Korea: The Never Ending War, BBC 2019
The 38th Parallel was simply a line on a map. It followed no physical features … ‘It was a 30-minute decision.’ ibid.
The Japanese defeat in World War II ended their occupation of Korea, a history narrated by the brutal subjugation of the Korean people. ibid.
He [Rhee] was elected president of South Korea in 1948. To consolidate his authority, Rhee crushed political dissent killing thousands of communist guerrillas. ibid.
Kim quickly solidified his power and amassed a formidable army. By 1949 Kim had burnished his image as supreme leader, creating the myth of the fearsome guerrilla fighter who single-handedly defeated the Japanese. ibid.
In May 1950 Kim travelled to China to meet Mao. By the summer of 1950 Kim Il-sung was ready to invade the South, assuring Mao he would be greeted as a liberator, and take the peninsula in a matter of days. ibid.
Atrocities were being committed on all sides. ibid.
‘All the high American officers had been heroes of World War II … These were people who were famous.’ ibid.
July 1953, the Forgotten War: ‘Most of us when we came back really felt like we had not accomplished much. The American people generally, most of ‘em, really didn’t even know where we’d been.’ ibid. US soldier
The war was far from over. There was no official peace treaty. Thousands of POWs awaited repatriation. And continuing tensions forced President Eisenhower to commit thousands of troops along the border. The world had lost interest in events in Korea, but the luxury of forgetting the war was not possible for Koreans. ibid.
July 8, 1994: A God Dies – But His Dream Lives On: Kim Il-sung died. ibid.
Reports from the Korean War are still vivid in my mind … For three years the country was in turmoil as the Cold War heated up. And despite the fact that nearly five million people were killed, the bloodshed in Korea has become known as the Forgotten War. Tony Robinson, Britain’s Forgotten Wars V: Korea, Channel 4 2021
‘We lost 1,106 troops, which is more than Afghanistan, Iraq and the Falklands put together.’ ibid. Alna Guy, British army
The UN force was made up from over 20 countries. ibid.
‘We can estimate that 40,000 troops and service personnel probably served in Korea during the three years of the conflict.’ ibid. historian
And so it comes to pass that in November 1950 Chinese forces pour into North Korea and change the entire complexion of the war. ibid.