Korean War Memorial
by David Morefield
Title
Korean War Memorial
Artist
David Morefield
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
The Korean War was sparked when Kim Il-sung convinced Joseph Stalin that with the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 1949, South Korea would be easy to take by force; he even claimed that the South Koreans would welcome the North in reunification of Korea. Based on Kim Il-sung�s argument, along with the fact that the Soviets had already detonated their first nuclear bomb and were successfully decrypting communications from the United States to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Joseph Stalin gave Kim Il-sung his approval of a war; after all, the U.S. had not interfered with the Communist victory in China.
After a year of building up the military of North Korea, Kim Il-sung began the Korean War with a strike at dawn on Sunday 25 June 1950. North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel and began their advance. Within three days, South Korean forces blew their bridge over the Han river near Seoul regardless of that fact that there were hundreds of refugees still attempting to escape the war.
The South Korean forces lost 73,000 men in the first 5 days of fighting and only had about 22,000 men left to resist communist forces. Due to the conclusion that a non-hostile Korea was vital to the security of Japan, President Truman ordered U.S. troops to be sent to Korea.
The North Korean forces pushed the South Koreans until their heels were almost in the sea and then U.S. troops did what they do best, Kick Ass and Take Names. U.S. troops pushed the Communist forces almost all the way back to China, which was too close for comfort for the Chinese. on 25 October 1950, the Chinese got involved and were successful pushing U.S. forces back to the 38th parallel. This fighting continued gaining ground and then losing ground for several years. Forces from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and many other Western countries fought alongside of the South Korean forces during this time.
Finally in 1954, an armistice was agreed upon by both the North and South Koreans. A Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was established at the 38th parallel was established and Korea has been divided ever since.
In the summer of 2000, I visited Panmunjom and stood in the room where the North Koreans and South Koreans still were holding talks across the 38th parallel. Nearby, we got to enter a tunnel that had been constructed but he North Koreans in order to penetrate into South Korea and funnel their intelligence officers across the border. For more than 60 years, there have been multiple incidents of North Koreans firing on South Korean and Coalition Forces along the DMZ. The hope throughout South Korea is that one day, Korea can be reunited again. Unfortunately, many families have been split by this war and most of them who survived will not be around much longer to see any reunification.
Many people are familiar with World War I, World War II and Vietnam, but they tend to leave the Korean War out, which is why it is commonly referred to as the �Forgotten War�.
Uploaded
November 2nd, 2015
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