Korean War
Social Studies - Kristina Jokic
Issues
Precursor Events
Leaders
Kim Il-Sung
- lived from April 15, 1912 to July 8, 1994
- His political party was the Worker's Party of Korea
- He was communist, and he established a totalitarian society in North Korea
- He served in the military from 1941-1945 and again from 1948-1994
- He fought in World War II and in the Korean War
- Led North Korea during the war
Syngman Rhee
- Lived from April 18, 1875 to July 19, 1965
- Elected to be the first president of South Korea
- Was in office from September 11, 1919 to March 21, 1925
- Was imprisoned in the past for trying to remove ing Gojong of the Korean Empire from power
- strongly anti-communist
- Had lived in both the United States and Japan in the past
- Spoke fluent English while none of his rivals did, so he was the most liked by the American government.
Douglas MacArthur
- Lived from January 26, 1880 to April 5, 1964
- He was a general in the army.
- He held the United Nations Command, was the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, and commanded the Southwest Pacific Area.
- Had been give various medals, including the Medal of Honor
- General of the UN forces from the United States
- helped South Korea fight back against North Korea
- Was courtmartialed because of something he said publicly, which went against the UN's policies
Arms and Army
Resources and Technology
In the Korean War, planes were being used in warfare, which had been recently introduced.
Although the UN needed mules and human porters to supply troops, they had the latest advanced weapons like jet fighters and atomic bombs.
The US also threatened to use the atomic bomb against Communist forces.
British troops used weapons that were also used in WWII, and the Americans introduced the Super Bazooka, which could break through the armor on a tank much easier.
Alliances
Society
This war was based off of the two different views of the North and the South. There was a problem in the society where the Soviet Union was pulling the North towards communism, while Japan was pulling the South away from communism. This resulted in a lot of polarization, which greatly affected the people living in these regions. Protests against this war were not common, and they were not effective in causing a major change in the opinions of the war.
Graphs Representing the War
This graph shows the casualties of the Korean War. Although more of Korea’s military has been killed, more of South Korea’s civilians have been killed. Also, more than twice as many North Korean soldiers have been injured than South Korean soldiers.
The Arts
How can the arts help people deal with war?
The arts help people express their feelings during hard times. Many people have suffered because of this war. The soldiers on all sides and their loved ones have had to go through so much, and some people have been expressing their opinions and feelings through the arts.
How can the arts be used to tell the story of civil wars?
There have been various movies made about this war. The first Western movie made about the war was “The Steel Helmet,” produced in 1951. South Korea has made multiple movies about the war as well, though theirs were produced later, mostly in the 1990’s and 2000’s. Their most recent movie is called “The Front Line” and was made in 2011. It is set during the cease-fire of 1953. Even North Korea has made films about the war. Korean War films have always been popular in the country, and they have been used as propaganda sometimes. Their movies glorified North Korean soldiers and shown South Korea and the US as war criminals. There is literature on this war as well, and the most famous and important novel is “The Square” by Choi In-hun. Pablo Picasso painted a picture representing the Korean War, called “Massacre in Korea.”