Korean War (1950–53)

Prelude to War

Perhaps the simplest explanation for the outbreak of war in Korea derives from Korea's strategic location. Positioned as the focus of the interest of three great Asian powers—China, Russia, and Japan—Korea has always been the scene of rivalry, and each power at one time or another has tried to assert its hegemony over it. For centuries the Korean state was a tributary of China. When imperial China, weakened under the Western assault in the late 19th century, lost the Sino–Japanese War of 1895 and the Japanese defeated the Russians in the Russo–Japanese War in 1905, Japan became the dominant power in East Asia. In 1910, Japan incorporated Korea into its empire, maintaining control over that country until 1945.

In August of 1945, with Japan's defeat in World War II, the Korean people were jubilant. At last they were free—or so they thought—and they wished to establish a free and unified Korean government. The war's end, however, created a shift in regional power that was to have a lasting impact on Korea. With Japan prostrate and China about to descend into civil war, a new regional order was established by the United States and the Soviet Union.

During World War II, at the many conferences held by the Allied leaders, the status of Korea was rarely discussed. On the night of August 11, 1945, two young U.S. army officers were given less than an hour to put together a plan for that country. Korea was to be divided into Russian and [Page 400]American zones of occupation; the question was where to draw a viable boundary line between the two zones. To halt the Russian advance, the U.S. State Department wanted the boundary as far north as possible, but the Army and the Navy knew they could not occupy such a vast area. Looking at a wall map, the two officers, on their own, decided on the 38th parallel, which evenly bisected the country and passed just north of the Korean capital of Seoul. This line was accepted by the Army, Navy, and State Departments and—to the surprise of the Americans—the Russians.

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