Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Explat]

For some reason, a thread about world perceptions of the U.S. turned into a discebate about the Korean war:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?p=1596768&highlight=#1596768

I feel this warrants its own thread. And actually I had been thinking about this for some time. I wonder what others think, especially those with more insight into Korean culture and history, and those who know people who were in the Korean War.

The first thing that strikes me is there seems to be very little official show of appreciation of those non-Koreans who fought in the Korean War. Is there any memorial, any holiday, any day when foreign veterans are invited back to Korea for ceremonies, as Europe does at Normandy every year? In short, does anyone know a foreign veteran of the Korean War who has ever been invited back to Korea for ceremonies?

The second thing I wonder about is whether Koreans actually supported the Korean War? Sure, millions fought and tens of thousands died. But do they feel the Americans dragged them into it? Did they feel like the war might not have happened if the Americans hadn't been there in the first place? Did the South Koreans at the time really care whether their country was a capitalistic democracy or communist-socialist? I don't think Korea had any historical tradition of democracy, did it?

It seems like perhaps communism was perceived as closer to the Asian cultural tradition than the American style democracy. My impression is Asian countries, and certainly Korea, have had a tradition of very close-knit villages where people worked together, rather than the individualistic competition of a capitalist democracy.

And most of all, Korea has apparently always had a very xenophobic attitude, of not welcoming foreign influences and intervention. This is especially obvious in the behavior of North Korea. But I get the impression that the attitudes of the South Korean government and people is not always all that different with respect to foreigners. So this would suggest that all the foreigners who came to fight to defend South Korea from the invasion from the north may have been less than welcome.

If this is correct, then one would have to expect that not only would Koreans today not feel grateful for the sacrifices of the foreigners who fought in the Korean War, they would also not feel any debt to citizens of those countries who fought to defend the South.

Perhaps I am wrong about all of the above, and if so, please correct me. Perhaps, as an alternative explanation, the South Koreans are simply not doing a very good job of teaching the history of the Korean War accurately to the current generation.

But I can't help wondering whether the Korean War was entirely necessary. From a pacifist perspective, most, if not all wars, are not necessary. And the indirect negative repercussions tend to offset the positive results of such wars.

What do you think? Was the war a mistake?

One other thing. This is obviously a sensitive topic. Please try to be respectful of others who disagree with you.

[The Grumpy Senator]

There are monuments to foreign contributions to the Korean War all over the place near Imjingan Station. From US to Mongolian to even Japanese.

I get stopped by older Koreans and bowed to and thanked every now and then on the streets or subway. So, I think there is a sense of appreciation towards foreign involvement.

[Css]

The war was a direct result of foreign intervention so yes, the western nations had a duty to be involved.

The US especially given their awful handling of the situation following the end of ww2.

[Newbie]

I'd say there are, generally speaking, 3 groups.

1. Those who are aware of foregin help and greatly appreciate it.
2. Those who are aware, but resent it. These people blame USA for all their problems going back to 1905(?) when America agreed to let Japan rule Korea. They see that, the division, and the war as being all America's fault. You'll find a good number of university kids fit into this group.
3. Those who are ignorant. Have no idea foreigners helped them and think that everything great in Korea is the product of some Han spirit crap. These tools also think Japan left in 1945 because Korea kicked them out.

Grossly simplified, but there you go.

You seem to be thinking of mostly number 2. Fret not, their numbers aren't that big.

[Privateer]

I'm really not sure what you mean by 'necessary'. Are you asking whether the North Koreans had to invade? Whether war between the North and South was inevitable? Whether it was necessary for America and the UN to intervene in the war? Whether it was necessary for Korea to be split into North and South in the first place? Perhaps you're asking whether it was necessary to defend the free world from communism?

Clarify please.

[Explat]

Privateer wrote:

[cdninkorea]

Great thread!

There aren't any holidays for foreign soldiers in the Korean War, but there is the UN Cemetary in Busan, which is immaculately maintained. Worth seeing if you're in the city.
And the Korean government does give veterans all expenses paid trips back to Korea at least sometimes. I'm not sure how often, but last fall ('08 ) I met a New Zealand veteran and his daughter while walking by the Lotte Hotel in Jamsil, who was there with a group consisting of several buses full of people.
It was his first trip back in fifty seven years. Hearing his stories was interesting beyond words.

At the time of the war many South Koreans supported North Korea, for various reasons. Also at the time it was not a capitalistic democracy. They had elections for the president, but capitalism? It was an agrarian farming country with one of the lowest GDPs in the entire world (perhaps the lowest; not sure).

The first Korean girlfriend I had, a university student in her early twenties, told me that Korean nationalists were on the verge of rising up and defeating the Japanese occupiers, but America got involved in the war and basically stole Korea's thunder, and in the process, their pride. She spoke with such conviction that I believed her at the time.
I went and did my research and found this to be completely false. Furthermore, I asked a solider about this, and he told me that young Koreans are taught this in school and blames this historical inaccuracy as part of the reasons young Koreans hate American soldiers. He said though that older Koreans, especially ones old enough to be alive during the war, treat him and his fellow soldiers with the utmost respect almost all the time.

[jvalmer]

There was a power vacuum after the Japanese left, the Russians were working their way into Korea and the Americans told Stalin to stop halfway in Korea, which Stalin did. Of course the Northern and Southern leaders wanted the whole cake to themselves. After 5 years, the Russians thought the Americans weren't committed to defending Korea, when they started seeing the US withdrawing their troops from Korea.

Who is to blame? I think just the cirumstances at the time. From 1900 to the WWII, the vast majority of the world was in some form of chaos, almost every country went through a big change of government/revolution during that time. Japan was recovering, China just ended a civil war, the Europeans were releasing their colonies and recovering. There were alot of empty seats of power that people were willing to fight for.

So I think the Korean War was inevitable. I think it would have happened with or without the American presence in South Korea. It probably would have happened later, maybe during the height of the Vietnam war. If that happened, I wonder what the US would have done with two wars in Asia fighting communists? What would have China and Russia done? I have no idea. But I'm sure some talented writer can come up with some interesting story.

[RACETRAITOR]

I have a much simpler answer. Separating Korea into two countries was a mistake. The Korean War was just the result of that mistake.

[Css]

[Css]

[shapeshifter]

[hellofaniceguy]

It does not matter one way or another if it was a mistake....
it's a done deal.
And for that matter...is not any war a mistake?

[Ya-ta Boy]

[catman]

Listed as one of the questions was:

"No, the Korean War would not have been necessary if the American military were not stationed in South Korea"

.....but the US military wasn't stationed in South Korea in 1950.