USA involvement in The Koreas

Currently the U.S. has approximately 35,000 troops in ROK, but will be reducing strength levels to approximately 25,000 over the next few years. There are no U.S. troops in DPRK.

Open (unclassified) information on Korea is readily available, and on-line. Newspapers from both DPRK and ROK are useful in watching events "on the ground", but have to be approached with great care. If you really want to understand the situation you must start with Korean history from at least the late 19th century when two wars were fought over it (Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War). There are sites on the web that will give you a brief overview of the issues and outcomes. Those events played an important part in the rise of imperial Japan and its determination for military expansion ... hence, WWII in the Pacific. Korea was one of the first to be occupied by Japan, one of the last, and few conquered peoples were more brutally treated. Read about the Japanese occupation of Korea in several of the many sites devoted to the war in the Pacific. You should especially note the events in and around Korea as WWII wound to an end. Stalin's maneuvering to grab up as much Asia real estate as possible for the Communists is important.

Kim Il-Sung consolidated his hold over the DPRK (Democratic Republic of Korea) in the period between 1945 and the onset of the Korean War. This was accomplished by all pervasive propaganda, utilization of secret police system at least as extensive as the STASI of East Germany, mobilization of a huge army, and mass murder in concentration camps scattered throughout Northern Korea. In the south an independent Republic of Korea (ROK) was protected from the communists by a UN partition, and by a small number of US Army troops. The DPRK invaded the south without warning and succeeded in driving the poorly prepared US forces to the southern tip of the peninsula at Pusan. The DPRK murdered thousands of South Koreans by lining them up and executing them in the streets. Many US Army prisoners were executed on the spot during this stage of the conflict. It looked like another Dunkirk, but MacArthur quickly rallied and pulled off one of the great military reversals by his flanking maneuver at Inchon. The DPRK troops south of Inchon were cutoff and disorganized. Many DPRK troops were captured.

With UN sanction the the US led an international force that now pushed deep into the DPRK. As US/UN forces neared the Yalu River, China (PRC) became ever more nervous that the war would spill over into China. The PRC had previously promised support to Kim, but their actual involvement was mostly limited to words and some material support. President Truman cautioned MacA. to stay well clear of the Chinese border, but the General very publicly stated his belief that the war should be carried to its conclusion and that the Atom Bomb should be used to win it. This was a very direct threat against the PRC, and during the winter they crossed the Yalu in force. US/UN forces were divided by the central mountain chain running N/S down the peninsula, and were surprised. The Marines in the east were badly mauled at the Chosin Reservoir ("We are not retreating, only attacking in a different direction"), and had to be withdrawn. The Army in the west was steadily pushed south by massed PRC and DPRK infantry. Again few US/UN prisoners were taken, and those who were, were brutally treated and brain-washing techniques were a feature of their captivity. A cease-fire was arranged and the US/UN believed that negotiations would end the war shortly. Only a few US prisoners opted to stay inside the DPRK (about half a dozen out of 126, or so). Thousands of DPRK prisoners refused repatriation, and very few ever returned to the north.

Wrong. The Korean War is still going on, and has for almost fifty years now. DPRK has never, ever abandoned its goal of taking over the whole of Korea, and the ROK also would like reunification, but under terms that would assure that their own form of government would prevail. US troops are the only thing that has kept the conflict from reigniting into a bloodbath. There are many internet websites that provide a detailed history of the Korean War, they will give you reasonably accurate numbers of troops, casualties rates, prisoners, etc., and are well worth studying.

Political events in and between the DPRK and ROK over the last fifty years can also be traced on your computer.