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{{Infobox military conflict|combatant1=[[File:Flag of the DPRK.svg|20px]] [[ | {{Infobox military conflict|combatant1=[[File:Flag of the DPRK.svg|20px]][[DPRK]]<br>[[File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg|20px]][[PRC]]<br>'''Major support:'''<br>[[File:The Flag of the USSR.png|20px]][[USSR]]|conflict=Fatherland Liberation War|combatant2=[[File:South Korea flag.png|20px]][[Republic of Korea|ROK]]<br>[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]][[USA]]<br>[[File:Flag of the UN.png|20px]][[UN]]|place=[[Korea|Korean Peninsula]], Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea|date=25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 ''(de-facto)''<br>25 June 1950 – present ''(de-jure)''|result=Military stalemate, inactive conflict (post-1953)|image=Korean war image.jpg|strength1='''Peak strength:'''<br>[[File:Flag of the DPRK.svg|20px]]266,600<br>[[File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg|20px]]1,450,000<br>[[File:The Flag of the USSR.png|20px]]26,000<br>'''Total:'' 1,742,000'''|strength2='''Peak strength:'''<br>[[File:South Korea flag.png|20px]]602,902<br>[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]]326,863<br>[[File:Flag of the UN.png|20px]]42,569<br>'''Total:'' 972,334'''}} | ||
The '''Korean War''', also known as the '''Fatherland Liberation War''' (Korean: 조국해방전쟁) in the [[Democratic People's Republic of Korea]] (DPRK), | The '''Korean War''', also known as the '''Fatherland Liberation War''' (Korean: 조국해방전쟁) in the [[Democratic People's Republic of Korea]] (DPRK), and the '''6.25 War''' (Korean: 6·25 전쟁) in [[Republic of Korea|South Korea]], was a highly devastating armed conflict which developed in [[Korea]] after the peninsula was divided between North and South at the end of the [[Second World War]] with the surrender of [[Empire of Japan (1868–1947)|Japan]], who had been occupying Korea since 1910. The war is conventionally considered to have occurred from 1950 to 1953, however, this time frame conforms to the [[Bourgeoisie|bourgeois]] [[Imperialism|imperialist]] [[United States of America|U.S.]] perspective of the conflict and is challenged by [[Anti-imperialism|anti-imperialist]] narratives of the nature and timeline of the war. The main period of armed conflict ceased in 1953 with an armistice agreement, which the U.S. abrogated in 1958 by delivering nuclear weapons to South Korea.<ref>Lee Jae-Bong (2009-02-07). [https://apjjf.org/-Lee-Jae-Bong/3053/article.html "US Deployment of Nuclear Weapons in 1950s South Korea & North Korea's Nuclear Development: Toward Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula"] ''The Asia-Pacific Journal''. [https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://apjjf.org/-Lee-Jae-Bong/3053/article.html Archived] 2022-08-19.</ref> Although the armistice was signed in 1953, a peace agreement is still yet to be put in place, and the Korean peninsula remains divided. | ||
The division of Korea into North and South was originally intended to be only temporary, with the United States and [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1922–1991)|Soviet Union]] helping ease Korea's transition out of [[Empire of Japan (1868–1947)|Japanese | The division of Korea into North and South was originally intended to be only temporary, with the United States and [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1922–1991)|Soviet Union]] helping ease Korea's transition out of [[Empire of Japan (1868–1947)|Japanese colonial rule]]. While the Soviet Union promptly withdrew its troops from the North in 1948, the imperialist United States took steps to ensure the entrenchment of the Southern regime, holding elections and declaring the formations of the Republic of Korea in 1948 despite widespread opposition among the Korean masses, which the U.S. and Southern forces, working jointly with far-right paramilitary gangs, repressed in mass arrests and killings, such as in the case of the [[Jeju Uprising]]. The North-South division of the Korean nation and the U.S. occupation of the South has persisted to the present day, South Korea being a "complete colony occupied by the U.S. military" in the words of the People's Democracy Party, a revolutionary workers' party in South Korea.<ref>People's Democracy Party and Liberation School. [https://www.liberationschool.org/korean-war-70-years/ “70 Years Too Long: The Struggle to End the Korean War – Liberation School.”] ''Liberation School – Revolutionary Marxism for a New Generation of Fighters'', 25 June 2020. [https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.liberationschool.org/korean-war-70-years/ Archived].</ref> | ||
During the 1950-1953 conflict, the DPRK was supported by its sister socialist nations, the USSR and the People's Republic of China, and the Southern regime was backed by the United States and the U.S.-controlled [[United Nations]] Command (UNC). Although the United States led the UNC and provided the bulk of its troops and funding, the operation was referred to as "UN-led" and was called a "police action." The [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|USSR]] was absent during the decisions to form this joint security operation, as it was boycotting the United Nations due to the non-admission of PRC.<ref>[https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/presidential-inquiries/united-nations-korea "The United Nations in Korea."] Harry S. Truman Library. [https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/presidential-inquiries/united-nations-korea Archived] 2022-08-19.</ref> | During the 1950-1953 conflict, the DPRK was supported by its sister socialist nations, the USSR and the [[People's Republic of China]], and the Southern regime was backed by the United States and the U.S.-controlled [[United Nations]] Command (UNC). Although the United States led the UNC and provided the bulk of its troops and funding, the operation was referred to as "UN-led" and was called a "police action." The [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|USSR]] was absent during the decisions to form this joint security operation, as it was boycotting the United Nations due to the non-admission of PRC.<ref>[https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/presidential-inquiries/united-nations-korea "The United Nations in Korea."] Harry S. Truman Library. [https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/presidential-inquiries/united-nations-korea Archived] 2022-08-19.</ref> | ||
== Events == | == Events == | ||
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In almost every town, there was a People’s Committee for self-rule, but the US Army crushed the People’s Committees with tanks and soldiers. There was a lot of resistance and revolt at that time.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Liberation School|title=Still fighting for Korea’s liberation: An interview with Ahn Hak-sop|date=Jul 27, 2022|url=https://www.liberationschool.org/interview-with-ahn-hak-sop/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804035822/https://www.liberationschool.org/interview-with-ahn-hak-sop/|archive-date=2022-08-19}}</ref></blockquote>The [[Syngman Rhee]] regime in the South was marked by mass repressions against the revolutionary movements and political activity generally. He abolished the press and liquidated left-wing political opposition. Rhee claimed that [[Republic of Korea|South Korea]]'s army would be able to take the northern capital of Pyongyang in three days.<ref name=":0">{{News citation|author=Ernie Trory|newspaper=New Worker|title=The Invasion of North Korea|url=http://www.newworker.org/ncptrory/nkorea.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305021303/http://www.newworker.org/ncptrory/nkorea.htm|archive-date=2022-03-05}}</ref> There was a lot of migration between the two occupation zones: political refugees went to the North, the dispossessed classes of landlords and merchants who supported the Japanese occupation fled to the South. Extreme right-wing anti-communist gangs, such as the Northwest Youth League, proliferated in the South and worked jointly with U.S. and Southern forces to repress South Korean dissidents and suspected communists. | In almost every town, there was a People’s Committee for self-rule, but the US Army crushed the People’s Committees with tanks and soldiers. There was a lot of resistance and revolt at that time.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Liberation School|title=Still fighting for Korea’s liberation: An interview with Ahn Hak-sop|date=Jul 27, 2022|url=https://www.liberationschool.org/interview-with-ahn-hak-sop/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804035822/https://www.liberationschool.org/interview-with-ahn-hak-sop/|archive-date=2022-08-19}}</ref></blockquote>The [[Syngman Rhee]] regime in the South was marked by mass repressions against the revolutionary movements and political activity generally. He abolished the press and liquidated left-wing political opposition. Rhee claimed that [[Republic of Korea|South Korea]]'s army would be able to take the northern capital of Pyongyang in three days.<ref name=":0">{{News citation|author=Ernie Trory|newspaper=New Worker|title=The Invasion of North Korea|url=http://www.newworker.org/ncptrory/nkorea.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305021303/http://www.newworker.org/ncptrory/nkorea.htm|archive-date=2022-03-05}}</ref> There was a lot of migration between the two occupation zones: political refugees went to the North, the dispossessed classes of landlords and merchants who supported the Japanese occupation fled to the South. Extreme right-wing anti-communist gangs, such as the Northwest Youth League, proliferated in the South and worked jointly with U.S. and Southern forces to repress South Korean dissidents and suspected communists. | ||
In 1949, there were frequent skirmishes between northern and southern troops on the 38th parallel. These skirmishes, most of which were started by the south, caused hundreds of deaths.<ref name=":12">{{Citation|author=Stephen Gowans|year=2018|title=Patriots, Traitors and Empires: The Story of Korea’s Struggle for Freedom|chapter=The Campaign of 1950-1953|page= | In 1949, there were frequent skirmishes between northern and southern troops on the 38th parallel. These skirmishes, most of which were started by the south, caused hundreds of deaths.<ref name=":12">{{Citation|author=Stephen Gowans|year=2018|title=Patriots, Traitors and Empires: The Story of Korea’s Struggle for Freedom|chapter=The Campaign of 1950-1953|page=123–126|pdf=https://ipfs.io/ipfs/bafykbzaced4iiga4ngtxusr2civjxewbili5jne2sbpefbx2s3im2kphattzc?filename=Stephen%20Gowans%20-%20Patriots%2C%20Traitors%20and%20Empires_%20The%20Story%20of%20Korea%E2%80%99s%20Struggle%20for%20Freedom-Baraka%20Books%20%282018%29.pdf|city=Montreal|publisher=Baraka Books|isbn=9781771861427|lg=https://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=8435F6FF91279531705764823FDC2A7F}}</ref> | ||
=== Beginning of war === | === Beginning of war === | ||
South Korea invaded the DPRK on 25 June 1950.<ref name=":0" /> Years later, Rhee stated that the purpose of the war was to destroy [[communism]].{{Citation needed}} The southern government quickly collapsed, with Rhee and his inner circle fleeing. The [[Korean People's Army]] liberated [[Seoul]] within three days, and most of the southern soldiers immediately retreated or defected to the DPRK. By late August, the KPA controlled 90% of Korea, with the U.S. and ROK only controlling Busan in the southeast. Following their liberation, south Koreans reestablished the people's committees that the U.S. occupiers had disbanded. They confiscated the property of Japanese collaborators and carried out land reform | South Korea invaded the DPRK on 25 June 1950.<ref name=":0" /> Years later, Rhee stated that the purpose of the war was to destroy [[communism]].{{Citation needed}} The southern government quickly collapsed, with Rhee and his inner circle fleeing. The [[Korean People's Army]] liberated [[Seoul]] within three days, and most of the southern soldiers immediately retreated or defected to the DPRK. By late August, the KPA controlled 90% of Korea, with the U.S. and ROK only controlling Busan in the southeast. Following their liberation, south Koreans reestablished the people's committees that the U.S. occupiers had disbanded. They confiscated the property of Japanese collaborators and carried out land reform.<ref name=":12" /> | ||
=== UN invasion === | === UN invasion === | ||
The United States organized an invasion of Korea through the United Nations Security Council. The USSR was boycotting the Security Council to protest the [[Kuomintang]] instead of the PRC representing China at the UN instead | The United States organized an invasion of Korea through the United Nations Security Council. The USSR was boycotting the Security Council to protest the [[Kuomintang]] instead of the PRC representing China at the UN instead.<ref name=":12" /> | ||
=== Entry of People's China === | === Entry of People's China === | ||
=== Armistice agreement === | === Armistice agreement === | ||
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== Aftermath == | == Aftermath == | ||
=== U.S. | === U.S. abrogation of armistice === | ||
Paragraph 13d of the agreement mandated that neither side introduce new weapons into Korea. However, at a meeting in 1957, the U.S. informed the north Korean representatives that the United Nations Command no longer considered itself bound by paragraph 13d of the armistice,<ref>[https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,809583,00.html "Korea: The End of 13d"] (1957-07-01). ''Time Magazine''. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220728030416/https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,809583,00.html Archived] 2022-07-28.</ref> and in 1958 the U.S. abrogated paragraph 13d of the armistice by introducing nuclear weapons into south Korea.<ref>Lee Jae-Bong (2009-02-07). [https://apjjf.org/-Lee-Jae-Bong/3053/article.html "US Deployment of Nuclear Weapons in 1950s South Korea & North Korea's Nuclear Development: Toward Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula"] ''The Asia-Pacific Journal''. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220819105903/https://apjjf.org/-Lee-Jae-Bong/3053/article.html Archived] 2022-18-19.</ref> | Paragraph 13d of the agreement mandated that neither side introduce new weapons into Korea. However, at a meeting in 1957, the U.S. informed the north Korean representatives that the United Nations Command no longer considered itself bound by paragraph 13d of the armistice,<ref>[https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,809583,00.html "Korea: The End of 13d"] (1957-07-01). ''Time Magazine''. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220728030416/https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,809583,00.html Archived] 2022-07-28.</ref> and in 1958 the U.S. abrogated paragraph 13d of the armistice by introducing nuclear weapons into south Korea.<ref>Lee Jae-Bong (2009-02-07). [https://apjjf.org/-Lee-Jae-Bong/3053/article.html "US Deployment of Nuclear Weapons in 1950s South Korea & North Korea's Nuclear Development: Toward Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula"] ''The Asia-Pacific Journal''. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220819105903/https://apjjf.org/-Lee-Jae-Bong/3053/article.html Archived] 2022-18-19.</ref> | ||
=== Continued U.S. occupation of south Korea === | === Continued U.S. occupation of south Korea === | ||
<blockquote>''See also: [[Republic of Korea]], [[United States imperialism]]''</blockquote>The armistice has never been replaced with a peace treaty and the two sides remain technically at war, with the U.S. occupying the south and retaining operational control over the south Korean military in wartime, and regularly engaging in provocative joint military exercises with south Korea aimed at "decapitating" DPRK's government,<ref>Flounders, Sara. [https://www.workers.org/2022/08/66398/ “Faced with U.S. ‘Decapitation Drill’/DPRK Korea Missile Launch Is Self-Defense.”] Workers World. August 26, 2022. [https://web.archive.org/web/20221014032939/https://www.workers.org/2022/08/66398/ Archived] 2022-10-14.</ref> while enforcing strict [[economic sanctions]] against DPRK as a form of siege warfare. The U.S. also blocks inter-Korean reconciliation efforts initiated between north and south Korea. For example, in January 2020 when south Korean President [[Moon Jae-in|Moon Jae-In]] expressed interest in developing tourism to north Korea, the US ambassador Harry Harris blocked this effort, claiming that "independent" tourism plans would have to undergo U.S. consultation. The U.S. ambassador emphasized that the items inside South Korean tourists' luggage could violate sanctions.<ref>[https://nodutdol.org/sanctions-of-empire/ "제국의 제재 - Sanctions of Empire."] Nodutdol. October 20, 2020. [https://nodutdol.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Sanctions-of-Empire.pdf PDF]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220520095404/https://nodutdol.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Sanctions-of-Empire.pdf Archive].</ref> Through a combination of military, economic, and political means, the U.S. prevents north and south Korea from reconciling and continues to target and threaten | <blockquote>''See also: [[Republic of Korea]], [[United States imperialism]]''</blockquote>The armistice has never been replaced with a peace treaty and the two sides remain technically at war, with the U.S. occupying the south and retaining operational control over the south Korean military in wartime, and regularly engaging in provocative joint military exercises with south Korea aimed at "decapitating" DPRK's government,<ref>Flounders, Sara. [https://www.workers.org/2022/08/66398/ “Faced with U.S. ‘Decapitation Drill’/DPRK Korea Missile Launch Is Self-Defense.”] Workers World. August 26, 2022. [https://web.archive.org/web/20221014032939/https://www.workers.org/2022/08/66398/ Archived] 2022-10-14.</ref> while enforcing strict [[economic sanctions]] against DPRK as a form of siege warfare. The U.S. also blocks inter-Korean reconciliation efforts initiated between north and south Korea. For example, in January 2020 when south Korean President [[Moon Jae-in|Moon Jae-In]] expressed interest in developing tourism to north Korea, the US ambassador Harry Harris blocked this effort, claiming that "independent" tourism plans would have to undergo U.S. consultation. The U.S. ambassador emphasized that the items inside South Korean tourists' luggage could violate sanctions.<ref>[https://nodutdol.org/sanctions-of-empire/ "제국의 제재 - Sanctions of Empire."] Nodutdol. October 20, 2020. [https://nodutdol.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Sanctions-of-Empire.pdf PDF]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220520095404/https://nodutdol.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Sanctions-of-Empire.pdf Archive].</ref> Through a combination of military, economic, and political means, the U.S. prevents north and south Korea from reconciling and continues to target and threaten DPRK. | ||
== International involvement/reactions == | == International involvement/reactions == | ||
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=== USSR === | === USSR === | ||
Although the Soviets did not enter the Korean War in a major way, it was Soviet-made weaponry and other Soviet industrial products helped supply the fighting troops.<ref name=":5" /> The Soviet Union provided MIG fighter planes to | Although the Soviets did not enter the Korean War in a major way, it was Soviet-made weaponry and other Soviet industrial products helped supply the fighting troops.<ref name=":5" /> The Soviet Union provided MIG fighter planes to depend the DPRK, which were flown by Chinese, Soviet, and Korean pilots. They were limited in number to avoid too much direct conflict with the United States, which could have caused a larger war.<ref>{{Citation|author=Xiaoming Zhang|year=2002|title=Red Wings over the Yalu: China, the Soviet Union, and the Air War in Korea|title-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N-0b-94OJPcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Red+Wings+over+the+Yalu:+China,+the+Soviet+Union,+and+the+Air+War+in+Korea&hl=de&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiVg8uE-c_3AhXuRjABHddnDa8Q6AF6BAgFEAI#v=onepage&q=Red%20Wings%20over%20the%20Yalu%3A%20China%2C%20the%20Soviet%20Union%2C%20and%20the%20Air%20War%20in%20Korea&f=false|publisher=Texas A&M University Press}}</ref> | ||
=== People's Republic of China === | === People's Republic of China === | ||
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[[File:Thatched huts go up in flames after B-26 bombers unload napalm bombs on a village near Hanchon, North Korea, on May 10, 1951 (AP photo).png|thumb|Thatched huts go up in flames after B-26 bombers unload napalm bombs on a village near Hanchon, North Korea, on May 10, 1951.]] | [[File:Thatched huts go up in flames after B-26 bombers unload napalm bombs on a village near Hanchon, North Korea, on May 10, 1951 (AP photo).png|thumb|Thatched huts go up in flames after B-26 bombers unload napalm bombs on a village near Hanchon, North Korea, on May 10, 1951.]] | ||
Although DPRK survived and claimed victory against U.S. forces, the war was very disastrous. 635,000 tons of bombs and 32,557 tons of [[napalm]] were used by the United States.<ref>{{Citation|author=Rosemary Foot|year=1990|title=A Substitute for Victory: The Politics of Peacemaking at the Korean Armistice Talks|title-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n5eSAAAACAAJ&dq=A+Substitute+for+Victory:+The+Politics+of+Peacemaking+at+the+Korean+Armistice+Talks&hl=de&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiNv4r99s_3AhXVTTABHYh6D2QQ6AF6BAgIEAE|page=207–208|city=Ithaca|publisher=Cornell University Press}}</ref> More than 8,700 factories were destroyed and 90,000 hectares of farmland had been spoilt.[https://espressostalinist.com/2013/03/29/kcna-on-the-korean-war/] Even biowarfare was said to have been used against communist forces in the form of infected fleas.<ref>{{Citation|author=Andrea Andreen, et al.|year=1952|title=Report of the International Scientific Commission for the Investigation of Facts Concerning Biological Warfare in Korea and China|title-url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4334133-ISC-Full-Report-Pub-Copy.html|city=Beijing}}</ref> Massive civilian losses were incurred—approximately 4 million have been estimated. | Although DPRK survived and claimed victory against U.S. forces, the war was very disastrous. 635,000 tons of bombs and 32,557 tons of [[napalm]] were used by the United States.<ref>{{Citation|author=Rosemary Foot|year=1990|title=A Substitute for Victory: The Politics of Peacemaking at the Korean Armistice Talks|title-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n5eSAAAACAAJ&dq=A+Substitute+for+Victory:+The+Politics+of+Peacemaking+at+the+Korean+Armistice+Talks&hl=de&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiNv4r99s_3AhXVTTABHYh6D2QQ6AF6BAgIEAE|page=207–208|city=Ithaca|publisher=Cornell University Press}}</ref> More than 8,700 factories were destroyed and 90,000 hectares of farmland had been spoilt.[https://espressostalinist.com/2013/03/29/kcna-on-the-korean-war/] Even biowarfare was said to have been used against communist forces in the form of infected fleas.<ref>{{Citation|author=Andrea Andreen, et al.|year=1952|title=Report of the International Scientific Commission for the Investigation of Facts Concerning Biological Warfare in Korea and China|title-url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4334133-ISC-Full-Report-Pub-Copy.html|city=Beijing}}</ref> Massive civilian losses were incurred—approximately 4 million have been estimated. The strategic bombing operations against civilian populations is laid bare by the following words of General Curtis LeMay:<blockquote>There are no innocent civilians. It is their government and you are fighting a people, you are not trying to fight an armed force anymore. So it doesn't bother me so much to be killing the so-called innocent bystanders.<ref>Sherry, Michael (September 10, 1989). ''The Rise of American Air Power: The Creation of Armageddon'', p. 287 (from "LeMay's interview with Sherry," interview "after the war," p. 408 n. 108). Yale University Press. ISBN-13: 978-0300044140.</ref> | ||
</blockquote | </blockquote> | ||
== Suppression of dissident narratives of the war == | == Suppression of dissident narratives of the war == | ||
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== References == | == References == | ||
<references /> | <references /> | ||
[[Category:Wars]] | |||
[[Category:Wars |