Why did North

Korea invade
the South?
By Lily, Rida and Sian

Context - Before 45

From

10 45, Korea was controlled by Japan.

During the war, the U.S. and the USSR suggested
that after Korea was liberated from Japanese
occupation, a group of trustees should guide
it towards independence.

Korea Between 45 and 49

It was decided at Yalta in 45

that Korea should be split
along the 38th parallel.
Soviet troops entered the
northern part of Korea
(12.08.45) and U.S. troops
entered the South (08.09.45).

In

late 45 the two superpowers began 18 months

of unsuccessful negotiations on the issue of Korean
reunification.
By the time they finally withdrew in 48-49, two
Koreas had effectively been created a proSoviet North, and a pro-American South.

US Involvement

Initially, the Americans were keen

to get out of Korea. In Sept 47,
the JCS (Joint Chiefs of Staff
the heads of the U.S. armed
forces), said that it was pointless
keeping them there as Korea
was of no strategic significance.

However, Cold War tensions

increased, and Truman rejected
JCS proposals for early
withdrawal.

Syngman Rhee
o

In November 47, the USA

pressured the UN into supervising
elections which were supposed
to reunify Korea. The problem
was, that these elections were
only controlled in the South.
They resulted in the election of
the pro-American, anti-Soviet
leader Syngman Rhee, in May
48.

DPRK and Kim Il Sung

In September 48, the Democratic

Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK)
was
established
under
the
leadership of Kim Il Sung.
Kim Il Sung had been given Soviet
military training and had led a
Korean body of troops in the Soviet
army during WW2.

DPRK was militarily superior to ROK

as the USSR had armed it. The
Americans had not armed ROK as
they feared that Rhee might
prove aggressive towards DPRK.

Start of the Korean Civil War

Kim Il Sung and Syngman Rhee were both very

nationalistic and ambitious, and wanted their
country reunified. There were many border
clashes before all out war began, mostly
initiated by ROK. They began in 48, and
peaked in the summer of 49.
In 50, Kim Il Sung invaded South Korea. Very
often, Rhees government was viewed as
despotic, and was consistently unpopular with
the people, so Kim thought that this move might
inspire a popular rebellion against the leader.

Stalins Role

It was crucial for Kim to get

Stalins
approval
for
the
invasion of ROK. Without USSR
fighter planes, the leader
would not have been able to
make an effective attack.
Throughout
49,
Stalin
repeatedly stopped Kim from
attacking ROK, because he
feared US intervention.

Stalins Role

1.

2.

3.

Eventually however, he gave Kim the go-ahead. There

are several reasons for this:
Stalin feared Mao Ze-dong as a potential rival for the
leader of world communism. He encouraged Kim in
order to occupy the U.S. with Communist China. This
would weaken both the U.S. and China, meaning the
USSR would naturally become more powerful.
Stalin was anxious about rising Japan, which was only
100 miles from Korea. Korea has borders with Russia. He
felt that the Soviet Union and Communism would both
be safer if the whole Korean peninsula was Communist.
In Jan 50, the Republican dominated Congress rejected
a bill that gave aid to Korea in order to show their
distaste for Truman having lost China. The bill was
eventually passed the following Feb, but the initial
rejection of the bill suggested that Korea did not greatly
matter to the U.S., and that an attack on ROK might not
be opposed.

Why Invade?

Stalin had a very large role in NK

invading SK.
Berias son (one of Stalins
henchmen) said it was Stalin
who actually pressed to attack
SK.
In 1949, he had provided NK
with 87 T-34 tanks, armoured
vehicles and self propelled
guns, and 50,000 veterans who
served in the Peoples Liberation
Army in Chinas Civil War.
Attacks could be arguably
foreseen.

In Feb 1950, he gave further military aid, making the

intention of attack obvious

Why Invade?

Kim Il Sung was greatly under

Stalins influence, as he had
lived in Russia, and served in the
Soviet Army as a battalion
commander.
It could be argued that Stalin advised invasion due to the
Cold War, and to show US that it was no longer the most
powerful nation in the world.
Also, the fact that US troops withdrew from SK in September
1949, indicated that the US didnt feel strongly about SK,
and so Stalin felt that it would be an easy attack.
Another reason for invasion was that Dean Acheson made a
speech on 12 January 1950, saying that the US Pacific
defence perimeter excluded mainland Asia, implying that
the US did not have much interest in SK.

Why Invade?

More importantly, NSC 48 was

made to Stalin by Soviet spies,
which again implied that SK was
not a vital US interest.
These factors led to Stalin believing that invading and
taking over SK would not be much of an issue for the US
and so gave Kim Il Sung the go-ahead to invade, and so
on Sunday 25 June, the North launched an attack across
the 38th parallel towards the Southern capital of Seoul.