By Nyrika Nooreyezdan
At the end of World War II, in 1945 the Koreans were free from Japanese control. North Korea was occupied by the soviets while South Korea was occupied by American forces. In 1948, Korea was divided in half by the 38th Parallel. South Korea was ruled by Syngman Rhee (capitalist), and the North ruled by Kim il-sung (communist).
In 1950, North Korea waged war on South Korea and they passed the 38th parallel. 75000 troops of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) defeated South Korea and captured the capital city, Seoul. They occupied the entire South except Pusan. South Korea asked for support and the US pushed a solution through the United Nations. The USSR did not use its power as it was boycotting the council because the new communist China was not accepted. North Korea was asked to withdraw its troops, but they ignored it. As a result, an approval was granted for the UN army to send help to South Korea, commanded by general Douglas MacArthur.
UN troops moved into North Korea and on October 12 they captured Pyongyang (capital of North Korea) and Yalu River (border with China). China retaliated by helping North Korea and then the UN was pushed out.
The Chinese First Offensive lasted from October 25th to November 6th, 1950. The Chinese managed to ruin seven Korean and U.S. regiments. The Chinese Second Offensive required the American troops to be lured out of their defensive positions, surrounded and pushed back to South Korea. The Chinese Third Offensive took place on December 31st and ended with them taking possession of Seoul. General Peng Duhai initiated the Fifth Offensive (First Phase) while in the Eighth Army Lieutenant General Matthew Ridgway was promoted to commander in chief and Lieutenant General James Van Fleet took his position as leader of the Eighth Army. Van Fleet was able to stop the Chinese armies on April 28th.
Both leaders considered that peace may not be achieved through military victory. On July 2nd the Chinese and North Koreans issued a statement that they would begin discussions for a negotiated peace in a place of their choosing, however Mao Zedong had no real desire to end the war.
In the early weeks of August the UNC (United Nations Command) and ROKA (The Republic of Korea Army) began to turn the tide of the war. After the North Koreans were defeated in the Battle of Tabu-dong, the KPA, with its two corps left, had moved well away from Naktong, Taegu and Po’hang.
The war progressed as a stalemate as both sides had terminated their plans to unify Korea by force. Communist planners were in agreement and believed that command over this region would be the perfect way to keep the war going if not an advantage to defend North Korea in the war. Van Fleet’s envisioned operations for the I Corps in the west and the X Corps in the central-eastern region. The X corps brutally succeeded against the Chinese army and two North Korean corps. At the X corps sector, two US and ROK divisions managed to move the Chinese back 15 km. By late 1951, communists agreed to move the truce to a more secure area and within two months the contact between the two armies and militaries was accepted, as was the creation of the DMZ (Korean Demilitarised Zone). After the shooting had concluded, both parties agreed upon a regime for enforcement of the armistice.
Keeping in mind our bright delegates, our talented chairs and our riveting discussion topic, I think it is safe to say the JCC Committee this year will be full of engrossing debates, hilarious jokes and a guaranteed good time!
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