Chapter 8

North Korea and the USSR - Kim Il Sung: trained in the USSR and fought alongside the Chinese communists against the Japanese, tapped on propaganda extensively + promoted self-sufficiency and tried to isolate the country from the rest of the world to limit external influence and opposition + also convinced that Korea should be under ONE rule - USSR: did not allow elections to take place because they were keen to establish their political and economic influence over the zone of occupation → with their support North Koreans established the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (or NK) on 9 sept 1948 - Forces redrawn at the end of 1948 South Korea and the US - May 1948: 80% of the population took paart in a national election at the 38th parallel - US backed Rhee for the position as president as Rhee campaigned for Korean independence during Japanese occupation + he was anti-communist, fluent english speaker and graduated from a prestigious uni in US - Rhee: became increasingly authoritarian, arresting/killing his opponents (including suspected communists) + believed Korea should be united - US: continued to support Rhee to prevent spread of communist influence from the North Tensions between NK and SK - Kim: tried several times to convince Stalin to support reunification of Korea → Stalin not interested as Soviet resources were stretched thin due to WWII + he only wanted to create a buffer zone of communist states in E.E. to protect USSR + he was not keen to stir up more conflict with US and further stretch Soviet resources by arming and supplying NK for war - Rhee: eager to reunify Korea, but Truman refused to provide too much equipment and resources as he was scared it would be used to attack NK → Rhee still initiated border clashes to capture territories in the North though

- July 1949: SK warships attacked NK military installations near Taedong river, sinking most of NK’s west coast fleet → 1949 onwards: fierce fighting, small scale assaults and heavy casualties occurred at the 38th parallel US and Soviet disinterest in Korea - US: lay Korea outside their “defensive perimeter” in the asia-pacific (security policy announced on January 1950 by US secretary of State) - Soviet Union: Stalin reluctant to support as he did not want to risk direct confrontation with US Expansion of communism in China: - Chinese Communist Party (CCP) fought against the Guo min