Development from Civil War to Proxy War

Support provided to NK

Soviet Support for NK

• USSR helped to train NKPA, making it very strong
  • Able to push SK forces to the Southeast corner of SK

CN Support for NK

• United Nations permitted SK forces to enter NK
• Chinese Premier Chou En-Lai warned USA that they would send forces if USA crossed 38th parallel
  • CN sent forces into NK, pushing SK's forces back across the 38th parallel

Support provided to SK

USA Support for SK

• USA convinced that NK was influenced by USSR to invade SK
  • Truman believed Stalin wanted to use invasion of SK to further spread communism, targeting Japan and other Asian countries next (Domino Theory)
  • Thought USA's involvement in KW was essential in Global Containment as said in NSC-68

Justified USA's militarisation policy in East Asia

Involvement of United Nations in KW

• USA believed UN would lose credibility as an organisation which protected international security if it did not stop communist aggression
  • USA rapidly mobilised UN forces, which saw initial success under General MacArthur, driving NK back to the 38th parallel

SK forces were dependant on UN and USA's aid

Armistice talks

USA, UN, USSR, CN keen on ending KW

• USA, UN, CN had heavy casualties and wanted to end KW
  • Rhee and Kim still wanted to unify Korea
• SK and NK need external help to continue the war
  • Forced to participate in talks when external help was no longer given

Differences in aims extended KW until 1953

• Couldn't agree on where to draw the border of NK and SK

Eisenhower replaced Truman in Jan 1953 and Stalin died in Mar 1953

• Persuaded Rhee to sign the armistice, threatened CN and NK that USA would not hesitate to use Nuclear weapons if they did not sign the armistice
• NK and CN reluctantly agreed as it was taking a toll on their military, economic and human resources

New boundary with demilitarised zone drawn near 38th parallel, and heavily guarded by USA, SK and NK troops