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NOTE: THE DATE IS THE 5TH OF JANUARY, 1951
FORUM: Historical Security Council
ISSUE: The Korean War
STUDENT OFFICER: Soo Jee KIM
INTRODUCTION
Please keep in mind that the Historical Security Council on the
issue of the Korean War takes place in January, 1951. This means
that all events that occurred after January cannot be considered
in the debate. The main purpose of this committee is to attempt
to rewrite history by going back in time, rather than to follow the
exact path that was laid out sixty years ago. Nonetheless, the use
of contemporary sources in order to figure out a nation’s policy
during the Korean War is highly encouraged although you should
always remain aware that you are arguing from your country’s view during the Korean War, not from
its current perspective.
The Korean Peninsula has been subjected to multiple
colonizations in the past due to its geographical
importance. After Japan was forced to give up Korea
due to the Second World War, the United States of
America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
decided to share jurisdiction over Korea by dividing it
into two parts along the 38th parallel. The policy of the
Republic of Korea (influenced by the USA) and the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (influenced by
the USSR. and Republic of China) have grown further
and further apart because of the differences in the policy of the countries of power (Republic of
China, USA and USSR).
When DPRK invaded ROK on the 25th of June, 1950, they did so with the support of the USSR and
the RC. USA was alarmed because they saw this attack as a way to spread communism to the
world. President Harry Truman of USA said “If we let Korea down, the Soviet will keep right on going
and swallow up one [place] after another.”
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The Korean War has so far caused 150,000 casualties from USA, 400,000 casualties from RC,
3,000,000 casualties from ROK, 500,000 casualties from DPRK and about 1,000,000 casualties from
UN troops. With recent developments in the war, such as the entrance of RC and the potential threat
of atomic bombs, a solution to prevent further deaths is urgently required.
DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
Capitalism: The economic system used by the USA and its allies. It is defined as “An economic and
political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit,
rather than by the state.” In other words, the economic markets are free and the people can
influence governmental decisions and policies through democratic elections.
Communism: “A theory or system of social organization in which all property is owned by the
community and each person contributes and receives according to
their ability and needs.” The USSR is the leading communist state
and multiple nearby states are adopting communism.
38th parallel: The 38th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 38
degrees north of the Earth’s equatorial plane. The 38th parallel was
set as the border between the DPRK and the ROK by the USSR and
USA as it divides Korea in nearly equal portions. USA and the USSR
have agreed that this border is only temporary and that as soon as
all Japanese forces have been driven out of Korea, Korea should be reunited.
Chinese Revolution: A revolution that has been going on since 1949. Mao Zedong (the leader of the
Chinese Communist Party) wished to help peasants, who, in the beginning of the revolution, stood
for 97% of the Chinese population, whilst Jian Jieshi (a nationalist leader) wished to help the cities
and industrialize China. Their opposing views caused a revolution.
Cold war: Sustained political and military tension between powers (Eastern Bloc and Western Bloc)
that has been going on since 1947. Both sides possess nuclear weapons and are threatening each
other with mutually assured destruction although there has not been any direct military combat yet.
The Korean War has intensified the situation greatly because of the USSR’s dislike of capitalism and
its aim of spreading communism and the USA’s fear of a communist attack.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND OVERVIEW
History of key terms and issue:
Kim Il-Sung: The founder of the DPRK. He fled from Korea during the Japanese
occupation, underwent Soviet training and returned to Korea towards the end of
World War II to establish a communist government in 1948. Kim is suspected to have
been the initiator of the Korean War as he has actively promoted the unification of
the Korean peninsula to the USSR and PRC.
Harry S. Truman: The 33rd President of the United States. He was
elected Vice-President of USA in January 1945 and became President shortly
afterwards. Truman has undertaken various measures to oppose communism by
passing treaties and legal statements such as the Truman Doctrine, which defines
the US policy towards communism.
Mao Zedong: The leader of the PRC as well as one of the founding members of the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He declared that USA is PRC’s biggest enemy.
Before the war:
Already before the commencement of the war, the Korean Peninsula was divided into two parts.
USA occupied the southern part and the USSR occupied the northern part. Although this division
was supposed to be temporary at first, it begun to become more and more permanent as the USSR
assisted DPRK in the establishment of a
communist regime. Furthermore, USA supported
ROK with financial and military aid, which also
caused further separation between the two
parts.
In 1947, the UN General Assembly Resolution
112 established a commission to monitor the
elections in Korea. Although the UN had
intended to reunify Korea, the UN commission was unable to enter the DPRK. The DPRK’s
government progressively became more and more aggressive and small clashes between troops
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from the DPRK and the ROK begun to become more and more frequent. A resolution was passed on
the 21st October, 1949. It recognized the ROK as the only legal government, causing the DPRK to
retaliate by questioning the legality of the UN’s activity in Korea and threatened to drive the UN
troops out of the country. The DPRK and the ROK both sought to increase the influence of their
government on the other side of the border. Furthermore, tension begun to rise as the Cold War
began. On 25th of June, 1950, the DPRK initiated its first major attack on the ROK. This attack served
as a catalyst for the war and soon numerous major world powers started joining in (more details in
“Major countries and organizations involved” and “Timeline of events”).
During the war:
Numerous atrocities and massacres of civilians were
committed by both the ROK and the DPRK. President Syngman
Rhee ordered the Bodo League massacre only three days after
the start of the war and killed more than 100,000 suspected left
wing sympathizers and their family members. The DPRK’s army
attempted to eradicate all the educated people in occupied
areas so that there would be less resistance against the
government. This led to more than 500,000 civilians being killed
and tens of thousands of South Korean men to be abducted.
Soldiers from the DPRK also adopted techniques such as disguising themselves as refugees, and
pretended to approach the UN forces for food. Instead they opened fire. As a result, the American
troops carried out a “shoot-first-ask-questions-later” policy which killed around 400 civilians in a
single village.
The USA then begun to report cases of mistreated prisoners
of war. Soldiers taken as prisoners were reported as being
beaten, starved, put to forced labor, marched to death and
executed. Around 40 percent of the prisoners of war in China
were dying even though the Chinese rarely executed
prisoners. In fact, they were dying because of starvation and
diseases.
Current situation:
Although peace talks have begun to reduce the number of casualties, the Korean War continues.
With the extensive loss of life and injuries, as well as the imminent global threat of perhaps nuclear
bombings from any party, most probably USA, a treaty to end this war is urgently required.
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MAJOR COUNTRIES AND ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
The DPRK is a communist country that was originally under the
administration of the USSR ment in the new unified Korea. DPRK’s
army has succeeded in capturing Seoul, but has been forced back
by UN troops.
Republic of Korea
The ROK has been subjected to numerous occupations: first by Japan
and later on by the USA. Soon after ROK gained its independence, the
DPRK launched its first attempt of an invasion. ROK called on the USA
and the UN since they did not have a strong enough army to match
the DPRK’s army. While ROK was the country that contributed the
largest number of troops to the UN mission, the country still depends heavily on foreign aid.
United States of America
USA is one of the most active foreign parties in the Korean War. This is
not surprising since USA has made its fight against communism a
general objective in their national policy by passing the Truman Doctrine
in 1947. They have also been working closely with the ROK’s government
and the latter is under the administration of the USA. The USA believes
that DPRK’s advance into ROK “made it clear, beyond all doubt, that the
international Communist movement is willing to use armed invasion to
conquer independent nations.” USA is the country that has contributed
the largest number of UN troops to support the ROK. It also ensured the creation of Resolutions 82,
83 and 84. Although President Truman has mentioned that he has not ruled out the use of an
atomic bomb yet, he fired General Douglas McArthur (in November 1950) after the latter publicly
disagreed with Truman by saying that the USA should bomb the PRC.
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
The USSR administered the DPRK just like USA
administered the ROK. Although the USSR has not played
an essential role in this war, they have supported the DPRKPRC alliance with medical and military sources. The USSR
is under the pressure of a threatened boycott of various UN
bodies as well as they are aware and wary that vetoing
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resolutions will signify drastic steps against the DPRK. While the USSR has so far not taken an
active part in the Korean war, the already existing tension between the USA and the USSR is likely to
induce the latter to take a more important part in the future.
Republic of China
Republic of China, not to be confused with the People’s Republic of
China which is the current name of Republic of China, is taking an active
part in the Korean War. Since Mao Zedong proclaimed the RC in 1949,
RC has been in a revolution. Being occupied, the RC could not aid with a
military force from the start, however, they felt indebted as the DPRK
had provided extensive help during the revolution in order to support
communism. The RC therefore joined the Korean War on the 25 th October 1950. This was perhaps
also partly because of the fact that the ROK’s army and the UN troops were moving too close to the
Chinese border. The Chinese population refers to the Korean War as the “war to resist America and
aid Korea,” and Mao Zedong is suspected of having approved of Kim’s plan to invade the ROK.
The following countries have helped the United Nations Command (UN.C.) by providing military
aid:
UK, ROK, USA, Australia, Belgian United Nations Command, Canada, Colombia, Ethiopia, France,
Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, Turkey and the Union
of South Africa
The following countries have provided medical units and hospitals for the UN.C:
Denmark, India, Norway, Sweden and Italy
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
24, June, 1910
Japanese colonialism in Korea begins
15, August, 1945
Korea is liberated from the Japanese colonial
rule
Foreign ministers from the United States of
America (USA.), the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics (USSR.) and the United Kingdom
(U.K.) decide to divide Korea into two and to
govern Korea for five years
27, December, 1945
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20, July, 1948
Rhee Syngman is elected as the first president
of the Republic of Korea (ROK.)
15, August, 1948
9, September, 1948
ROK. declares independence
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
(DPRK.) claims jurisdiction over all Korea
10, January, 1949
Mao Zedong says that USA. is the Republic of
China’s (RC.) most dangerous enemy
29, June, 1949
12, January, 1950
The last American troops leave ROK.
The Secretary of State Dean Acheson places
Korea outside USA.’s security cordon
14, February, 1950
RC. and USSR sign a mutual assistance
agreement if involved in a state of war
25, June, 1950
DPRK invades ROK. and President Truman
orders USA to counter attack. The United
Nations Security Council demands DPRK to
stop its attack and return to its borders
1, October, 1950
UN. forces push across the 38th parallel
7, October, 1950
UN. General Assembly passes a resolution to
establish a democratic and unified Korea
25, October, 1950
24, December, 1950
RC. enters war
UN. troops forced to retreat back to the 38th
parallel
Seoul falls to DPRK. and RC
Communist troops are driven out of Seoul
4, January, 1951
12, March, 1951
18, May, 1951
USA. General Collins predicts use of atomic
bombs in the Korean War
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Relevant UN resolutions and events:
United Nations Command
The UN troops were placed underneath the command of the United States and the US General
Douglas MacArthur to form the UNC. In the UN’s Security Council’s Resolutions 83 and 84,
supporting the UNC was highly encouraged. In total, 16 nations have contributed to the UN troops.
These are: South Korea, United States of America, Belgium, United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada,
The Netherlands, Turkey, Luxembourg, Australia, Philippines, New Zealand, Thailand, Ethiopia,
Greece and France. The number of troops present in Korea varied from phase to phase and
therefore cannot be generalized.
UNSC Resolution 82 (June 25, 1950), operative clauses only
• Calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities;
Calls upon the authorities in North Korea to withdraw forthwith their armed forces to the 38th
parallel;
• Requests the United Nations Commission on Korea:
(a) To communicate its fully considered recommendations on the situation with the least
possible delay;
(b) To observe the withdrawal of North Korean forces to the 38th parallel;
(c) To keep the Security Council informed on the execution of this resolution:
• Calls upon all Member States to render every assistance to the United Nations in the
execution of this resolution and. to refrain from giving assistance to the North Korean
authorities.
This resolution was a measure adopted by the UNSC on the day that the invasion suggested that the
war was coming to an end. It demanded an immediate end to DPRK’s invasion of the ROK. At the
time, the UN considered the ROK to be the only lawful government. This resolution was seen as a
political victory for the USA because the DPRK was identified as the aggressor in the conflict. The
USA delegation encouraged the USSR delegation to use its influence over the DPRK to pressure the
country to comply with the resolution but the USSR refused. This resolution was in fact criticized as
one of the ten worst UN resolutions in history by a certain magazine. Since this resolution proved to
be ineffective, the UNSC convened on June 27th to come up with a more effective solution.
UNSC Resolution 83 (June 27, 1950), perambulatory and operative clauses
- Having determined that the armed attack upon the Republic of Korea by forces from North Korea
constitutes a breach of the peace,
- Having called for an immediate cessation of hostilities,
- Having called upon the authorities in North Korea to withdraw forthwith their armed forces to the
38th parallel,
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- Having noted from the report of the United Nations Commission on Korea that the authorities in
North Korea have neither ceased hostilities nor withdrawn their armed forces to the 38th parallel,
and that urgent military measures are required to restore international peace and security,
- Having noted the appeal from the Republic of Korea to the United Nations for immediate and
effective steps to secure peace and security,
 Recommends that the Members of the United Nations furnish such assistance to the
Republic of Korea as may be necessary to repel the armed attack and to restore
international peace and security in the area.
This resolution was created since the UNSC Resolution 82 was ineffective in putting an end to the
Korean War. As in the prior resolution, this resolution encourages all nations to help the ROK. drive
the DPRK.’s army above the 38th parallel. However, this resolution did not have much effect in
rallying troops together or in driving the DPRK’s army back.
UNSC Resolution 84 (July 7, 1950), perambulatory and operative clauses
Having determined that the armed attack upon the Republic of Korea by forces from North Korea
constitutes a breach of the peace,
Having recommended that Members of the United Nations furnish such assistance to the Republic
of Korea as may be necessary to repel the armed attack and to restore international peace and
security in the area,
1. Welcomes the prompt and vigorous support which Governments and peoples of the United
Nations have given to its resolutions 82 (1950) and 83 (1950) of 25 and 27 June 1950 to
assist the Republic of Korea in defending itself against armed attack and thus to restore
international peace and security in the area;
2. Notes that Members of the United Nations have transmitted to the United Nations offers of
assistance for the Republic of Korea;
3. Recommends that all Members providing military forces and other assistance pursuant to
the aforesaid Security Council resolutions make such forces and other assistance available
to a unified command under the United States of America;
4. Requests the United States to designate the commander of such forces;
5. Authorizes the unified command at its discretion to use the United Nations flag in the course
of operations against North Korean forces concurrently with the flags of the various nations
participating;
6. Requests the United States to provide the Security Council with reports as appropriate on the
course of action taken under the unified command.
This resolution further reminded nations that military aid is needed in the ROK since the DPRK was
seen to had breached the peace. A little more than a month after this resolution was passed, the
United Nations Command (organization formed to provide military help to the ROK) saw an increase
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in the number of members joining the Command. In this resolution, the Council also requested USA
to designate the commander of the organization.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
The war has been going on for a while without any progress from both sides. Both sides have
experienced severe loss and are looking for a way to end this war. The DPRK and the ROK were
originally created with an eventual unification in
mind. Would it be possible to unify the two Koreas?
One of the main reasons for the continuing conflict
between the DPRK and the ROK is because the
DPRK has signed an armistice agreement with USA
rather than with the ROK. The delegates of the
Historical Security Council should attempt to come
up with a more sustainable solution that will lessen the probability of a future conflict arising but
which is still likely to be accepted by both sides. The delegates should also consider if an armistice
or an end to the war will be less detrimental to world peace.
In order to avoid going against the delegate’s country’s policy, the delegate should research his/her
country’s policy regarding capitalism and communism as well as the country’s relations with the
DPRK, the ROK and other major countries involved in the war. Lastly, the delegate should check, if
possible, how his/her country has voted on previous resolutions involving the Korean War to acquire
an accurate point of view of the country.
Bibliography:
• http://asianhistory.about.com/od/warsinasia/tp/Korean-War-Timeline.htm
Date of access: 27.11.2013
• http://www.history.com/topics/korean-war
Date of access: 27.11.2013
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15292674
Date of access: 27.11.2013
• http://www.timelines.ws/countries/KOREASOUTH.HTML
Date of access: 27.11.2013
• http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/capitalism?q=capitalism
Date of access: 28.11.2013
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/38th_parallel_north
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Date of access: 28.11.2013
• http://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/chinese-rev
Date of access: 28.11.2013
• http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~park25h/classweb/worldpolitics/analysiscoldwar.html
Date of access: 28.11.2013
• http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/causes%20of%20the%20cold%20war.htm
Date of access: 28. 11.2013
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/0/22033825
Date of access: 02.12.2013
• http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/korean-war-begins
Date of access: 08.12.2013
Appendices:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
http://www.history.com/topics/korean-war (summary of the Korean War)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/0/22033825 (summary of the Korean War)
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3b00f15960.html (full UNSC Resolution 82)
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3b00f20a2c.html (full UNSC Resolution 83)
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3b00f1e85c.html (full UNSC Resolution 84)
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/North_Korea.pdf (overview of Korean history and the
history of the D.P.R.K.)
http://asianhistory.about.com/od/warsinasia/tp/Korean-War-Timeline.htm(detailed timeline
of the Korean War)
http://journals.hil.unb.ca/index.php/jcs/article/view/368/582 (very detailed account of the
relations between the D.P.R.K., the R.C. and the U.S.S.R. during the Korean War)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Korean_war_1950-1953.gif (nice visual representation of
the war)
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