In the mid-60s of the last century, Sino-DPRK relations gradually went from intimacy to the brink of rupture. In 1967, North Korea unilaterally announced the severance of diplomatic relations with the mainland, causing relations between the two countries to drop to a freezing point.
At that time, the DPRK's behavior also caused quite a stir in the international community, because after all, China and the DPRK used to have a comradely and fraternal relationship. However, only a dozen years after the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, he suddenly changed from a brother to an enemy.
So, why did there crack in Sino-DPRK relations, and what was the reason behind it? Why did they reconcile later?
The pattern of the Korean Peninsula after World War II
Historically, China and North Korea had a suzerain-vassal relationship, but in the last years of the Qing Dynasty, due to the decline of national strength and the invasion of foreign powers, the Qing Dynasty was reduced to a poor and weak semi-colony.
It was still difficult for the Qing Dynasty to protect itself, let alone protect the vassal states? Therefore, in this special historical period, many former vassal states broke away from the Qing Dynasty one after another.
North Korea is one of them, because after the Sino-Japanese First Sino-Japanese War, the Beiyang Naval Division not only lost all its money, but also suffered a crushing defeat in this war.
After that, Korea became a Japanese colony, and it was not until the end of World War II that it was freed from Japanese colonial rule. But then came the formation of a split situation on the peninsula.
The main culprits of all this are the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. At that time, the two countries stationed troops in South Korea and North Korea respectively in order to compete for the interests of the Far East.
Both the North and the South wanted to reunify the Korean Peninsula, and in June 1950, the largest local war since World War II broke out.
In order to avoid the threat of the United States on the northeastern border, and also to help North Korea, the mainland will send troops to fight in North Korea.
From brother to enemy
The War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea lasted for nearly three years, and the process was not only very complicated but also full of crises.
Later, under the powerful offensive of our army, the United Nations forces led by the United States had to sit down at the negotiating table to discuss matters related to the armistice agreement.
Later, in the course of "fighting and talking," an "armistice agreement" was finally signed, and the north and south of the Korean Peninsula took the "38th parallel" as the boundary, thus completely ending this battle in the same room.
At that time, the relationship between North Korea and the mainland was extremely close, and they were also mutually exoperable, but this honeymoon period was not long. The reason is that in order to resist the great power chauvinism of the Soviet Union, the mainland did not hesitate to draw a line with the "big brother".
And at the time of the breakdown of Sino-Soviet relations, North Korea did not play its due role. On the contrary, it also breathed out from the same nostril as the Soviet Union and showed an aggressive posture towards the mainland, which was very chilling.
In fact, China, the Soviet Union, and the DPRK were all fraternal countries in the same camp. However, it is undeniable that North Korea, which is completely dependent on the Soviet Union for its military, diplomacy and economy, has relatively close relations with the Soviet Union for the sake of its own interests and development.
Sino-Soviet relations can be called a barometer of Sino-DPRK relations; when contradictions and relations between China and the Soviet Union deteriorated, the DPRK stood on the side of the Soviet Union without hesitation, and without regard for the friendship to resist US aggression and aid Korea, it repeatedly had unnecessary conflicts with the mainland.
In addition, the rupture of Sino-North Korean relations has a lot to do with ideology. At that time, North Korea wanted to maintain equidistant diplomatic relations with the mainland, but its relations with the Soviet Union were very ambiguous, and then the relationship between China and North Korea gradually drifted apart.
Relations broke down and almost opened fire
In 1969, the Battle of Zhenbao Island broke out between China and the Soviet Union, and the mainland, as the invaded party, repelled the Soviet Union's barbaric aggression. However, the DPRK did not hesitate to turn the other cheek for the sake of the Soviet Union and the mainland, and even amassed a large number of troops on the Sino-DPRK border.
However, a major event occurred in this year, when the United States took advantage of the rupture of Sino-Soviet relations to adopt an extremely bad and tough diplomatic strategy against the DPRK.
The purpose behind this is to rekindle the dispute on the Korean Peninsula and launch a large-scale military operation against North Korea.
However, at this critical juncture, the DPRK shot down a US military reconnaissance plane that intruded into the DPRK's airspace, killing 31 Americans. The United States was furious and threatened to make North Korea pay.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the contrast of national strength between the United States and North Korea is like an elephant and an ant, so Kim Il Sung sent a distress signal to the mainland while making combat arrangements.
It stands to reason that with North Korea's past behavior and behavior, even if the mainland does not help, it is reasonable. However, the great man who understood the righteousness of the country abandoned his previous suspicions and decided to support the DPRK again in order to maintain the friendship between China and the DPRK.
At this time, Kim Il Sung suddenly realized that China was the strongest backing for North Korea, and the Soviet Union, in order to cope with the pressure of the United States, had no time to take care of the disputes on the Korean Peninsula.
After the North Korean crisis was resolved, Kim Il Sung sent delegations to visit the mainland on several occasions and invited Premier Zhou to visit the DPRK, and Sino-DPRK relations thawed and continue to this day.
Resources:
"Research on Sino-Korean Relations in the Early Ming Dynasty", Shandong Normal University, 2022.02
"The New York Times' Report and Cognition of Sino-North Korean Relations (1965-1975)", East China Normal University, 2019.09
China-North Korea Relations in the Context of Sino-US Strategic Competition: Cognition, Current Situation and Prospects, Political Economy Research, 2023.03