Foreword: 70 years ago, one of the bloodiest wars of the second half of the twentieth century, the Korean War, broke out. For three years, brutal fighting was fought day and night in the air and on the ground. The military goddess of luck switched from smiling to one to smiling at the other, but eventually both sides returned to square one. The war began on the 38th Parallel, which artificially divided Korea into North and South, and ended dramatically on this 38th Line. None of the parties achieved any political, military, economic or psychological objectives, and the situation was driven into a "dead end" that it is difficult to find a way out even today...
On 25 August 1945, in a copy of the command of the 1st Front in the Far East was presented to the Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Army in the Far East, Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky (Александр Михай In his military report, Marshal Лович Василевский) said: "On August 24, the troops of the 25th Army arrived at the 38th Line. "Declared that the Japanese form of government in North Korea no longer existed. The mission of the front's forces in Korea has been completed. The southern part of the country is the Military Area of Responsibility for the Americans.
A new era began in the history of this ancient country. It seems that after decades of humiliation, sorrow and struggle, the dawn of freedom, independence and prosperity must rise here. Much depended on the willingness of the two liberators, the Soviet Union and the United States, to cooperate: the fate of North Korea in the early postwar period was pinned on them.
On more than one occasion, both Moscow and Washington have tried to make their position on North Korea clearer. At the Tehran Conference (1943), the future of North Korea was discussed for the first time for a possible form of power transition in the country – jointly overseen by the United States and the Soviet Union before the election of the North Korean government. The regulations are planned to be implemented under the "German" scheme – each with its own military zone of responsibility.
Stalin did not show special initiatives on North Korea. He was convinced that no matter what kind of political program the liberated Korea implemented, sooner or later it would be pulled into the orbit of being influenced by the Soviet Union. The smudged collaborators, right-wing political forces and representatives of the big capitalists associated with the Japanese occupation authorities were doomed to be unpopular in the country, where North Korea was geographically located next to the Soviet Union. And Washington has made no secret of its special concern for Japan's future.
There will be no serious contradictions in the relationship between Moscow and Washington at the level of government because of North Korea.
The situation began to deteriorate after Harry Truman came to power in April 1945. Under the influence of many of its hard-line anti-communist views, the Soviet Union and the United States gradually became "wary" allies of each other at the end of World War II, monitoring each other's every step. As the complete liberation of Korea approached, the Korean question was brought to the first sequence in terms of allied relations. U.S. Army Chief of Staff George Marshall, with the support of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, insisted on occupying as much of North Korea as possible and strengthening the U.S. position of balance of power in the postwar Far East.
Harry Truman agreed in principle. He was forced to invite the Soviet Union to participate in the war against Japan[1] (in order to reduce U.S. casualties), and he feared that the Soviet Union would occupy all of Korea alone before the U.S. military in the absence of a clear agreement.
Does history repeat the scene of German liberation: whoever has more cities and settlements will have the say? Even though the military and political situation at that time was generally favorable to the Allies, the Americans were now completely trapped in Japan... There is no time to take care of North Korea.
The United States proposed to use the 38th Parallel as the dividing line to maintain order between the U.S. and Soviet forces in Korea. The geographical coordinates were recommended by military experts, and the lack of consideration at that moment led to the political consequences of the country's division. The military zone of responsibility looks like it has a temporary meaning for the purpose of conducting military operations and being surrendered to Japanese troops. However, the inclusion of Seoul, the capital of North Korea, in the U.S. territory, was already taken into account, meaning it could influence the country's political development. Stalin did not want to argue again with his allies, but believed that his long-term interests in the country were paramount, and did not object.
This choice, which initially laid a deep-seated contradiction between the allies, was fatal, as the consequences revealed. Major industrial facilities remained in North Korea, while South Korea had agricultural land and an overwhelming majority of the population. Centuries of unity have been artificially divided into two parts.
Despite the piles of preliminary drafts, neither the Soviet Union nor the United States was prepared for the task of properly managing North Korea. The bureaucrats of the United States and the Soviet Union were unaware of the diversity of the country's domestic political vitality, the boiling after liberation, and the korean people, after years of Japanese rule, eager to see the unity and independence of their country. The misconception was put in a common agreement, and the North Korean people would enthusiastically accept allies as custodians. But only if a fragile regulatory system requires the United States and the Soviet Union to build a common interest in peace in North Korea.
First of all, there is the principle of design concepts that are contrary to regulatory implementation mechanisms. For example, U.S. Secretary of State James Francis Byrnes insisted on following the "Berlin" quadripartite regulatory model, which is not limited to the United States and the Soviet Union, but also includes britain and China. Modally, the supreme power of the state is entrusted to an advisory body, mainly of neutral countries, who serve as high commissioners (Dutch or Swedes), with representatives of the custodian state included. The occupying forces were then gradually withdrawn and replaced by local police forces. But "the ubiquitous theory is dry, while the tree of life is full of life." ”
Tensions between the allies began when North Korea was liberated. The Soviet operation began on August 9 and was completed by August 24. This contributed to a large part of the willingness of Japanese commanders to surrender to Soviet troops rather than to American troops. At the end of August 1945, the Soviet command was immersed in the joy of victory – counting prisoners of war and countless spoils of war. Many of the Soviet captives were Koreans who had served in the Japanese army, mostly from police units and garrisons. According to some sources, their number reached 10,000. All of these Korean captives, except those who died during their captivity, were repatriated to North Korea.
To be continued...
exegesis:
[1] The invitation to Soviet troops to invade northeast China and Korea was a decision made by President Roosevelt at the Yalta Conference and a secret agreement with Stalin, and Truman could not overturn the former president's decision, even if reluctantly.