Summary of Max Hastings's Korean War

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 In 1882, Korea signed a treaty of amity and commerce with the United States. In the following years, Korea was invaded by Japan, and in 1904, became a Japanese protectorate. In a characteristic exercise of the colonial cynicism of the period, the British accepted Japanese support for their rule in India in exchange for blessing Tokyo’s takeover of Korea.

#2 The Korean War, which was triggered by the annexation of Korea by Japan in 1910, was over in 1945, and the Japanese empire was in the hands of the broker’s men. Koreans found themselves freed from Japanese domination, and sought fulfillment of the promise of the leaders of the Grand Alliance in the 1943 Cairo Declaration.

#3 The American decision to land troops in Korea was taken only at the end of the war. The Japanese colony had been excluded from the complex 1943–45 negotiations about occupation zones between the partners of the Grand Alliance. The Americans liked the idea of a period of self-government for Korea and other colonial possessions in the Far East.

#4 The American view of Korea changed dramatically after the two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. The 38th parallel, which separated North and South Korea, was agreed upon by the Americans and the Russians, and Moscow was content to settle for half.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jun 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822503632

IRB Media

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Insights on Max Hastings's Korean War

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 15

Insights from Chapter 16

Insights from Chapter 17

Insights from Chapter 18

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

In 1882, Korea signed a treaty of amity and commerce with the United States. In the following years, Korea was invaded by Japan, and in 1904, became a Japanese protectorate. In a characteristic exercise of the colonial cynicism of the period, the British accepted Japanese support for their rule in India in exchange for blessing Tokyo’s takeover of Korea.

#2

The Korean War, which was triggered by the annexation of Korea by Japan in 1910, was over in 1945, and the Japanese empire was in the hands of the broker’s men. Koreans found themselves freed from Japanese domination, and sought fulfillment of the promise of the leaders of the Grand Alliance in the 1943 Cairo Declaration.

#3

The American decision to land troops in Korea was taken only at the end of the war. The Japanese colony had been excluded from the complex 1943–45 negotiations about occupation zones between the partners of the Grand Alliance. The Americans liked the idea of a period of self-government for Korea and other colonial possessions in the Far East.

#4

The American view of Korea changed dramatically after the two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. The 38th parallel, which separated North and South Korea, was agreed upon by the Americans and the Russians, and Moscow was content to settle for half.

#5

The US XXIV Corps was sent to Korea in August 1945 to take control of the country. They were given little information about what US policies towards Korea were, so they simply treated the country as an enemy of the United States.

#6

The American forces were shocked by the open camaraderie between Japanese and American officers, and the disrespect they showed towards the Koreans.

#7

The American military was quick to make alliances with their late enemies, the Japanese and the Koreans, during the war. They were also quick to realize that they had been fighting the wrong enemy all this time.

#8

The Americans in Korea were quick to expel the Japanese, but they did not appreciate the long-standing collaboration between the two groups. The Koreans who replaced the Japanese as agents of the American military government were, for the most part, long-serving collaborators detested by their own countrymen.

#9

The Americans, on their arrival, knew nothing about the KPR. The chaotic struggle to fill the political vacuum in Korea was further confused by the arrival from Chungking of the self-proclaimed Korean Provisional Government, an exile group that included some nominated members of the KPR.

#10

Syngman Rhee was a Korean politician who lived in the United States from 1910 to 1985. He was the first Korean to receive an American doctorate. He was extremely anti-communist, and he helped launch South Korea’s most celebrated politician career.

#11

The American’s preference for dealing with a foreign leader who can be identified and perceived as their man was evident in their support of Syngman Rhee. Rhee’s backing from the military government was a decisive force in his rise to power.

#12

The American government created an 11-man Korean Advisory Council to their Military Governor, Major-General Arnold, in October 1945. The membership was supposedly representative of the South Korean political spectrum, but in reality only one nominee was a man of the left. Yo Un-hyong initially declined to participate, but later agreed to join.

#13

The American military government in Korea launched a campaign to suppress the KPR and labor unions, which they believed were fronts for communism. They also relaxed the burdensome conditions of landholding for the peasants, which caused a huge rice shortage.

#14

In 1945, the Americans in charge of South Korea understood that they had little control over the country. They saw that the Koreans’ hunger for unity and independence surpassed all other ideology and sentiment. They perceived that the drifting policies of the military government would only increase Korean respect for Soviet strength.

#15

After the Moscow meeting, there was political turmoil in South Korea. Right-wing factions expressed their passionate hostility to the trusteeship proposals, backed by strikes and demonstrations. The tide in Washington began to turn in favor of the American group in Seoul.

#16

The American military government in South Korea was extremely suspicious of the Korean nationalists who had formed the de facto government after the war, and they strengthened the National Police, which