Chapter 8: Korea Divided
“Korea is our country and nobody else's. We must achieve our independence by ourselves and should not count on others to do it for us. If every Korean understood this and acted accordingly, Korea will become independent and a strong nation. This is my lifelong conviction.”
Kim Gu
Today, Kim Gu is respected in North and South alike. There were times when he ranked as the number one villain in North Korea. Newspapers and magazines showed Kim Gu dripping bloods from his mouth and holding a bloody knife. He was referred to as the Murdering Armed Robber, sahl-ihn-gang-do, and we were taught to hate him. Kim Gu was known by his nick name, the assassin, because he did assassinate several Japanese and Koreans, including several Korean communists in China..
The "armed robber" part refers to Kim Gu's confiscation of the one million dollars Lenin gave to Yi Dong Whi, one-time prime minister of Kim Gu's government in China. Yi claimed that the money was for his communist party, while Kim Gu believed it was for his government and took the money after killing Yi's finance officer, Kim Rip, whereupon, Yi and other communists broke away from Kim Gu's government and went to Russia. And ever since that time, Kim Gu had been a bad name among the Korean communists. Posters depicting Kim Gu, looking like American caricatures of Tojo, the Japanese villain who had instigated Pearl Harbor, wearing large eyeglasses and baring fangs, were seen everywhere in North Korea.
Figure kg-kis. Kim Il Sung (left) and Kim Gu in Pyongyang, 1948. Courtesy of People's Korea.
But, all of a sudden, in April 1948, Kim Gu posters were taken down, and we were told how great a patriot he was. He was no longer a murdering armed robber, but Master Kim Gu, kim gu suhng saeng, a great Korean patriot. I was somewhat puzzled by this abrupt about-face. The first time I heard of Kim Gu was in August 1945, when his name was passed around as minister of interior or vice president of the People's Republic of Korea. I knew nothing about his government in China or his yiyoldan or his army during the Dong-hak peasant uprising. I was led to believe that Kim Il Sung was the only independence leader.
The reason for the sudden change became obvious when Kim Gu, Kim Gyu Sik and other anti-Rhee leaders from South Korea came to see Kim Il Sung on April 20, 1948. The southerners wanted Kim Il Sung to swear that North would not invade South, to which Kim agreed, and all agreed to form a united government against Rhee Syngman. Kim Il Sung saw a golden opportunity to topple Rhee without war, and made Kim Gu and Kim Gyu Sik, another favorite villain until then, instant heroes of the Korean people.
Figure kimgu504.jpg. Kim Gu (left) and Kim Gyu Sik, a right-wing nationalist, sharing a lunch on the way back home after meeting Kim Il Sung. Courtesy of Kim Gu archives.
I saw news reels of Kim Il Sung and his deputy, Park Hyong Young, speaking to the delegates in Pyongyang. I recognized Kim Gu from his posters. He did look like Tojo, short and wearing old-fashioned eyeglasses. The film showed Kim Il Ung and Kim Gu discussing things while taking a walk along the banks of Daedong River. Kim Gu was assassinated by Rhee Syngman. Kim Gyu Sik went north in June, 1950.
Among the delegates from South Korea was a young man from Chejudo, Kim Dal Sam. Kim organized and led a people's armed uprising at Cheju Island on April 3rd, 1948. Although Kim left the island soon after the rebellion began, the Cheju uprising went on and was not squashed until after the Korean War. Meanwhile, Kim Dal Sam organized guerrilla war in South Korea, becoming a national hero in North Korea.
Over the centuries, Korea’s semi-tropical and beautiful island province of Cheju, located off the southern coast in the sea between Korea and Japan, had at times proved troublesome to the old, Seoul-based dynasty. But no troubles would match those that erupted on Cheju Island in the late 1940s. Cheju Island’s Peoples Committee in power since 1945, organized a mass protest against the division of Korea on March 1, 1948. The police arrested more than 2,500 demonstrators and tortured several prisoners to death. The Committee organized guerrilla warfare and some 3,000 students joined in an armed insurrection against the police. The guerrilla war lasted nearly two years and left the island, a province of Korea, in ruins. Some 20,000 homes were destroyed, 100,000 people were left homeless, and 30,000 islanders were killed. The Cheju Incident, as details at last became public in the 1990s, will remain as one of the most hideous crimes committed by Rhee and the US military against the Korean people.
The US Army’s two and
half-year occupation of Korea had been messy. On March 10, 1948, the US CIA
reported: “The Korean leadership is provided by that numerically small class
which virtually monopolizes the native wealth and education of the country...
Since this class could not have acquired and maintained its favored position
under Japanese rule without a certain minimum of collaboration, it has
experienced difficulty in finding acceptable candidates for political office and
has been forced to support imported expatriate politicians such as Syngman Rhee
and Kim Gu. These, while they have no pro-Japanese taint, are essentially
demagogues bent on autocratic rule.”
In the early morning hours of April 3, 1948, bonfires were lit at the mountaintops of Chejudo. The flames signaled the start of an armed insurrection of the people of Cheju. Some 600 members of the Self Defense Force, the ja-wee-dae, and 1,000 supporters simultaneously raided 10 police stations and attacked police officials and the living quarters of the Northwest Youth League members, the National People's Association, the Independence Promotion Association, the Greater Korea Youth League and other right-wing activists. The insurgents successfully took over the government of Cheju and organized the People's Guerrilla Army. Each myon, district, had a battalion of 30 core members experienced in combat. Battalions were grouped into regiments. By April 5, the US Military Government established the Cheju Military Command and imposed a general curfew. On April 10, the US Military augmented the South Korean 9th Regiment with the 5th Regiment from Pusan. In addition, 1,700 Korean police were sent to Cheju.
The Americans were not happy with the Cheju police's effort to settle the insurrection peacefully by redressing the grievances of the rebels and replaced Cheju native police with those from the mainland. The American commanders issued a direct order to Kim Ik Ruhl, the 9th Regimental commander in charge of the "anti-bandit" suppression campaign, to conduct scorched-earth campaigns against the Cheju people. When Kim Ik Ruhl's refused to obey the Americans, the US military changed its tactics and ordered Kim to negotiate a peaceful settlement with the guerrillas. Subsequently Kim met with Kim Dal Sam, the guerrilla commander and hammered out a cease-fire agreement after 72 hours of negotiation. However, Maj. Gen. William Dean, the US Military Governor, vetoed the agreement. Just a few years later, the Korean People's Army during the Korean War captured Dean. In spite of his crimes against the Korean people, he was released unharmed.
At about 12 O'clock, May 1, 1948, 30 members of the Northwest Youth League and the Greater East Youth League attacked Oh-ra Village and burned down 12 homes. Some 20 guerrillas from a nearby village, armed with rifles and spears, chased the gangsters away. The police came to rescue the latter and fired into the village, even though the guerrillas had fled the scene. One policeman's relative and a villager were killed in this encounter. The police occupied Oh-ra and began to interrogate its residents. At 4:30 p.m., Kim Ik Ruhl's army unit arrived and chased away the police. US military officials and the police opted to ignore Kim's report that the Oh-ra burning was done by the right-wing youth gangsters and instead blamed the guerrillas and Kim for it. The American officials forced Dong-ah newspaper and other press organs to report its fabricated version of the Oh-ra incident. The US military made a propaganda film, "May Day on Cheju-do", using an airplane that "documented" the terrorist acts perpetrated by the guerrillas.
The Cheju Island situation deteriorated. On May 3, 1948, a ‘hostile’ force attacked a 9th Regiment unit of 7 Koreans and 2 Americans under Capt. Drews. Capt. Drews was escorting a group of defectors. Several defectors were killed and the rest escaped. Initially, the police blamed the guerrillas for the attack, but it retracted its story when the Americans captured one of the attackers who turned out to be a policeman. The US military sided with the police and replaced Kim Ik Ruhl with a hardliner Park Jin Gyong. Park was more than willing to obey the Americans and began to prepare for massive scorched-earth campaigns against his own countrymen. The guerrillas responded by assassinating key members of the youth gangs and the police. They bombed several police and military installation. They interrupted the May 10 election for division of Korea. The Cheju residents showed their support for the guerrillas by boycotting the election.
Figure hanra.jpg: Captured Cheju rebels about to be executed in 1948.
The US military responded by imposing a complete blockade of Cheju Island and ordered Park to step up his 'anti-Red' campaigns. Park began his campaigns on May 12, 1948 by burning two villages and arresting 218 of the residents. By mid-June, Park boasted capturing 3,126 "POWs". When Kim Ik Ruhl commanded the 9th Regiment, the army was perceived to be on the people's side but under Park, the Regiment turned into a mortal enemy of the people. The Korean soldiers wore American helmets and American military uniforms and fired American rifles. From a distance, the Korean soldiers looked like midget Americans attacking their own people under American commanders.
The guerrillas attempted to counter Park's ruthless campaigns and formed the People's Liberation Army in May. The People's Army mounted numerous attacks on the army units. On June 18, 1948, Mun San Kil assassinated Park Jin Gyong. The US military appointed Choe Gyon Rok as the new commander of the 9th Regiment. Choe continued Park's terror campaign against the people. On July 15, 1948, Song Yo Chang, a pro-Japanese traitor, replaced Choe.
In early August, six key leaders of the People Liberation Army, including Kim Dal Sam and Kang Gyu Chan, escaped from Chejudo and the People's Army prepared to fight a prolonged war. Song needed time to resupply his units for his upcoming campaigns. A temporary lull settled on the island. In early September, Song began his massive anti-guerrilla campaign by indiscriminately destroying village after village. Later, Kim Sang Gyom replaced Song. Kim ordered his troops to kill all, burn all, loot all and "wipe out by burning, by killing and by starving". The guerrillas were defenseless and Kim reported killing a large number of “bandits”.
In October 1948, the 14th Regiment in the south coastal port city of Yosu, refused to join the Cheju campaign and mutinied. The mutiny was brutally put down by the American military troops and the anti-bandit campaign intensified on Cheju and more villagers were killed in large numbers. Early 1949, the US military augmented the 9th Regiment with the 2nd Regiment. In addition, US Navy and Air Force units were mobilized to attack the guerrillas. Eighteen US warships completely surrounded the island and bombarded villages with 37-mm canons. American L4 and L5 recon planes dropped grenades and bombs. On the ground, anti-tank guns, mortars, 0.5-inch machine guns, rockets, M1 rifles and other American weapons were used against the unarmed people.
All villages situated more than 4 km from the coast were completely destroyed. The surviving villagers fled to the mountains or to the coastal areas. Those who fled to the mountains faced death by the troops, by starvation and by freezing. Those who fled to the "safe zones" along the coast fared no better. They were treated as "those who aided the rebels" and "Red tainted" and were often tortured or killed. On March 2, 1949, the US military established the Cheju Region Command under Col. Yu Jae Hung, another pro-Japanese traitor, and dispatched a Special Forces unit under Col. Kim Yong Ju. The Americans mounted the final all-out campaign to wipe out the rebels on Chejudo.
Col. Yu Jae Hung mounted a two-prong attack. He offered amnesty to those who surrendered, and he intensified terror campaigns against the people. Many rebels surrendered seduced by Yu's false promise of amnesty and were tortured and forced to reveal the secret hideouts of the rebels. Yu's torturers gathered enough information to mount the final attack on the rebel positions. From March 12 to April 12, Yu killed or wounded 2,345 "guerrillas", killed 1,608 civilians, and captured 3,600 sympathizers. A US CIC report states that the armed guerrillas numbered no more than 250 and that there were about 1,000 to 1,500 supporters. Yu's reported kills far exceed the US figures and indicate large-scale massacres of innocent civilians.
Figure skpodean.jpg: US Maj. Gen. Dean, military governor of Korea, congratulates a Korean police chief for a joib well done. Dean gave the order to exterminate Cheju rebels. Ironically, he was captured by the People's Army in 1950 and treated fairly. Courtesy of Us military archives.
On April 9, 1949, Rhee Syngman, the Americanized Korean in charge of South Korea, came to Cheju Island to celebrate his victory over the people of Chejudo. On May 16, 1949, the Cheju Military Command was dissolved and the bulk of the army and police units were removed from Cheju. UN sponsored elections had just installed the tyrannical Rhee as President of the supposedly sovereign Republic of Korea.
Thus ended the bloody insurrection. However, the massacre of innocent civilians flared up again when the Korean War started in 1950. The police arrested former rebels and suspected sympathizers. In one massacre alone, the police at one location shot 192 villagers. Thousands were taken out to the sea and drowned. Countless others were buried, often still alive, in unmarked graves, with no police records, no trace.
Most of the principal criminals - Gen. Dean, Col. Brown, Rhee Syngman, Gen. Song, and others - are dead. But many members of the youth gangs, police and army officers still survive. Some became rich by "confiscating" enemy properties. These former thugs and policemen own many of the hotels and tourist firms on Cheju. Most go to Church on Sundays. No amount of Bible reading or civility should be allowed to hide the fact that they murdered innocent men, women and children, and then built their fortune on their victims' blood and properties. The Americans backed killing of at least 30,000 Cheju residents, some people claim 70,000. The people of Chejudo, the people of Korea and indeed the peoples of the world demand justice be done.
In North Korea, we heard little of the Cheju horrors, but on May 10, 1948, the UN sponsored election was held in South Korea. The Assembly voted to elect Rhee Syngman the first president of the Republic of Korea (ROK). The Following month in China, we attached little significance to news that, Chen Yi's Third Field Army began the final campaign, Huai-Hai, to finish off Chiang Kai Sek. On August 15, 1948 in Seoul, the Republic of Korea (ROK) was formally established in South Korea. South Korea adopted the old Korean flag, Tae-guk-gi, and the national anthem, and we were suddenly forbidden to wave the flag or sing the anthem in North Korea.
On that day, Gen. Hodge asked to be relieved of his post. He had had enough of Rhee and Korea. His resignation was gladly accepted and Gen. John Coulter became the new American Big Brother of South Korea. We, the anti-communists of North Korea, secretly tuned in to Radio Seoul. The Communists tried to jam the radio but we did manage to get South Korean news now and then, depending on the weather conditions.
Reports told us that John J. Muccio became the first US ambassador to South Korea. Muccio was a career diplomat well known for womanizing and drinking. Rhee managed to extract money and equipment for his military and in return Muccio forced Rhee to place his army under US control. US advisers were attached to every Korean army division headquarters and US generals had the command control of the Rhee's army. Muccio agreed to keep this pact secret.
Sweeping changes were not long in coming to North Korea. On September 9, 1948, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the DPRK, was established in North Korea. The Soviet flags finally came down and North Korean flags went up. We learned a new national anthem, which, I admit, sounds much better than the old anthem adopted by South Korea. The Soviet troops and their families left our town at last. They took with them just about everything not bolted down. The Russians loved Japanese house furniture.
On October 19, 1948 at 8 p.m., the 14th and 6th Regiments of Rhee's army, some 2,000 men strong, rose up against Rhee's government. The regiments were scheduled to board American transport ships bound for Cheju island and engage in Red hunts, called gong-bi-to-bul. The army rebels, led by Sgt. Chi Chang-soo, killed their officers and took over Yosu and Soonchon. The people supporting the rebels executed over 1,000 pro-Japanese police and government officials in the two cities.
The People's Committees of Yosu and Soonchon, disbanded by the Americans in December 1945, were suddenly reestablished. The rebels demanded that the American military leave Korea immediately. They called for land reforms, a purge of the police and Japanese collaborators and those who promoted division of Korea. On October 21, the 15th regiment stationed, in nearby Masan, was ordered to block the rebels' escape route to the vast Chiri Mountains. But the headquarters battalion of the regiment led by the regimental commander Col. Choe Nam Keun, a nationalist, went over to the rebel side. About a month later, Col. Choe was arrested and executed by the order of Capt. James Hausman, an American “adviser”.
With the threat to survival growing, on October 22, Rhee Syngman imposed martial law in Yosu and Soonchon. American military officials quickly ordered the 5th and 2nd Brigades to suppress the insurrection. Captain James Hausman, the American 'father' of the Korean army, supervised the campaign. The rebels managed to join partisan forces led by Lt. Kim Ji Hae based in Cholla Province rugged, sprawling Chiri Mountains.
Now as an old man, I write what was happening to Koreas and to my family chronologically as it is all one, for the soup of life comes from the meat and vegetables in one pot. I remember that in October 1948, only two elderly Russians remained in Hamhung. They ran the Soviet-Korean Friendship Club. Korean communists, officially the Korean Workers Party members, went there to waltz and learn Russian. Communist cadres took over the Japanese houses vacated by the departed Russians. I noticed for the first time that the 'white' Russian families, Jewish refugees from the Bolshevik revolution, were gone too, either repatriated or killed off by the Soviets. In the South, the American occupation forces had callously turned over White Russians to the Soviets.
Kim Il Sung implemented a currency reform designed to wipe out capitalism. My father had received a nominal compensation for his farm in Kapsan and for his dry cell factory in Hamhung, in the old Russian Occupation currency. He was allowed to exchange only a measly sum, in effect, his capital was wiped out overnight. My father's communist friends got him appointed as manager of the Wonsan State Farm. He was given a free hand to manage it, but all profits went to the state. He took his third wife and moved to Wonsan, a port city along the North Korean east coast. My mother was once again forced to feed her kids on her own.
Things were settling down: no more Russian school kids to beat up; no more Red soldiers raping or shooting Koreans; no more anti-Russian student demonstrations. We talked less about politics, our main concern now was our careers. For most of us, middle school was the end of formal education. Upon graduation, we had to start in the real world. 'Progressive' kids went to military 'academies', equivalent to US high schools or to 'high' schools, similar to America’s college prep schools. The rest of us became factory or farm apprentices. an euphemism for child labor.
The long famine started during World War II and lasted through the Soviet occupation eased up. Kim Il Sung made sure that all school children had enough to eat. Everyone attending school, elementary, junior, senior and college, was given food rations of so many pounds of grain, meat and so on. For the first time in years, we had enough to eat. New schools were built and the factories stripped bare by the Soviets were rebuilt. I heard that Kim Il Sung had a rough talk with Stalin and forced him to return some of the properties Stalin stole from Korea.
More consumer items, better packaged, appeared on state-run stores. Buses and trains started running on schedule again. Sport events and state-sponsored festivals spiced up people's daily routines. Korean newspapers, magazines and books filled library shelves and book stores. Happy days were back again and people were content living under Kim Il Sung's communism.
But good days were not to last long. On December 18, 1948, the North Korean Air Force Academy graduated its first class of pilots. As the Soviet trained North Korean pilots took to the air, that January of 1949, problems with South Korea got more serious. Border skirmishes increased alarmingly. Newspapers showed pictures of South Korean soldiers captured on the North Korean soil. Grisly photos of North Korean women and children mutilated by South Korean soldiers were published. Kim Il Sung said Rhee's assassins killed Kim Gu and many other patriots in South Korea. Kim said Rhee was going to pay dearly for his crimes.
At the same time, Syngman Rhee said Kim was stirring up violence in South Korea. He said Kim's agents were killing many Korean patriots. Rhee's military chief, Chae Byong Duk, formerly with the Japanese Army and nicknamed “Fat Chae” for his obesity, said South Korea would whip Kim Il Sung in three to four days. His army was ready and waiting for Rhee's 'buk-jin' march north command.
On March 1, 1949, Gen. MacArthur publicly stated that US had no strategic interest in Korea. The US had equipped 100,000 ROK army troops divided into 8 divisions. MacArthur felt that the ROKA could beat the North Korean People's Army. He said that Korea was not a tank country and so the ROKA had no need for tanks. MacArthur projected himself the new emperor of the Far East, Japan, Korea and China. Japan's Hirohito became a houseboy and groveled to him. China's Chiang Kai Sek and Rhee kowtowed to him.
On March 23, 1949, the US National Security Council decided to beef up Rhee's army and accelerated the US troop withdrawal from South Korea. Muccio was given the job of breaking the news to Rhee. Muccio started “pointing out to Rhee the wonderful progress the new Korean Constabulary (ROKA) was making...Soon Rhee got up several times and publicly said that his boys were doing mighty well and could take care of the situation. Once he publicly committed himself that way, then I started working on him. Well, it's about time we could get our forces out of the way.” Rhee was trapped and could not ask Muccio to keep US troops in Korea any longer.
On May 4, 1949, South Korean army units under Col. Kaneyama attacked North Korean Border Guard units in force at Kaesong. The battle lasted four days; 400 North Koreans were killed, 22 South Koreans were dead and over 100 civilians were dead. During the battle, two South Korean army companies defected to the North. They were given a hero's welcome and promptly incorporated into the North Korean Army. North Korean army units were referred to in newspapers by the commanding officers' full name, Park Jun Kun Unit, Kim Jae Qu Unit and so on. You could not tell if a unit was a whole army corps or a tiny three-man patrol.
Kim Gu was gunned down by Lt. Ahn Doo Whi of Rhee's army on June 26, 1949. Ahn shot Kim Gu at point blank by the order of Kim Chang Ryong, Rhee's counter intelligence chief, who got the final approval from Shin Sung Mo, Rhee's defense minister. Kim Gu met Kim Il Sung about a year ago and got the younger Kim to promise not to invade South Korea. Kim Gu's murder was the last straw for Kim Il Sung and he withdrew his vow not to invade South. With Kim Gu gone, there was no one in South Korea who could stand up to Rhee, and Kin Il Sung realized that Rhee would invade North, sooner or later. Rhee intensified his "march north and Kill Kim Il Sung" rhetoric and built up his army for war.
In June 1949, there was no way I could know that the US occupation forces turned over $110 million in equipment to the South Korean army. The equipment was sufficient to arm 50,000 troops; 100,000 M1 rifles, 50 million rounds; 2,000 rocket launchers; 40,000 military vehicles, light field artillery and mortars. MacArthur made sure that the South Korean army remained purely defensive with no offensive weapons like tanks, war planes or warships. MacArthur assigned some 500 US military officials with KMAG, Korean Military Advisory Group, to control the Korean army. Maj. Gen. Roberts, chief of KMAG, found the Korean army controlled by ex-Japanese servicemen who had dubious military expertise. The “whole place stinks - not just the ROK Army.”, Roberts said of Korea.
During July and August of 1949, major fighting erupted in Kaesong on the Onjin Peninsula. This was followed by minor clashes all along the 38th parallel. Heavy artillery duels and cross-border raids by both sides occurred almost daily. Another major battle occurred at Chunchon. The North Korean Border Guard, thrusting south, did most of the fighting. My cousin, Kim Chung Sik, a border guard squad leader, was off for a few days and stayed with us. He showed me some odds and ends that he picked up from dead South Korean soldiers, a nice wrist watch, a pocket knife, cigarettes, South Korean paper money and so on. These items looked so strange that I spent hours examining and holding them in my hands.
The raids were especially vicious, Chung Sik said: “During the night, raiding parties sneak into enemy camps and engage in hand-to-hand combats. How do you tell friends from foes in the dark? Well, North Korean soldiers shave their head while South Korean soldiers don't. How do you prove how many South Koreans you have killed? You cut off the left ear and put it in your pocket. When you return from a raid, you hand over the ears to your leader. You get to keep whatever else you may have picked up except weapons and military documents.”
On August 4, 1949 in Taiwan, Rhee met with Chiang to plot a war against Kim Il Sung. Chiang offered his air force and troops to Rhee. Chiang wanted to invade Manchuria after taking over North Korea. That same day, North Korean Border Guard units attacked the South Korean troops on the Onjin Peninsula. The South Koreans were routed. Col. Kaneyama urged a massive invasion at Cholwon but the South Korean army commanders were under strict orders from Maj. Gen. Roberts not to cross the 38th Parallel. Roberts told Rhee in no uncertain terms that American aid would be cut off if South Koreans disobeyed his orders. Rhee was angry at Gen. Chae Byong Duk, a former Japanese army officer, now the Chief of Staff, South Korean Army, for obeying Roberts and threatened to replace him with Kaneyama.
The provocations mounted. On August 23, Chae Byong Duk sent navy ships north of the 38th and sank four North Korean ships. Rhee stated: “I feel strongly that now is the most psychological moment when we should take an aggressive measure and join with our loyal communist army in the North to clear up the rest of them in Pyongyang. We will drive some of Kim Il Sung's men to the mountain region and there we will gradually starve them out. Then our line of defense must be straightened along the Tuman and Yalu rivers.” Muccio was told that Chae's boys had taken the North Korean city of Haeju, north of Kaesong.
As if events in north east Asia were not unsettling enough, in August 1949, the Soviets exploded an atomic bomb years ahead of the CIA projections. Then on October 1, 1949, Mao proclaimed - China has stood up. The People's Republic of China was borne. Mao asked all foreign troops, including the Soviets, to leave China immediately.
On October 2, 1949, Syngman Rhee established the Republic of Korea Air Force on Donald Nichols's recommendation. The Air Force consisted of a few used L9 US Army observation planes. Its primary mission was secret spy over-flights over North Korean military bases at Haeju, Pyongyang and Mirim-ri, for Nichols's 6004 Air Intelligence Service Squadron. Rhee later made Sgt. Nichols an honorary ROKAF colonel.
By January 1, 1950, the rhetoric
was heating up. Kim Il Sung called on all South Koreans to rise up and destroy
the traitor and the running dog of the American imperialists, Rhee Syngman and
his cronies. Rhee's puppet government would be destroyed “from
within and without....and support the guerrillas both morally and materially”.
Then on January 12, 1950, Dean Acheson, US Secretary of State, reaffirmed that US had no strategic interest in Korea. A week later, the US Congress defeated a $60 million aid bill for South Korea. The handwriting was on all over the wall that South Korea stood alone. The only friend Rhee had was Chiang Kai Sek.
Events for the American backed regime in Seoul were not moving happily. On May 15, 1950, a US CIA repor revealed no clue that a horrendous conflict would erupt in matter of weeks: “North Korea suffers from a shortage of skilled administrative personnel and from weaknesses in its economy and its official Party organizations. There is widespread, although passive, popular discontent with the Communist government. Despite these weaknesses, however, the regime has, with Soviet assistance, clearly demonstrated an ability to continue its control and development of northern Korea.”
In Seoul, May 30, 1950, Rhee's handpicked candidates lost badly in the National Assembly election on May 30, 1950. Yo Un-Hyong's followers made a major unexpected comeback. US Special Envoy, Dulles, flew to Seoul to assess the situation. Rhee wanted Dulles to approve an invasion of the North. Rhee claimed that he could whip the communists in a few days. All he needed is Dulles' approval.
In March 1950, the US military had a total of 4 A-bombs in its nuclear arsenal. Harry S. Truman, who became President after Roosevelt's death in 1945, was elected in his own right to the presidency in 1948. He was anxious to put his name on the history book. He was prone to making decisions on impulse. His foreign policy decisions were made by Dean Acheson, who was accused of “losing China to Mao” and of being soft on communism. Now Truman was looking for an opportunity to show his tough anti-Communist mettle. Upon V-J, US had demobilized its armed forces. The Joint Chiefs of Staff had decided that, given the limited military resources available - about one million men, South Korea was of little strategic value to the US and that the US should not defend South Korea in case of North Korean invasion. Both Truman and Acheson agreed with the JCS.
On June 7, 1949, Kim Il Sung merged the North and South Korean Workers' Party into a unified Korean Workers Party. Kim became its chairman. Park Hon Yong, the southern party boss, became the vice chairman. Park was more energetic and effective speaker than Kim Il Sung was. Park became a communist in 1919. In 1925, he became leader of the Korean Communist Party's Youth League. He worked for independence and communism. In 1946, the US Military Government in Korea had issued a warrant for his arrest for organizing disruptive activities. Park was a professional politician whereas Kim's fame came from anti-Japanese guerrilla warfare. Kim was clearly a junior trying to learn the trade. In 1953, Park was executed for espionage. He was accused of being a US CIA agent.
My brother, Ung Sik, was expelled from the Kim Il Sung University on account of his politically incorrect family origin. Only the sons and daughters of peasants, workers and revolutionaries were allowed on the sacred ground of the university. My brother entered the Hamhung Medical College. My brother said that the Kim Il Sung University was full of morons and party hacks, a bunch of opportunists singing Stalin and Kim Il Sung praises day and night; not much of serious learning or studying of academic subjects.
Kim Il Sung was keenly aware of his lack of a political base in Korea. His guerrillas and comrades from Soviet-Korea were largely semi-literate and uninformed in the politics of Korea. He filled government and party posts with any who supported him in combating his political rivals by manipulating the Soviet-Koreans, who were alien to Korea and her culture. He neutralized the Chinese Koreans, the Yenan group, by dividing the group into factions. Most critically, he had complete control of the military and security forces. His takeover of North Korea amounted to a military coup with Soviet help.
The trump card Kim had was the support of the Soviet occupation forces and Col. Ivan Ignatiev's (killed in a 1950 bombing raid in Pyongyang) political skills. The division of Korea at the 38th parallel kept most of the well-known Korean leaders in the South. Seoul was the capital of Korea and most Korean leaders thought their political future would be decided in Seoul and stayed in Seoul. Most importantly, his rival groups were not united.
Anti-Communist sentiment was actually on the rise in 1949 North Korea, prompting Kim Il Sung to become more dictatorial. Had I lived in the South, I probably would have opposed the Americans, but in Hamhung I despised the communists. Non-communists were purged from city governments, village councils and even schools. The secret police of the Political Security Bureau had informants everywhere. South Korea sent more spies and saboteurs. I secretly joined an anti-Communist student group. Our task was to make homemade weapons. A pistol can be made from a hollow steel tubing such as an umbrella pole and a spring activated paper holder.
We sneaked into the Korean People's Army firing range, a few miles from our school, and gathered Japanese, Russian and North Korean shells, many still live. Japanese anti-aircraft shells yielded the most powder, but they were the most dangerous because they had a proximity fuse and tended to explode. Cap-gun caps made nice primers.
Spent shell casings were made into carbide guns. Carbide produces gas when in contact with water. Spent shell casings were stuffed with carbide and a bullet. Water was injected via the primer hole and after a few seconds, the pressure inside built up to the point at which the bullet was expelled. The idea was to hold the gadget in your gloved hand and aim it at an unsuspecting target, although I doubt that anyone had actually used such a stupid contraption.
I acquired a real pistol from a classmate. This kid's father was an army officer who collected Japanese pistols. I traded one of my air rifles for a semi-automatic pistol. It was missing the firing pin and the ammunition chamber, but it was a great improvement over my umbrella or carbide pistol. I fashioned a firing pin from a nail and decided to load one shell at a time. Anyway, it was a real gun and no one could tell that it had no ammunition chamber. I carried my pistol loaded with one shot in my school bag. It went everywhere I went. All I and other youths wanted was to end the madness around us.
Kim Il Sung spoke at the January
19, 1950 Third Party Congress of the Ch'ondogyo Young Friends Party: “Building
and strengthening the revolutionary bases in the North for the purpose of
unifying the country is not enough. We must wipe out the traitors in the South.
The great task of national reunification must he accomplished quickly and by
ourselves.” He cited the examples of the October Revolution in the
Soviet Union and the recent success of Mao Zedong in China. He said that he was
not afraid of a war; it was Rhee who should be afraid. “We
will be victorious, but victory does not come on its own; victory must be
won.” Kim said.
On March 27, 1950, Kim Sam Yong and Yi Chu Ha, the key guerrilla commanders in South Korea, were captured. The main body of the guerrillas, including more than 600 cadres trained at North Korea’s Kangdong Political Institute was eliminated. This disaster effectively put an end to Kim Il Sung's dream of uniting the country through insurrections in South Korea.
In April 1950, Kim Il Sung and Park Hyon Yong visited Stalin. Park told Stalin that “200,000 communist guerrillas in South Korea are ready to rebel at the first signal from the North and the population of the South is waiting for land reform and other democratic transformation such as those already conducted in the North.”
Kim assured Stalin that the war would be short and sweet. Stalin thought that the US would jump in to save Rhee, but Mao and Kim convinced Stalin that North would defeat South Korea in a matter of a few days and that the US would not have the time to move in. Stalin warned Kim that the Soviet Union had enough problems in Europe and so it would not be able to provide much help. Kim assured Stalin that no help would be needed - everything was under Kim's control. NB. In 1955, Kim used Park's exaggerated figure of 200,000 partisans, among other accusations, to put Park to death.
By June 3, 1950, things escalated. North Korean army units were marching south in broad daylight. Our town garrison had already moved out a few weeks earlier. Both Radio Seoul and Radio Pyongyang were issuing nasty threats and counter threats. New border crashes involved larger units. Meanwhile, Radio Seoul played the 'Kill Traitor Kim Il Sung' song more persistently.
The top advisor of the Soviet forces, Gen. Vasilyeyev and advisor Chief of Staff. Gen. Vostonikov met with the People's Army Supreme Council, including Kim I1 Sung, Kim Tubong, Choe Yongkon, Pak Honyong, Ho Kay I, Pak Il U, Ho Chong Suk and Kang Kon on June 7, 1950, and the final decision to invade South Korea was made. Kim I1 Sung authorized Kang Kon, Chief of Staff and a long time comrade, to get his troops in motion. Two days later, Kang Kon met with the divisional and corps commanders and informed them of the impending invasion. This information was not disclosed to any lower ranking officers. The rank and file were told that there would be a large-scale exercise on June 25.
On June 11, 1950, Kim Kuang Hyob, Chief of Operations, convened a general staff meeting and announced: “Comrade Officers! Listen and pay attention! Our People's Army has, up to now, carried out combat training up to division level, but we haven't had a big exercise to prepare for an invasion. So, this time. we are going to have a field maneuver exercise that will make a general mobilization of all divisions. In this exercise, the combat divisions will participate, of course. The reserve divisions and the various kinds of special troop units will also participate, using all the aircraft, tanks, and equipment they have.”
“Because this maneuver exercise will be the most significant training that the People's Army have had since its inception, thoroughness in operations, command. and mission execution is required. Exercises up to now have shown us, on numerous occasions, weaknesses and inexperience in commanders and staffs. But, this time, weaknesses such as this will not do. If they cannot execute in a completely successful fashion, they will be sent to the appropriate military court and punished.”
“Since this will be the first large field exercise since the
establishment of the People's Army, we don't know exactly how long it will run,
but I think it will last about 2 weeks! Therefore, the various personnel should
not carry possessions that are a burden. They should only prepare about 2 weeks
worth of clothing and socks. Since there is a need to take along maps, sketch
maps, etc., officers, who don't have field packs, must be ready day. Finally,
since this maneuver exercise is under the greatest military secrecy, you must
absolutely not tell even your families, wives, or friends.”
Gen. Kim Kwang Hyob presented the battle assignments: First Corps: Commander would be Kim Ung, Commissar, Kim Chae Ung, and Chief of Staff, Yu Sin; Second Corps: Commander would be Kim Kwan Hyob, Political Commissar, Im Hae, Chief of Staff, Choi In, Operations Officer, Lee Hak Ku. Staff officers returned to their battle stations and prepare for the grand exercise.
That June 19, the Supreme Peoples Assembly called for the peaceful reunification of Korea through free elections. My father said that a war was about to break out and that North Korea was going to win. Not wanting to risk war with Americans, Stalin ordered out all Soviet advisers, some 7,000 from North Korea. Historical records show Stalin’s concern: “It's too dangerous to keep our advisers there. They might be taken prisoner. We don't want there to be evidence for accusing us of taking part in this business. It's Kim Il Sung's affair.”
On June 20, 1950, Gen. Omar Bradley, the Chairman of the US JCS, asked MacArthur about the persistent intelligence reports of an imminent North Korean invasion. Bradley was assured that the South Korean army was strong enough to beat the northern army. Not quite believing MacArthur, Bradley privately asked Maj. Gen. Roberts, the chief of the US advisers in Korea, the man in the best position to know, for his assessment and Roberts gave Bradley his personal guarantee that South Korea was capable of defending itself.
On June 23, South Korean howitzers and mortars started shelling Unpa on the Onjin Peninsula at 10 p.m. and continued until 4 a.m., June 24. On June 25, the Fierce Tiger Division, Mangho Dae, attacked North Korean Border Guard units at Turak Mountain, north of the Imjin River forty miles from Seoul.
The 4th Division of the People's Army received its battle order - cross the border at Tongduchon at 0400 hours, June 25, 1950 and proceed to Tokjong, Uijungbu and Seoul. Even to this day, my heart still sinks as historical records reveal that what was directly ahead for me and other Koreans would surpass even the ancient Mongol invasions, and the destructive Hideyoshi invasion of Korea four hundred years earlier. Thomas D. McPhail, the US Intelligence chief in Korea, informed his superiors of the impending invasion from the North. McPhail had several agents in North Korea. But nobody would pay attention, so what? Donald Nichols, chief of the 6004 Air Intelligence Service Squadron filed similar reports to Tokyo and Washington, but no one paid any attention to these reports of imminent invasion.
For information on Kim Gu's meeting with Kim Il Sung, see:
1) http://www.kimkoo.or.kr/research/article/np00042400.htm A New Look at North-South Relations
2) http://www.kimkoo.or.kr/research/article/np98041800.htm Historical Significance of Kim Gu's Trip North
For information on the Cheju April 3rd Uprising, see http://www.kimsoft.com/1997/cheju.htm The Cheu April 3rd Massacre Not Forgotten.
For information on war preparations, see:
1) US Military Operations 1945-1985 - Kenneth Anderson, The Military Press, NY, 1984.
2) The Truth About The Korean War - Kim Chul Baum, Eulyoo Publishing Co., Ltd., Seoul, Korea, 1991; eyewitness stories of a number of communist participants of the War - contains documents on Mao's dealings with Kim Il Sung and Stalin; tainted by South Korean propaganda.
3) The Chinese War Machines - James E. Dorman and Nigel de Lee, Crescent Books, NY, 1979; a history of the Chinese Liberation Army; has a section on the Korean War.
For information on the Yosu Mutiny, see
1) http://mbcweb.mbc.co.kr/sisa_docu/nowtell/html/vod/vod_5.html MBC Documentary on Yosu including actual film footage and eyewitness accounts.
2) Appendix I Captain James Hausman’s report on the Yosu insurrection.
For information on Kim Gu's assassination, see:
1) http://www.kimsoft.com/2000/kimgu.htm Who Was Kim Gu?
2) http://mnum.mokpo.ac.kr/cspark/lecture/persons/index.htm Brief bios of prominent Koreans - pre-Liberation
3) http://profyang.ms98.net/poem2/2-10.htm Who's who post-Liberation
4) http://monthly.chosun.com/html/199910/199910290029_1.html Wolgan Chosun; Korean War Revisited