North and South Korea Confrontation Immeninent
Confrontation Imminent in Korea, Again The North Korean regime presents a steadily increasing threat to the United States’ South Korean allies. For this reason, Korea has once again become a main focus for American politics and the military. ... – South Korean relationship stemming from the division of the Korean peninsula into two antagonistic parts. ... and South Korean governments is based on the Mutual Security Treaty signed at the end of the Korean War. The defense of South Korea in the war was strategically important to United States foreign policy. For this reason, losing South Korea to a communist government would have weakened America’s containment policy. Since the armistice in 1953, North Korea has strengthened its military and more importantly its ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction program. South Korea almost entirely depends on the presence of U. ... military forces to deter North Korea from launching another armed invasion. ... Since 1894, Korea has been the focus of many military conflicts. ... Regarding Korea, the declaration stated: “… mindful of the enslavement of the Korean people, the aforesaid three powers are resolved that Korea shall become free and independent in due course. ... When Emperor Hirohito unconditionally surrendered to the Allied powers on August 15, 1945, it marked the end of Japanese colonial rule in Korea (Chum-kon 15). What Korea ended up with was a division north and south of the 38th parallel. The Soviet Union accepted the surrender of Japan in the north and American troops in the south. ... General Assembly established the United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea (UNTCOK) in spite of vehement opposition from the Soviet Union and other Communist bloc nations (Chum-kon 20). On 8 January 1948, members of the UNTCOK arrived in Seoul, Korea and began their mission of setting up a national government. Yet, the Soviet Union rejected UNTCOK and refused its entry into North Korea. In South Korea, on the 15th of August 1948, UNTCOK proclaimed the Republic of Korea (ROK) as an independent state. ... ’ military role in South Korea (Chum-kon 23). In response to the new Republic of Korea, North Korea proclaimed itself as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. ... As a result, Sung declared that the North Korean regime represented the will of the entire Korean people, North and South. ... Sung stated the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea would “enforce all laws concerning land reform, nationalization of major industries, labor, equality between sexes, and other democratic reforms; and all systems shall be reformed in North Korea. ... In the end, this statement became equal to a declaration of war on the Republic of Korea. ... Stalin and Kim Il-sung met in Moscow, 1949, to discuss the withdrawal of Soviet troops from North Korea and the North-South Korea relations after the establishment of the North Korean regime. Oddly, the Soviet Union did not sign a treaty of friendship and mutual defense with North Korea. There is much speculation about this, it could be reasoned that the failure to do so was meant to convince the South Koreans that the North Korean Communists would not provoke war (Chum-kon 34-36).