“A fragile peace,” The Korean War and US Forces Korea

The Korean War, which began June 25, 1950, with the North Korean army’s invasion of South Korea, officially ended July 27, 1953 – a day now officially recognized as Armistice Day. The signing marked the end of the longest negotiated armistice in history: 158 meetings spread over two years and 17 days. At 10 a.m. that day, in Panmunjom, 18 official copies of the tri-language Korean Armistice Agreement were signed.

The predawn quiet of a rainy, peaceful Sunday morning, June 25, 1950, was abruptly shattered by the crash of cannons and the snarl of automatic weapons as soldiers of North Korea marched southward. The invading hordes breached the 38th parallel and rolled back the lightly-armed Republic of Korea Army constabulary forces toward their capital of Seoul.

Two days later, the United Nations called on the countries of the world to unite and assist in driving the invader from the ROK. In its resolution, the UN Security Council named the United States as executive agent to implement the resolution and direct UN military operations in Korea.

President Harry S. Truman, armed with the UN resolution and recognizing a threat to the free world, determined the U.S. could no longer remain neutral while communist powers trampled the free nations of the world. General of the Army.

Douglas MacArthur, Commander-in-Chief, Far East Command, was ordered to provide whatever assistance was needed to repel this invasion. General MacArthur committed U.S. air and naval forces and on July 24, in Tokyo, established General Headquarters, United Nations Command.

UNITED NATIONS APPEAL

By then, the UN had issued a further appeal to all member nations to provide what military and other aid they could to assist the ROK Government in repelling the invaders. The first ground troops to enter battle on the side of the ROK were advance elements of the U.S. 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. Units were airlifted from occupation duties in Japan to form “Task Force Smith.” The unit was committed on July 5th a few miles north of Osan.

In the face of overpowering enemy strength, the UNC fought delaying actions as ROK and U.S. units withdrew down the peninsula. Outnumbered and out-gunned, they traded space for time as they waited for the pledged assistance from other countries of the UN.

On August 29, 1950, the British Commonwealth’s 27th Brigade arrived at Pusan to join the UNC, which until then included only ROK and U.S. forces. The 27th Brigade moved into the Naktong River line west of Taegu.

Troop units from other countries of the UN followed in rapid succession; Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand and Turkey. The Union of South Africa provided air units which fought alongside the air forces of other member nations. Denmark, India, Norway, and Sweden provided medical units. Italy provided a hospital, even though it was not a UN member.

KEEP THE FREE WORLD FREE

During the three years of the Korean War, military forces of these nations fought and died together as members of the UNC. They fought for the freedom of the Korean people and to demonstrate UN resolve to stop unprovoked aggression.

Through the freezing winters and the sweltering heat of the Korean summers, men from Britain, Ethiopia, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Turkey, United States, and other contributing countries demonstrated individual and collective heroism in facing human waves of north Korean and Chinese aggressors. Few battles in the history of modern warfare have wrought the heartbreak and the frustration of this struggle.

Bloody Ridge, Chosin Reservoir, Hamhung, Heartbreak Ridge, Hwachan Reservoir, Iron Triangle, Punch Bowl and Pusan Perimeter — all were mileposts in the seesaw battle for Korea’s freedom. The dust of Old Baldy was crimsoned with blood of valiant members of the UNC; the Han and Imjin Rivers ran red with blood of UN fighting men.

On July 27, 1953, the shooting ended. An armistice was signed at Panmunjom which provided for the end of the fighting and eventual political settlement of the war. The shooting ended, but the troops remained, each side pulling back 2,000 meters from the last line of military contact to insure peace, to watch the Demilitarized Zone, and to guard against any resumption of hostilities.

THE PRICE OF FREEDOM

In a green field at Tanggok, located near the port of Pusan, stand myriad reminders of the Korean War. Simple white crosses, standing near the sign of the “Crescent and the Star” and the “Star of David” are bleak, symbolic representatives of the 33,629 Americans, numberless Koreans, 717 Turkish soldiers, and 1,109 soldiers of the United Kingdom who gave their lives during the struggle. Also sharing this place of honor are the symbols for the dead of the 12 other nations whose fighting men died to keep Korea free.

With the coming of the armistice, UNC members turned their attention to the tremendous task of assisting in rebuilding a war-torn economy. Assisting the people of the ROK in restoring and reconstructing a nation almost completely devastated by a war that leveled cities and destroyed farmlands was a gigantic project that was years in the accomplishment.

TROOP STRENGTHS

Peak strength for the UNC was 932,964 on July 27, 1953 — the day the Armistice Agreement was signed:

• Republic of Korea — 590,911
• Colombia — 1,068
• United States — 302,483
• Belgium — 900
• United Kingdom — 14,198
• South Africa — 826
• Canada — 6,146
• The Netherlands — 819
• Turkey — 5,453
• Luxembourg — 44 
• Australia — 2,282
• Philippines — 1,496
• New Zealand — 1,385
• Thailand — 1,204
• Ethiopia — 1,271
• Greece — 1,263
• France — 1,119

USFK:

Decades of fragile peace have marked the history of “post-war” Korea, where the longest armistice ever remains tenuously in force. For most of these years, the directing headquarters was the United Nations Command (UNC), which had also directed combat operations in the 1950-53 war.

The defense structure in Korea was eventually overtaken by the professional growth and development of the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) armed forces. As early as 1965 it was recognized that what worked in the war could be significantly improved by increasing ROK participation in the planning structure. 

A combined operational planning staff, developed in 1968 as an adjunct to United Nations Command/United States Forces Korea/ Eighth United States Army Headquarters and the U.S.-led ‘I’ Corps (Group), evolved in 1971 as an integrated field army headquarters. However, it was not until 1978, as a bilateral agreement related to the planned U.S. ground combat force withdrawal of that time (subsequently canceled in 1981), that the senior headquarters in Korea was organized, as a combined staff.

Hostilities today are deterred by this binational defense team that evolved from the multi-national UNC. Established on November 7, 1978, the ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) is the warfighting headquarters. Its role is to deter, or defeat if necessary, outside aggression against the ROK.

To accomplish that mission, the CFC has operational control over more than 600,000 active-duty military personnel of all services, of both countries. In wartime, augmentation could include some 3.5 million ROK reservists as well as additional U.S. forces deployed from outside the ROK. If North Korea attacked, the CFC would provide a coordinated defense through its Air, Ground, Naval and Combined Marine Forces Component Commands and the Combined Unconventional Warfare Task Force. In-country and augmentation U.S. forces would be provided to the CFC for employment by the respective combat component.

The CFC is commanded by a four-star U.S. general, with a four-star ROK Army general as deputy commander. Throughout the command structure, binational manning is readily apparent: if the chief of a staff section is Korean, the deputy is American and vice versa. This integrated structure exists within the component commands as well as the headquarters. All CFC components are tactically integrated through continuous combined and joint planning, training and exercises.

The major field training exercise was the Team Spirit series that began in 1976 and grew to nearly 200,000 ROK and U.S. participants commensurate with increased perceptions of the North Korean threat. U.S. participation in the exercise included augmentation forces of all services tactically deployed to the ROK from other Pacific bases and the continental United States. This exercise was last held in 1993.

Separate ROK and U.S. command post exercises were combined as Ulchi Focus Lens (UFL) in 1976. In December 2006, The CFC CDR ordered the name of UFL be changed. The ROK staff retained the name of the ROK government exercise “Ulchi” and changed the exercise name to “Ulchi Freedom Guardian”. UFG is an annual joint and combined simulation-supported command post exercise that trains Combined Forces Command personnel and major component, subordinate and augmenting staffs using state-of-the-art wargaming computer simulations and support infrastructures.

At the unit level, frequent no-notice alerts, musters, and operational readiness inspections insure combat preparedness for ROK and U.S. forces. Both countries are pursuing ambitious modernization programs to maintain a viable ROK/U.S. military posture that will convince North Korea that any form of aggression or adventurism will fail. The ROK is making strides in equipment improvement through a rapidly expanding domestic defense industry, as well as purchases from foreign sources. U.S. efforts toward modernization include newer, more powerful weapon systems, greater mobility and helicopter lift capability, and vastly increased anti-armor capability.