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Establishing Armistice |
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Intermittently discussed, the armistice issue was concretized by the needs of both sides again. At that time, Malik,J., the UN representative of the USSR, proposed the general meeting address on June 23. The Allies in UN army were deeply concerned over the armistice as the limited war. However, seriously damage by the air supremacy of UN army, the Communist side not only knew of having no chance of victory but also barely bore the economic burden. The both sides bore with the war, Malik proposed the discussion for the Armistice among all the warring nations.
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One week after, Ridgway, the Commander of UN army, proposed the Armistice talks to Peng Teh-Huai, Commander of the Chinese People's Volunteers, and the Communist side receive it and the Armistice talks was open in Gaeseong on July 10. The smooth opening part made both mutually agree to the subject. But after that, the both armies met the difficulty in the division issue of borderline. Already crossing the 38th parallel, US army insisted in deciding by the confronting line, however the Communist side insisted of Naturalherstellung of the 38th. After all, the talks fell in the deadlock and the Communist side addressed the cease of the talks, which was stopped on August 22. As the talks stopped, the combat grew in intensity again and many military achievements were there, including the recapture of Danjang ridgeline, in the limited war. About two months after talks cease, the proposal of Ridgway, the Commander of UN army, made the armistice talks reopened in Panmunjeom from October 25. The Communist side receive the assertion of UN to regard the borderline as Military Demarcation Line, and additionally, on November 27, agreed to setup the Neutral Nations Armistice Supervisory Commission(NNASC). But, another difficulty came, which was the issue of the repatriation of prisoners of war. The conflict of opinions were there whether the forced repatriation or the voluntary repatriation of prisoners of war. UN side insisted that many prisoners of the Korean People's Army were forcibly enlisted and surrendered, and prisoners of war of Korean soldiers were forcibly assigned, and that the prisoners of war among the Korean People's Army refused the repatriation to China, therefore, that the prisoners, at free individual will, should choose the South Korea, the North Korea, China, Taiwan and other nations by the voluntary repatriation. Contrariwise, the Communist side insisted that the prisoners should be repatriated to their own original country. On account of opinion conflicts, Repatriation Commission was stopped for about two months from February 27, 1952. During the period, the epidemic raged in the North Korea. Reproaching that it was the results of the bacteriological warfare by UN, the North Korea refused the entrance of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for the survey of the facts. On April 9, the committee on the repatriation was secretly reopen, in which the North Korea agreed not to punish all the prisoners of war repatriated and agreed to confirm the free will of them through the individual interviews. But UN side noticed that homecoming candidates were about 83,000 (North Korea 76,600 persons, China 6,400 persons), the Communist side insisted the forcible repatriation again, Commission was broken off. On April 28 and on May 2, both sides exchanged the opinions about the overall settlement together with other issues, however the repatriation issue made the talks broken off. After all, the armistice issue of Korea was put on the political campaign in the international society.
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In the deadlock with the repatriation issue, the Armistice talks had the new difficulties of the riot incident of Geojedo camp and of the bondage incident of general Dodd, F.T., the commander of camp, on May 7, 1952. There the communist army prisoners of war established the underground organization, refused the repatriation, threatened and terrorized the anti-communist prisoners of war. In that situation, Ridgway, the UN commander, was transferred to NATO commander in succession to Eisenhower, D.D., the general who resigned for running for the presidential election, and Clark, M. W., the general, was appointed the UN commander. Starting for his post, the general Clark started the new attack as a part of talks reopening strategy. He chose the hard-line of bombarding Supung dam tabooed, on June 22. |
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UN fighters also frequently engaged airfight with MiG-15 jets of Communist newly coming, the combat was intensified again. In the Korean Peninsula, the combats continuing with advance and retreat, there was the presidential election in November of 1952, and Eisenhower of the Republic Party was elected to the President and he committed the public pledge of visiting Korea for ending the Korean War. Misunderstanding the political character and dissatisfying and being weary with the prolonged war, the Americans entrusted the Republic Party candidate with the regime first in just 20 years. According to the promise, Eisenhower visited in Korea and clarified in the press interview that the war would not be enlarged, and he disappointed Clark who tried to make the Communist side receive the armistice talks through military pressure. By the way, it is clear that Eisenhower, a hero of World War II and the inauguration of Dulles, J.K. the hard line representative as the Secretary of State should psychologically press the Communist side hard. While the armistice talks was in Deadlock and Combat continued, there were two important incidents. At first, the 7th General Assembly of UN carried the resolution of repatriation by overwhelmingly majority introduced by India on December 3, 1952. That is, the repatriation committee consisted of four nations of Czechoslovakia, Poland, Sweden and Swiss, the committee persuaded the prisoners of war for 120 days, repatriated to where they wanted. The USSR and China rejected it for the reason of the voluntary repatriation. Another big change was the death of Stalin on March 5, 1953 and so the turning point was marked. The Communist side propose to restart the armistice talks and Chou En-lai, the Chinese minister, after discussing with new leaders of the USSR, newly proposed to entrust the prisoners of war, who did not want the repatriation, to the Neutral Nations, and to guarantee the right solution of their homecoming issue. On April 11, Prisoners Exchange Pact of WIA came to settlement, the exchange was started from April 20. The armistice talks restarted on April 26, and both sides agreed to India issue in composing the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission. Both mutually agreed to designate India as the nation to maintain the prisoners of war who did not want the repatriation.
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While the armistice talks went on rapidly since March, 1953, the resistance of the South Korea government gave rise to another serious conflict. With the heavy casualties and property damage, the ending in division of the invasive war of North Korea frustrated the Union Policy of South Korea. Moreover, Lee Seungman, the president of South Korea, could accept that forcibly enlisted to the People's Army under North Korea, or captured as the soldiers of South Korea and forcibly enlisted to the communist army, and captured again, the anti-communist prisoners of war would be transferred to the Communist side. Lee Seungman declared openly that the armistice is a kind of suicide, South Korean Army, if necessary, would individually execute the war. In spite of the persuasion of Clark, the general and Briggs, E.O. USA Ambassador to Korea, |
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Lee Seungman noticed to Eisenhower on April 24, two days before restarting the armistice talks, that the Chinese People's Volunteers stationed in North Korea and the armistice talks concluded, he would withdraw the army of South Korea from the command of UN army. Supporting the Unification Policy, Koreans continued the demonstration against the armistice and rejected the entrance of soldiers for maintaining the prisoners of war on May 12. It was time for USA to make Clark, the leading role of negotiation, persuade the communist side, if it didn't work, USA would decide to enlarge the war. USA made India persuade China, It was the most difficult to make South Korea government agree with the armistice. Receiving the autograph letter of Eisenhower that promised the economic and the military aid in return and that urged to agree with the armistice, Lee Seungman tenaciously directed South Korea representatives to reject the negotiation of the armistice.
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On May 30, Lee Seungman proposed to Eisenhower to conclude Mutual Defense Treaty between the Republic of Korea and the United States of America to simultaneously withdraw all the foreign troops. On June 4, the communist side sent the final proposal to UN as the formal agreement, and on June 6, Eisenhower promised to Lee Seungman that he would be willing to negotiate the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Republic of Korea and the United States of America and continue the military and economic aid. At last, with the representative of South Korea not attending, both sides signed the Repatriation Pact. But for repatriation of anti-communist prisoners of war, the attitude of South Korea government rose to the surface as the most important parameter. Appeasing the South Korea government, USA invited Lee Seungman to visit USA. However refusing it in reason of busy schedule, Lee Seungman made the Korean warders release 27,000 persons of anti-communist prisoners of war, without warning to USA, at daybreak of June 18. Lee Seungman clarified it his direction and directed soldiers and police to protect anti-communist prisoners of war release. Against the unexpected accident, the communist side furiously reproached USA as a party to Lee Seungman. In the other hands, USA was busy to explain that accident not related with, and hoped that the armistice negotiation would not be abrogated.
For persuading Lee Seungman, it was time that USA should more concretely negotiate with him. On June 25, 1953, USA sent Robertson, W.S., an assistant secretary of state, as the special envoy of President. Staying in Seoul for 16 days, he negotiated with Lee Seungman's agreement. But Lee Seungman stubbornly refused persuasion. In that process, the combat continued. Specially the defense line of South Korea army was attacked with concentration. As it is unfavorable to decide border line, Lee Seungman finally agreed with the armistice on July 11. At that time, USA presented largely four conditions, which were to restart the negotiation for concluding the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Republic of Korea and the United States of America, to supply the long-term economic aid to South Korea, to secede from the meeting, without the concrete results for the political unification of Korea for 90 days, after the ending of the armistice agreement, and to promise the aid of USA for expansion of South Korean Army. Hereby, on July 27, 1953, the armistice agreement was finally signed, and the three year and ten month war without victory closed its curtain. |
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