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Korean Balloon War
Context:
South Korean activists recently dispatched balloons filled with anti-Kim Jong Un leaflets into North Korea, following North Korea’s recent action of sending balloons containing garbage and potentially human waste into South Korea.
More on news:
- Leaflets criticised Kim Jong Un and promoted truth and love to North Koreans.
- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol suspended a 2018 military deal with the North.
- Seoul will resume live fire drills and loudspeaker propaganda campaigns along the border.
- The Free North Korea Movement also sent balloons carrying USB flash drives containing South Korean music into North Korea.
Military deal of 2018
- This agreement aims to avert military confrontations on the Korean Peninsula by setting up buffer zones,
- aligned with the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), also known as the Armistice Line, on land, and with the Northern Limit Line (NLL) at sea.
About Korean War:
- Establishment of the Korean People’s Army (KPA):The Korean People’s Army (KPA) was established in North Korea in February 1948.
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- It was formed from Korean communist guerrillas who had previously served with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
- Soviet personnel provided advice and assistance to the KPA during its formation.
- Initiation of Conflict:
- On June 25, 1950, the KPA launched an invasion of South Korea.
- The KPA rapidly advanced southward, trapping South Korean and American troops in a small perimeter around the port of Pusan.
- The war lasted three years and was exceptionally bloody.
- Resulted in the deaths of 3 million people and tens of thousands of casualties.
- International Response:
- The United Nations quickly responded and urged member countries to support South Korea.
- Many nations, including the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, sent troops to support South Korea.
- Landings at Inchon:
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- General MacArthur, the United Nations commander, ordered an amphibious landing at Inchon, halfway up the Korean Peninsula.
- The landing drove the KPA forces back northward and toward the Yalu River, the border between China and North Korea.
- Entry of China and Stalemate:
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- China entered the war and pushed United Nations forces back into South Korea.
- Stalemate and Negotiations:
- Fighting stalled in the first half of 1951, leading to armistice negotiations starting in July.
- Signing of Armistice: On July 27, 1953, an armistice was signed, agreeing that Korea would remain a divided country.
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- Officials from the United States, the People’s Republic of China, North Korea, and South Korea signed the agreement at Panmunjom.
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Background:
- Korea, formerly occupied by Japan, was divided along the 38th parallel after World War II.
- The USSR controlled the northern half, while the United States occupied the southern half.
- Due to Cold War tensions, these occupied zones evolved into separate sovereign states.
- The north was governed by the totalitarian dictator Kim Il Sung, who established a socialist regime,
- While the south was led by Syngman Rhee, who ruled a capitalist state. Importantly, neither government recognized the legitimacy of the other and each claimed to be the rightful ruler of all Korea.
- In 1950, North Korea initiated a surprise invasion of South Korea, aiming to unify the country under its own government. This invasion marked the start of the Korean War.