History of U.S. Intervention in Korean Peninsula

History of U.S. Intervention in Korean Peninsula

U.S. involvement in the Korean Peninsula commenced in the nineteenth century, with the U.S approaching the Korean Peninsula seeking access to new markets and raw materials.
The first major confrontation took place in 1866, when the U.S. Merchant Marine ship, the General Sherman, attempted to penetrate Korean waterways in pursuit of trade discussions and Christian evangelization. Denied permission to sail up the Daedong River leading to Pyongyang , the ship defied Korean authorities. Consequently, after four days of fighting, the ship was burned, and the twenty persons aboard were killed.

In retaliation, the U.S. Navy and Marines invaded Korea in 1871. Koreans again resisted however, after two days of fighting, U.S. forces destroyed five forts and killed as many as 650 Koreans.

Towards the end of the 19th Century, amidst fighting between Russia , China and Japan over the control of Korea , the U.S. also saw its opportunity. In the name of protecting "American Interests" the U.S. invaded Korea and stayed twenty- two months exerting its influence over the peninsula. After recognizing Japan as a world power, U.S. and Japan signed the Taft-Katsura Agreement which recognized Japan 's supreme interest in Korea. Armed with U.S. recognition of its rights over Korea, Japan annexed Korea in 1910 and colonized Korea for the next 36 years until Japan 's defeat during WWII.

After WWII, the U.S. again intervened against the interests of the Korean people. Without approval from the Korean people, three superpowers, the U.S., the Soviet Union and England decided to place Korea under joint trusteeship until Korea was ready to begin statehood. They had forgotten that Korean people had managed to govern themselves over thousands of years. They also decided to divide Korea into north and south. The Soviet Union occupied North and U.S. occupied South in 1945.
Although the Soviet Union retreated its army in 1948 when the north formally established the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , the U.S. to this day remains to occupy South Korea with 30,000 U.S. troops.

The Korean War of 1950-1953, killed over 3.5 million Korean civilians. Under the disguise of the U.N., the U.S. deployed hundreds and thousands of its troops and arms. It dropped more bombs in Korea than all the bombs dropped in Europe during the WWII. It used chemical and biological weaponry and arsenal against the international law. In particular it destroyed North Korea with continuous bombing and strafing that long before the end of the war, there were no targets left to hit in North Korea according to a U.S. military commander.
The U.S. intervened not to defend Korean democracy or independence but to protect its own political interests including Korea's division.
The Korean War was a civil war fought to reunify the country.
Primary responsibility for the Korean War should rest with those who divided the country, in particular, the U. S. government.
As a result of the Korean War, in the name of protecting South Koreans from the communist North, the U.S. gained permanent use of over 100 military bases in South Korea.

Osan Air base which is located in Pyongtaek was built at the height of the Korean War in 1952. Farmers who cultivated lands for generations were evicted from their land in 1952 and again 50 years later, in 2006, they were once again forced to leave their beloved farmlands for the U.S. base expansion.

The new U.S. military strategy that came after 9/11 brought significant changes to the Korean Peninsula as well as North East Asia.
The expansion of U.S. Army base Camp Humphreys is part of the Global Posture Review, following the agenda of the project for a New American Centry (PNAC), and implemented by the Bush Administration to consolidate its military hegemony over Northeast Asia .
Last year, South Korean Minister of Defense, Ban, Ki-Moon and Condolizza Rice exchanged the agreement of understanding which noted that South Korea understands the U.S.'s need for global flexibility of U.S. Forces in South Korea, thus it paved the way for the U.S. Forces in South Korea to be mobilized and deployed anywhere around the world without south Korean government's agreement.

The U.S. will build two consolidated and modernized bases in Pyeongtaek and Osan, 70 kilometers south of Seoul , and will relocate their largest base from Seoul and the Second Division which is now stationed along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to Pyongtaek by 2008.
The total cost of the move is about 12 billion dollars according to the master plan for U.S. forces realignment. U.S. and ROK share the cost evenly. What a waste of tax payers' money for both countries!

The relocation of U.S. troops within South Korea will put U.S. troops outside of North Korea 's artillery range. Also, Pyeongtaek is strategically located to contain or attack China and equipped with a waterfront and an airport. This allows flexibility when deploying troops outside of the Korean Peninsula.

They are making Osan Airbase which is located in Pyongtaek a new military command center for North East Asia . Osan will become a key base for the U.S. Missile Defense(MD) System in East Asia.

This military transformation heightens tensions against NK and China . One obvious goal of this transformation, the strategic flexibility to cover Asia-Pacific theater is to deter the challenge and potential threat against their hegemony in the region and willing to protect the U.S. interests by any means necessary including pre-emptive nuclear strikes.
The Korean peninsula became a hostage to the U.S. military aggression against other countries and its fighting for global hegemony.

The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula is product of the U.S. policy of nuclear threat based on its deep-rooted hostile policy toward the North Korea for over half a century.
During the Korean War U.S. considered dropping a nuclear bomb at the border of china and North Korea.

Bush presented a "Nuclear Posture Review" report to Congress only three weeks earlier, which ordered the Pentagon to prepare contingency plans for use of nuclear weapons. The first designated targets for nuclear attack were his newly identified members of the "axis of evil" along with four other nations as well - Syria, Lybia, Russia , and China.

After North Korea's nuclear test last October, the U.N. Security Council has voted to impose even more punishing sanctions on North Korea including ship searches.
North Korea immediately rejected the resolution and its U.N. ambassador walked out of the council chamber after accusing its members of a "gangster-like" action which neglects the nuclear threat posed by the United States.
The adoption of the U.N. resolution this time makes it impossible for the UN Security Council to evade the historic responsibility for having the cornerstone of which is the principle of sovereignty, equality and self-determination patronized and connived with the U.S. in the Korean war and the subsequent division of Korea. In doing so, the Security Council violated the UN charter. The U.S. is the biggest nuclear weapons holder and dealer in the world therefore U.N. Security Council should urge sanctions against the U.S. not against the DPRK!

Bush has accused North Korea of selling weapons to other nations.
The U.S. is by far the largest manufacturer of conventional, nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons in the world. It is also the largest seller of these weapons, and has used conventional against dozens of nations, biological against Cuba, China, Korea, perhaps others, chemical against Southeast Asia, and nuclear against Japan, and threatened to use them on at least 20 other occasions.
In addition it has armed other nations with these weapons of mass destruction.
South Korea is the third largest buyer of weapons from the U.S.

U.S. economic sanction on North Korea has been in place for the last 60 years-the longest economic sanctions in world history. As the sanctions have been tighten in order to choke the North Korean economy, the U.S. has cried out that the leader of North Korea is starving his own people. Obviously it is the U.S. has been the cause of North Korea's economic hardship affecting the people of the North Korea .

I am going to read part of statement that was presented by DPRK's U.N. representative last October so you can hear what the other side has to say.

"The entire issue is being presented in the monopoly media to disinform people as to the truth of what the historical experience has been on the Korean peninsula so that they have difficulty distinguishing between right and wrong, what is just and what is unjust in the situation.

Every nation has the right to defend itself against a military invasion and to take whatever measures necessary to secure its independence and sovereignty against aggression.

The DPRK has stated clearly, as recently as October 3, its nuclear weapons program is not intended for aggressive purposes but only as a deterrent to the constant danger of a military attack by the United States.
The continued U.S. military presence in the south of Korea and its claim to have the right to carry out "regime change" and "pre-emptive nuclear strikes" will be conducive to the cause of peace and justice.
The DRPK has tried repeatedly to get the U.S. to end the state of war that still exists since the 1950-53 Korean War and to sign a peace treaty that would normalize relations between the two countries. The U.S. always refuses.
The DPRK's possession of a deterrent power, solely for self-defense, is also fully in line with the interests of the regional countries for peace and security and a peaceful environment. However, the DPRK government maintains its consistent position to resolve the issue of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula peacefully through dialogue and negotiations.

The U.S. doctrine of preemptive nuclear strikes against the DPRK, incessant large-scale joint military exercises of the USA and South Korea, mass delivery to south Korea of all sorts of military equipment including weapons of mass destruction, and the aerial reconnaissance by the USA for hundred-odd times every month constitute the major factors undermining peace and stability and aggravating tension in the Korean peninsula.
Furthermore, the North-South Joint Declaration of June 15 has not been smoothly implemented so far because of the persistent maneuvers of the USA, which is not in favor of improved inter-Korean relations."

Since the June 15 Joint Declaration in year 2000 by both leaders in Korea, North and South jointly made a tremendous stride for peace and reunification.
North Korea has opened militarily sensitive Kaesung city, which is located only 5km away from the Demilitarized Zone for the North-South joint industrial complex and many South Korean companies have already built their factories and produced commodities jointly made by North and South Koreans.

U.S. forces in South Korea to include Asia-Pacific region implies U.S. troops will be stationed in Korea indefinitely. This instability and threat of U.S. war is preventing peaceful unification of Korea as well as peaceful economic and secure cooperation in Northeast Asia.

Korean people do not want a renewed build up of U.S. military forces in the Korean Peninsula

The six-decade U.S. military occupation has unjustly denied the Korean people sovereignty and self- determination.

U.S. should stop interfering in South and North Korea's reconciliation towards peaceful reunification!
U.S. should stop its campaign of demonization of the leader of DPRK and its people!
U.S. / U.N. should lift all sanctions against DPRK and take steps to normalize relations with DPRK!
U.S. should sign a peace treaty with DPRK and remove all U.S. troops/weapons including nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula and denuclearize the Pacific and Asia !

The first steps toward a safer world and for nuclear disarmament must begin here in the U.S!

We call on all progressives to join in our just struggle against the imperialism and its aggression against the people around the world.

Thank you

Hwa Young Lee, Chair of KTC-US
May 01, 2007
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