2012 is an election year in South Korea. Images of the Korean War frequently reemerge at this time to stir up patriotic/nationalist sentiment amongst the electorate which can often be highly effective at gaining support from the young, particularly as all Korean men are required to undergo at least 2 years of compulsory military service.
The following series of photographs has been doing the rounds on many popular Korean portals and forums.
From TodayHumor:
The Korean War Photo Memorial
June 25th [commonly used to refer to the Korean War], the tragedy that happened 60 years ago in the Republic of Korea. It was the first deployment of UN Armed Forces. 21 countries in all participated, led by Western countries like the United States and the United Kingdom all the way to faraway countries like Ethiopia.
The most emblematic photo of the Korean War, a photo of a girl with her younger brother taken in front of a North Korean M-26 tank. Taken on the 9th of May, 1951, perhaps she is evacuating or searching for food.
10th of July, 1950. A US G.I. executed with his hands bound.
By the date (26th of September, 1950), this is probably somewhere near Incheon. The tank supporting the US Marines is leading the DPRK POWs.
The newly conscripted being transported to the training camp, exposed to the elements. July 1950.
During the early days of the war, the army helicopters are evacuating the injured soldiers to the rear.
A dead DPRK solider adjacent to his destroyed tank. The unstoppable Soviet tanks used by the DPRK gradually grinds to halt near the Nakdong River defence line. Taken on the 13th of August, 1950, Andong.
The US Navy dive bomber AD-3 is dropping 2000 lbs bomb. The location is Shinwooju and the bridge being bombed is the Yalu River Railroad Bridge. The left-hand side is North Korea. The bombing targeted the North Korean side of the bridge, which has created a lunar landscape. Dated November of 1950, these aerial bombing campaigns agitated the PRC and led to their intervention.
Make-shift command center set up by the US military which was on retreat to south. This photo is taken on the 12th of July, 1950. The rice-sheaf camouflage is interesting.
On the attached document the name of the location is Agok, but there is no such a place by that name. During the retreat of the early stage of the War, the photo is taken by the aerial reconnaissance team.
Two POWs captured attacking the rear the Nakdong River by the US Army in September 1950.
This has been classified Top Secret by the US Army, which has been recently declassified. According to the attached description, in Danjeon area approximately 1,800 political prisoners were summarily executed by the ROK military over 3 days. They were suspected to be communist sympathizers or the DPRK spies. Some of them survived the massacre to this day and claim they were innocent civilians.
After the success of the Incheon amphibian attack in Incheon, the military supplies are being unloaded, dated 15th of September, 1950.
General MacArthur. Dated 15th of September, donning a thick leather jacket.
Well-paved road of the urban center of Dajeon. This is only 60 years ago.
DPRK soldiers captured during a search mission. Dated 16th of November, 1950 somewhere in North Korea.
M.A.S.H at work.
Taken during the recapturing of Seoul by the US and ROK. A North Korean hideout reported by civilian led to the clean-out operation. Another soldier is preparing his machine gun in case of a fire fight.
This is war. Roughly 400 bodies were discovered in Dajeon Prison. As the DPRK retreated, POWs and civilians were all massacred. They were forced to dig their own graves. The person on the left is a war correspondent. The photo is dated September of 1950.
After the Seoul Recapture, the dead and alive.
Advancing deep into the DPRK territory in November of 1950, the US military conducts airborne operation with C-119. I wonder what their mission was about.
Sukchon and Sunchon area in North Korea. A massive airborne mission underway.
Outskirt of Seoul, US Army is driving out the DPRK partisans using the tank. October of 1950.
Unspecified location but obviously signs of heavy fire-fight. Aerial bombing and shelling left the area with virtually no vegetation.
Inside the mine in Kumbong Mt., 60 civilian bodies were discovered. Confirmed massacre by the North Korean soldiers in October, 1950.
Hwangju, just north of Pyongyang in October, Australian and French soldiers.
The Bay of Wonsan about to witness the landing of the US Army. This mission was to support the Eastern Front and total of 50,000 US troops landed in October, 1950.
Taken on the 4th of December, 1950. The news of the PRC intervention reached Pyongyang and the citizens evacuating by the destroyed Daedong River rail bridge to head south.
Chinese POWs held by the US Army, dated 9th of December.
Dated 26th of December. Confronting the Chinese force being bombarded by F4U-5 Corsairs.
The bodies of US, UK and ROK soldiers. They are collected for burial. The location is Gotori, North Korea. Dated 8th of December.
F86 Sabre attacking the enemy formation, dated 28th of January, 1951.
Hands of the dead ROK solider covered in snow.
Canadian soldiers reading newspaper from back home in February, 1951.
B-26 Invader bombing the enemy main supply depot in Wonsan.
Attacking the enemy hideout with the flame-thrower, dated March of 1951.
British SAS unit infiltrated behind the enemy line to sabotage the railway. Over 30 meters of railway were destroyed due to this operation, significantly slowing down the supply line coming from China to North Korea.
Napalm dropped by B-26. The location is somewhere in North Korea, dated 10th of May, 1951.
Uijeongbu, Turkish soldier riding a donkey.
Three North Korean soldiers surrendering on fishing boat.
Chooncheon, May of 1951. Bodies of the Chinese soldiers, still smouldering.
Anti-aircraft lights pointing the sky against the US bombing. These lights in fact helped identify the military targets. After the first wave of attack, bellowing stacks of smoke guided the next wave of attack.
Hiding in the trench against the mortar attack, dated April of 1952.
Collected shells of North Korean army. Where did they use all these?
Panmunjom, where the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement is signed. Ceasefire means war is simply on hold, could resume anytime.
Four US Marines are clearly elated by the news of ceasefire, the war is over finally.
A Marine stands guard on Baengnyeong Island.
The names of those who died during the war are engraved, including the Cheonan servicemen. Only their names remain, but they were human beings with families and loved one – can you imagine how terrified they must have been at their last minute?
Comments from TodayHumor:
니카:
I hope no one still confuses which country invaded which?
헬레니즘:
Some bitch is calling our Navy a pirate Navy. And others called us guard dogs. We need to use those bitches as live targets.
진정한외길:
We are still at war lest we forget.
젊은허씨:
Wars are started by old men, but young men pay the price. May those who died early find peace in their sleep. And please do not use war and national security as a way to keep your political position…
ㅇr르:
One of the pictures above that said about the summary execution of 1,800 political prisoners… That is not true at all. It is fabricated by Syngman Rhee and the US military. The reason why it was classified as top secret is because they are actually civilians. The US military has the tendency to massacre if they suspect if there is just ONE enemy. The Iraq and Afghanistan War have ample examples. If one US soldiers die, there will be a ruthless retaliation against the nearby village. The same goes for the Korean War. President Rhee enrolled those anyone who deemed left-wing or sympathetic to communism in the Bodo League after independence. Of those, majority was those just interested in receiving rice ration with no interest or understanding in ideology. As soon as the War breaks out, the US military and our army start to massacre them left right and center. They were sure that among them some will become their enemy. The Daejeon Massacre is one of them. The massacres were carried out in the mountain and prison. Their bones still are coming out. The more infamous one is the Kyongsan Massacre next to Taegu. There are still thousands of bodies left there, and the local GNP MP wants to build a golf course to keep them under cover. I am a young man from Daejeon who has no relation to the ones in the picture and NOT siding with North Korea. I did my research for my class and did in-site survey so I just wanted to tell you the truth. During the War, many massacres were carried out by police, army and the US military, pure and simple. From the perspective of Rhee and the US, those civilians were to be feared, since they did not know who they sided with. But that is no excuse for massacre. The US knew about it so that is why it was top-secret. Many survivors are still aggrieved by this to this day and many already died without any closure. The conservatives in South Korea and the US are doing their best to cover it up since this would tar their War history. In 10 to 20 years, those survivors will die out and we can all forget this forever. But I wish to raise awareness to this issue and remember those who died. And the most important thing is that there should never be another war here. Those who suffer the most are the innocent civilians and they are us. Let us do our best for peace ~~^^
별의목소리:
As someone born in the 90s, I cannot imagine this…I have been to the army… the pictures, they are haunting…
사이클링히트:
The fact that the US, Soviet, China, Europe and the rest of the world gathered in Korea to blow things up from one end to the other makes me sad.
이어달리기:
What is really important is that our nation killed each other, not who invaded who. I know the general election is coming up soon so we are seeing lots of stuff related to North Korea. We ought to do our best in our national defence never to repeat the tragedy, and avoid the party like GNP [link] which uses North Korea only as an electoral spoil. Our citizens are not so easily fooled by the framing of North Korea as an existential threat, and make sure that the electoral promises are kept. The North Korean military and their leadership is our chief enemy. But the North Korean residents are our people and object of unification. If we focus on war strategy, the people of North Korea will cling to their military. What we need is the Sunshine policy. China and the US have supplied them with more provision than we did. Do not indulge in that binary thinking that assumes that what we offered them has led to their building the nuclear weapon. FYI President Lee has given them more than President Kim and Noh combined. As a part of peace negotiation there’s a rumor that they even bribed the North Korean officials. Cutting down the defence budget, stalling the military reform, LotteWorld building permit, the corruption over the FX Deal, etc… This administration has absolutely NO interest in our defence and security.
이어달리기:
As soon as the election season comes around, anti-communism are all out. I wonder why?
착한_악마:
Someone wrote about the Bodo League, and my two cents…In terms of number of casualty, 560,000 – a million if you could the missing as well. Those who were murdered by the order of President Rhee are estimated to be minimum 200,000 and maximum 1,000,000. I am not defending North Korea nor do I want to forgive North Korea. All I am saying is that we should not be manipulated. Those slaughtered in the Bodo League Massacre are just poor citizens, just like the 4.03 Jeju Massacre. Even if they are communists, no one has the right to execute them without any trial. Loud voice for security and patriotism are made by those who want to market themselves and make name. I believe that when our citizens love our nation, when our citizens love our neighbors, true security will be realised.
이등병의편지:
There are quite a few errors here. The M26 is not North Korean, but American M47 Patton. The last picture with the mountain of shells is not war spoils, but the empty shells left after the Van Fleet Operation, mostly 105mm and 155mm shells. The Van Fleet Operation is… after the first spring campaign by the Chinese annihilated the ROK Second Division and the succeeding campaign annihilated the ROK Third Division in the Eastern Frontier, the US Second Army General Van Fleet took over the field operation. The operation famously involved bombarding the hell out of the Chinese stronghold continuously for a full day with + 41,000 rounds, causing over 30,000 Chinese casualties and forcing them to retreat.
