Introduction
Upon casual observation, the Korean War may appear to have been merely another cruel civil war, of no concern to the rest of the world. Only by closer examination can we hope to see the true depth of the conflict, and thus comprehend the current state of world affairs. To gain this knowledge, one must look to the past.
An ancient Korean proverb declares that when two whales battle, the shrimp is crushed between them. Much to her misfortune, the "Land of the Morning Calm" has always been the shrimp of the east, cast into a troubled sea between the giant whales of Russia, China and Japan. In the summer of 1950, the prophecy would be realised during the conflict between ideological giants which was the Korean War. A study in contrasts, the terrain of the Korean peninsula varies drastically. Great lunar mountain ranges of the north and east balance deep valleys and lowlands of the south and west. Rich with minerals and industry, the north could scarcely survive without the agriculture of the south. Rivers, great and small, traverse the land, swelling with the seasonal monsoons.
Mongols and Manchus have used the Korean valleys as roadways to victory, and modern nations have also known the strategic value of Korea. By 1905, Russia and Japan sought to expand their Empires, often in competition. China was a likely target, too large and poorly organised to defend its treasures. Vital Manchuria tempted each, but Korea had to be held as a gateway to those goals.
With a crushing victory over the Russian fleet off Tsushima, Japan seized Korea, proved itself a genuine world power, and began a bloody 40 year occupation. The flower of Korean independence fell swiftly to the Samurai sword. The United States found it convenient to forget a mutual assistance agreement with Korea, recognising its own lack of military effectiveness halfway around the globe. With the passing of WWI and the Russian revolution, Korean guerillas found new hope with the advent of communism and grave losses were dealt to the Japanese occupation forces. Nevertheless, Imperial expansion continued and in 1931, the Mukden Incident was swiftly followed by occupation of all Manchuria. In 1939 Russia and Japan signed a non-aggression pact and the two whales agreed upon relative peace. With the Tripartite Axis Pact of 1940 however, Axis nations had set themselves against the world. Colonial attitudes, so acceptable in the 19th century, would reap a horrible cost in tens of millions of lives by 1945. The outcome would shake Korea to the foundation.
U.S. strategy in the Pacific War, and the development of a mighty strategic bombing force, gradually negated Japan's ability to make war. Yet the wisdom of military planners became clouded by the political desire for an "unconditional" surrender. Fearing the loss of their divine Emperor, Japan was forced to fight to the bitter end. Foreseeing a bloody conclusion to the war, the U.S. insisted on Russian entry into the conflict at the Potsdam Conference. This one, stupid act, more than any other, may well have set the stage for world politics as we now know it.
Russia did enter the Pacific War August 8th, 1945, two days before Japan surrendered and not until the U.S. had guaranteed the survival of the Emperor. In short, the U.S had expended 95% of the war effort in defeating Russia's historic rival, and had then encouraged Russia to seize the initiative! By war's end, Russia had occupied the Baltic States and half of Germany in the west, and Manchuria and half of Korea in the east.
As a line of demarcation, the 38th parallel was agreed upon in Korea, with Russia accepting Japanese surrender in the north, and the U.S. doing likewise in the south. With the sudden collapse of Japan, Russia took possession of strategic areas and vast amounts of war materiel. Manchuria and Japanese arms were given to the Chinese communists, who were then able to tip the scale in the Chinese Civil War and win the mainland. Further, many thousands of Koreans who had fought the Japanese were given further experience in communist Chinese divisions. They would return one day to their homeland, with the aim of resolving their own political issues.
In November 1947, the United Nations General Assemblyestablished a Temporary Commission on Korea, to supervise anational election. Refusing to accept that authority, Russia established an interim (communist) government in the north
of Korea. Nevertheless, the UN held its election in May 1948 in all areas accessible; i.e. south of the 38th parallel. Syngman Rhee was elected president of the newly formed Republic of Korea. In August 1948 the Russians staged an election in the north, producing the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and Premier Kim Il Sung. Each government claimed rule over all of Korea, but in December 1948 the General Assembly recognised the ROK as the legitimate representative and called for withdrawal of Russian and U.S. forces. By the summer of 1949 the withdrawals were complete. Korea was left to fend for itself, and the ancient proverb would soon prove to be an accurate prophecy. This time the shrimp would be the Korean population, crushed between the opposing armies, acting out the hostilities of Cold War politics. With both sides clamouring for violent reunification, and border clashes a common occurrence, a bloody civil war was virtually assured. War was inevitable.

AFTERMATH
By the end of April 1951, the JCS realised that it was unlikely for the war to end by decisive victory for either side. In effect, stalemate had occurred. Seeking non-military pressure to force an end to the war, the UN General Assembly placed an economic embargo on the PRoC on May 18th, 1951.
As both sides sat down to negotiate, the delegations agreed by late July to the certain terms.
(1) The adoption of an agenda for future talks.
(2) The creation of a "Demilitarised Zone" along the 38th parallel.
(3) The creation of a body to supervise the DMZ.
(4) An arrangement for POW release.
(5) The development of recommendations to governments concerned with the war.
As political pressure stalled the UN advance, the PRoC took advantage of the lull to entrench and fortify north of the 38th parallel. Virtual WWI trench warfare had become the latest twist in the Gordian knot of the Korean War. After one year of open warfare, two years of negotiation dragged on. New pressure was required to force the PRoC to settle the issue.
Following the death of Joseph Stalin and the election of President Eisenhower, the US renewed thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons. An armistice was signed in July 1953 but no formal peace treaty has ever been agreed upon. In the course of the war, the US lost 34,000 troops, the ROK 50,000, the NKPR 500,000 and the PRoC 900,000. It should be noted that the North Korean and Chinese casualties are American estimates and should possibly be taken with a grain (or ten) of salt. In addition, most of the Korean Peninsula was laid waste.
Little was resolved between the emerging super-powers and if one benefit from this bloody war was evident, it was the horrific cost and minimal gains of conventional warfare fought by massive, modern and determined armies.