Here is daily life in Korea looked like in the 1900s.
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Showing posts with label South Korea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Korea. Show all posts
July 9, 2014
February 6, 2014
20 Color Photographs of Korean War in the 1950s
The Korean War was a war between North Korea (with the support of China and the Soviet Union) and South Korea (with the support of the United Nations, principally from the United States). The war began on June 25, 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea.
At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union and the United States liberated Korea from imperial Japanese colonial control on August 15, 1945. After the war had ended, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into two zones of occupation, the Soviets administered the northern half and the Americans administered the southern half. With the border set at the 38th parallel in 1948, two sovereign states were established as a result of geopolitical tensions of the Cold War (between the Soviet Union and the United States). A socialist state was established in the north under the communist leadership of Kim Il-sung and a capitalist state in the south under the anti-communist leadership of Syngman Rhee. Both governments of the two new Korean states claimed to be the sole legitimate government of all of Korea, and neither accepted the border as permanent.
The conflict escalated into warfare when North Korean military (Korean People’s Army, KPA) forces—supported by the Soviet Union and China—crossed the border and advanced into South Korea on June 25, 1950. The United Nations Security Council authorized the formation of the United Nations Command and the dispatch of forces to Korea to repel what was recognized as a North Korean invasion. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel.
After the first two months of war, South Korean Army (ROKA) and the US forces rapidly dispatched to Korea were on the point of defeat. As a result, the ROKA and US troops retreated to a small area behind a defensive line known as the Pusan Perimeter. In September 1950, an amphibious UN counter-offensive was launched at Incheon, and cut off many KPA troops in South Korea. Those who escaped envelopment and capture were forced back north. UN forces invaded North Korea in October 1950 and moved rapidly towards the Yalu River—the border with China—but on October 19, 1950, Chinese forces of the People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) crossed the Yalu and entered the war.] The surprise Chinese intervention triggered a retreat of UN forces and Chinese forces were in South Korea by late December.
In these and subsequent battles, Seoul was captured four times, and communist forces were pushed back to positions around the 38th parallel, close to where the war started. After this the front stabilized and the last two years of fighting became a war of attrition, the war in the air, however, was never a stalemate. North Korea was subject to a massive US bombing campaign. Jet fighters confronted each other in air-to-air combat for the first time in history, and Soviet pilots covertly flew in defense of their communist allies.
The fighting ended on July 27, 1953 when the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. The agreement created the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to separate North and South Korea, and allowed the return of prisoners. However, no peace treaty was ever signed, and the two Koreas are technically still at war, engaged in a frozen conflict.
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At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union and the United States liberated Korea from imperial Japanese colonial control on August 15, 1945. After the war had ended, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into two zones of occupation, the Soviets administered the northern half and the Americans administered the southern half. With the border set at the 38th parallel in 1948, two sovereign states were established as a result of geopolitical tensions of the Cold War (between the Soviet Union and the United States). A socialist state was established in the north under the communist leadership of Kim Il-sung and a capitalist state in the south under the anti-communist leadership of Syngman Rhee. Both governments of the two new Korean states claimed to be the sole legitimate government of all of Korea, and neither accepted the border as permanent.
The conflict escalated into warfare when North Korean military (Korean People’s Army, KPA) forces—supported by the Soviet Union and China—crossed the border and advanced into South Korea on June 25, 1950. The United Nations Security Council authorized the formation of the United Nations Command and the dispatch of forces to Korea to repel what was recognized as a North Korean invasion. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel.
After the first two months of war, South Korean Army (ROKA) and the US forces rapidly dispatched to Korea were on the point of defeat. As a result, the ROKA and US troops retreated to a small area behind a defensive line known as the Pusan Perimeter. In September 1950, an amphibious UN counter-offensive was launched at Incheon, and cut off many KPA troops in South Korea. Those who escaped envelopment and capture were forced back north. UN forces invaded North Korea in October 1950 and moved rapidly towards the Yalu River—the border with China—but on October 19, 1950, Chinese forces of the People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) crossed the Yalu and entered the war.] The surprise Chinese intervention triggered a retreat of UN forces and Chinese forces were in South Korea by late December.
In these and subsequent battles, Seoul was captured four times, and communist forces were pushed back to positions around the 38th parallel, close to where the war started. After this the front stabilized and the last two years of fighting became a war of attrition, the war in the air, however, was never a stalemate. North Korea was subject to a massive US bombing campaign. Jet fighters confronted each other in air-to-air combat for the first time in history, and Soviet pilots covertly flew in defense of their communist allies.
The fighting ended on July 27, 1953 when the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. The agreement created the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to separate North and South Korea, and allowed the return of prisoners. However, no peace treaty was ever signed, and the two Koreas are technically still at war, engaged in a frozen conflict.
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January 5, 2014
28 Color Photographs of Korean War in the 1950s
On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War.
By July, American troops had entered the war on South Korea’s behalf. As far as American officials were concerned, it was a war against the forces of international communism itself. After some early back-and-forth across the 38th parallel, the fighting stalled and casualties mounted with nothing to show for them. Meanwhile, American officials worked anxiously to fashion some sort of armistice with the North Koreans. The alternative, they feared, would be a wider war with Russia and China–or even, as some warned, World War III.
Finally, in July 1953, the Korean War came to an end. In all, some 5 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives during the war. The Korean peninsula is still divided today.
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By July, American troops had entered the war on South Korea’s behalf. As far as American officials were concerned, it was a war against the forces of international communism itself. After some early back-and-forth across the 38th parallel, the fighting stalled and casualties mounted with nothing to show for them. Meanwhile, American officials worked anxiously to fashion some sort of armistice with the North Koreans. The alternative, they feared, would be a wider war with Russia and China–or even, as some warned, World War III.
Finally, in July 1953, the Korean War came to an end. In all, some 5 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives during the war. The Korean peninsula is still divided today.
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March 16, 2013
27 Amazing Vintage Photographs That Capture Everyday Life in Korea More Than 100 Years Ago
These rare photographs were taken from between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The pictures give a glimpse of what life was like in Korea at the end of the turn of the 20th century.
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November 17, 2012
Marilyn Monroe Traveled to Korea in February, 1954
In February 1954, Marilyn Monroe traveled to Korea to entertain the American troops. She performed a quickly thrown-together show titled Anything Goes to audiences which totaled over 100,000 troops over 4 days. Then tour was also a chance for the film star to overcome a degree of stage fright. She remarked that the Korea trip “was the best thing that ever happened to me. I never felt like a star before in my heart. It was so wonderful to look down and see a fellow smiling at me.”
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| Marilyn Monroe greets the troops during her Korea USO tour. |
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| Marilyn Monroe receives an escort while in Korea for her USO tour. |
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| Marilyn Monroe pauses for a photograph while in Korea for a USO tour. |
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| Marilyn Monroe appears onstage entertaining troops on her USO tour through Korea in 1954. |
May 15, 2012
Rarely Seen Photographs Capture Daily Life From the Korean War in the Early 1950s
In Korea, it's known as the "6-2-5 (yug ee oh) War," a reference to June 25, 1950, when the North Korean People's Army invaded the South. Among North Koreans, it's "the Fatherland Liberation War." In America, however, the Korean War is often called "The Forgotten War" — a jarringly dismissive, imperfectly accurate phrase to describe a conflict that killed millions of combatants and civilians on both sides, including close to 40,000 Americans.
The brutal conflict lasted for roughly three years, from June 1950, until 1953, when the United Nations Command, the North Korean People's Army and the Chinese People's Volunteers signed an armistice agreement. South Korean president Syngman Rhee refused to sign the document, however — meaning that, technically, North and South Korea have been at war (or, at the very least, have not been at peace) for the past six decades.
These photographs from the Korean War were taken by three of the era's finest photographers from LIFE magazine: Margaret Bourke-White, Carl Mydans and Michael Rougier.
The brutal conflict lasted for roughly three years, from June 1950, until 1953, when the United Nations Command, the North Korean People's Army and the Chinese People's Volunteers signed an armistice agreement. South Korean president Syngman Rhee refused to sign the document, however — meaning that, technically, North and South Korea have been at war (or, at the very least, have not been at peace) for the past six decades.
These photographs from the Korean War were taken by three of the era's finest photographers from LIFE magazine: Margaret Bourke-White, Carl Mydans and Michael Rougier.
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| An American serving in Korea, 1952. (Michael Rougier—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images) |
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| South Korean and American officers pore over maps, 1952. (Margaret Bourke-White—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images) |
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| Turkish soldiers attend to a wounded prisoner, Korea, 1951. (Carl Mydans—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images) |
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| Troops on patrol in Korea, 1952. (Margaret Bourke-White—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images) |
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| Bullets and gunpowder, Korea, November, 1952. (Margaret Bourke-White—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images) |
August 31, 2011
20 Vintage Photographs of the Korean War
“If the best minds in the world had set out to find us the worst possible location in the world to fight this damnable war,” U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson (1893-1971) once said, “the unanimous choice would have been Korea.”
On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. By July, American troops had entered the war on South Korea’s behalf. As far as American officials were concerned, it was a war against the forces of international communism itself.
After some early back-and-forth across the 38th parallel, the fighting stalled and casualties mounted with nothing to show for them. Meanwhile, American officials worked anxiously to fashion some sort of armistice with the North Koreans. The alternative, they feared, would be a wider war with Russia and China–or even, as some warned, World War III. Finally, in July 1953, the Korean War came to an end. In all, some 5 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives during the war. The Korean peninsula is still divided today.
Below is a collection of 20 vintage photographs of the war:
On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. By July, American troops had entered the war on South Korea’s behalf. As far as American officials were concerned, it was a war against the forces of international communism itself.
After some early back-and-forth across the 38th parallel, the fighting stalled and casualties mounted with nothing to show for them. Meanwhile, American officials worked anxiously to fashion some sort of armistice with the North Koreans. The alternative, they feared, would be a wider war with Russia and China–or even, as some warned, World War III. Finally, in July 1953, the Korean War came to an end. In all, some 5 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives during the war. The Korean peninsula is still divided today.
Below is a collection of 20 vintage photographs of the war:
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| Korean civilians pass an M-46 tank |
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| A US howitzer position near the Kum River |
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| A GI comforts a grieving infantryman |
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| The U.S. Air Force attacking railroads south of Wonsan on the eastern coast of North Korea |
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| General Douglas MacArthur, UN Command CiC (seated), observes the naval shelling of Incheon from the USS Mt. McKinley, 15 September 1950 |
May 28, 2011
Pictures of Marilyn Monroe in Korea in February, 1954
Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were on their honeymoon in Tokyo, Japan in February of 1954 when Marilyn received an invitation from General John E. Hull’s Far East command to entertain the U.S. troops stationed in war torn Korea. After a little thought and discussion with her husband she said yes. It should be said though that Joe objected to her going to Korea at that time as he feared for her safety. The armistice had just been signed in July of 1953 and she was going to do some of her shows very close to the front lines which was still a very dangerous place at that time, but she said it was ”the least she could do.”
Her whirlwind tour consisted of ten shows in four days in sub-zero temperatures. Wearing nothing but a skin tight, low cut, plum colored sequined gown, she wowed the troops with her singing, dancing, and banter. Everywhere she went she was greeted with warmth and appreciation. One Army Corps of Engineers officer said of Marilyn, “Of all the performers who came to us in Korea-and there were a half a dozen or so-she was the best...
It was bitter cold, but she was in no hurry to leave. Marilyn was a great entertainer. She made thousands of GI’s feel like she really cared.” Marilyn performed with a band made up of eleven servicemen called Anything Goes. Her pianist, Albert Guastafeste was taken aback by how down to earth and modest she was. He was quoted as saying,”Someone ought to go up to her and tell her she is Marilyn Monroe. She doesn’t seem to realize it. When you make a goof she tells you she’s sorry. When she goofs, she apologizes to me!”
During her tour she also visited hospitals in Japan where wounded servicemen lay, stopping to talk, shaking hands, signing autographs, posing with all that asked for pictures. Even though she was totally exhausted from the tour and caught a mild case of pneumonia, she later told her friend Amy Greene that the Korea tour was one of the highlights of her entire career.
Her whirlwind tour consisted of ten shows in four days in sub-zero temperatures. Wearing nothing but a skin tight, low cut, plum colored sequined gown, she wowed the troops with her singing, dancing, and banter. Everywhere she went she was greeted with warmth and appreciation. One Army Corps of Engineers officer said of Marilyn, “Of all the performers who came to us in Korea-and there were a half a dozen or so-she was the best...
It was bitter cold, but she was in no hurry to leave. Marilyn was a great entertainer. She made thousands of GI’s feel like she really cared.” Marilyn performed with a band made up of eleven servicemen called Anything Goes. Her pianist, Albert Guastafeste was taken aback by how down to earth and modest she was. He was quoted as saying,”Someone ought to go up to her and tell her she is Marilyn Monroe. She doesn’t seem to realize it. When you make a goof she tells you she’s sorry. When she goofs, she apologizes to me!”
During her tour she also visited hospitals in Japan where wounded servicemen lay, stopping to talk, shaking hands, signing autographs, posing with all that asked for pictures. Even though she was totally exhausted from the tour and caught a mild case of pneumonia, she later told her friend Amy Greene that the Korea tour was one of the highlights of her entire career.
