On the other hand, there were a handful of free, democratic nations that still stood firm in the belief that communism was still a major threat to the world.

In the end, “the roots of ROK resistance to the armistice rested in a bed of insecurity and frustration.”

What needs to be realized is that there are those who believe there can be no firm peace in the Far East until Communist China has been conquered. Some of these are Far Eastern political figures such as Rhee and Chiang Kai-shek. Some are US military figures such as General Van Fleet and Admiral Radford. Some are American politicians such as Senator Knowland and Representative Judd.

Despite all the criticism Syngman Rhee received for delaying the signing of the armistice, the question of whether the U.S. acted in the best interest of South Korea still remains. President Eisenhower, despite all its experience in diplomacy, was still inexperienced in dealing with Communists. For the Koreans who had been oppressed by major powers many a time in its history, this was a matter of freedom. The ROKs, fighting for their country, defined both a military objective, and had the will to achieve it, something the UN failed to do. South Korea was not a member of the UN but had taken most of the casualties 200,000 soldiers and 1,000,000 civilians. Communist China permitted General Nam Il of North Korea to front as chief delegate at Panmunjom. It was an act of political tact in marked contrast with our policy of keeping the South Korean delegate at the bottom of the totem pole. What had the UN accomplished? It had failed to discipline the principal aggressors. It had succeeded only in bullying the principle victim of aggression – forcing it to choose between a dishonorable armistice and national suicide. This alliance was afraid of Soviet Russia and an enlarged war. The U.S. entered a war that it didn’t have the heart to finish. Today, the peace is still shaky between North and South Korea. U.S. troops still occupy South Korea. The people of modern Korea are still suffering today with the mistakes that were made over half a century ago, mistakes that could have easily been prevented. Had the U.S. heeded Rhee’s warnings and trusted his insight, the Korean War would not have ended up in the deepest, darkest corner of American history.

Some topics in this essay:
Republic Korea, South Korean, Syngman Rhee, North Korea, South Korea, President Rhee, Korea United, Independence Seoul, Day American, Chan Yang, republic korea, south korea, * *, syngman rhee, * * *, 38th parallel, president eisenhower, north korea, van fleet, south korean, united nations, chinese north koreans, stood firm belief, crossed 38th parallel,