Why did war erupt on the Korean Peninsula in 1950?
Nobody was satisfied with the division of Korea after World War II – not the Americans, the Soviets, the Chinese, or Koreans themselves. The Japanese had colonised and exploited Korea ruthlessly for decades. There were Korean expatriates living in the United States, and Syngman Rhee was one of them. Expatriate Koreans also lived in China, and some sought shelter with Mao’s Eighth Route Army during World War II, thinking Mao would lead the liberation of Korea. Kim Il-sung is a murky character, and he was anointed by the Soviets as their man in Korea. They gave him military assistance to field a modern army. The Koreans are a proud and patriotic people, South and North, and they would
