Cold Open

It’s June 25th, 1950 in a small South Korean village close to the border with North Korea.

Local farmer Min Jun Son sits down for a much-needed rest in the shade after a morning of hard work. He wipes the sweat from his brow with his forearm then takes a long drink of water from a bottle. As he does, he listens to the birds for a moment… but that sound is soon replaced by the rumble of engines. Min Jun stands and squints into the distance, trying to find the source of the noise.

At first, all he can make out is a line of blocky silhouettes. Then, the shapes come closer, and he realizes what he can see is a line of tanks rolling over the countryside. He watches in fascination as they get closer, and then it hits him: these aren’t South Korean troops, they’re North Koreans.

Min Jun drops his water and runs straight for his village. He has to warn his neighbors before it’s too late.

But he’s not fast enough. As he approaches his village, the tanks behind him open fire. Min Jun flings himself to the ground.

The small buildings of his village are no match for the shelling.

So, pressed against the earth, Min Jun can only watch as his home is ripped apart. The noxious smell of explosives invades his nostrils. He can barely see anything through the smoke, dust, and fire consuming the village, but the screams of his neighbors are unmistakable.

This attack on the border village is just the start of a brutal conflict between North and South Korea. But it's more than just a regional territorial dispute. The Korean War is the first major confrontation between the forces of East and West in the Cold War. North Korea will rely on the support of Communist China and the Soviet Union, while South Korea will have the backing of the United States and its allies. The war will draw in troops from 22 different nations and cost the lives of over two million civilians before an armistice is finally signed, ending the conflict that began the day North Korean tanks rolled over the 38th parallel on June 25th, 1950.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is June 25th, 1950: The Korean War Begins.

Act One

It's August 14th, 1945, in Washington DC, during the final days of World War II, five years before the start of the Korean War.

In a quiet room deep inside the Pentagon, Colonel Charles Bonesteel removes his glasses, rubs his eyes, and takes a fortifying sip of coffee. He and his colleague, Colonel Dean Rusk, have been studying a map of Asia for hours now, especially Korea.

Korea has been occupied by the Japanese since 1910. Now, though, Imperial Japan is on the verge of defeat, and the future of Korea is in doubt. As far as the US is concerned, the greatest threat now comes from the Soviet Union. The White House is concerned that the Soviets advancing into Korea from the north may attempt to seize and occupy the entire peninsula. So, Colonels Bonesteel and Rusk have been charged with dividing the country in two, creating a strong, defendable border between the north and the south. The hope is that America can then maintain a presence in South Korea to deter Soviet encroachment.

The two Colonels have agreed that the Korean capital, Seoul, should be in the American sector. So, they’ve been studying the land north of the city to find the best spot for a new border.

The pair take turns suggesting where the line should be, but there’s an objection or a problem with every idea. Frustration is settling in. The two Colonels glare at the map in silence annoyed that what seems like a simple task is proving so difficult. But then, as Colonel Bonesteel’s gaze washes over the map yet again, he’s struck by a moment of inspiration.

He stabs a finger at the map, pointing at the 38th parallel, 38 degrees north of the equator. It’s one of many imaginary lines on maps of the world used for navigation. Colonel Bonesteel suggests that could be the border. It would split the Korean peninsula almost precisely in two, and keep the capital in the south.

Colonel Bonesteel expects an objection, but when he looks up, he sees Colonel Rusk smiling and nodding in agreement. Colonel Bonesteel breathes a sigh of relief because finally, they discovered something they can agree on.

The two men spend the next few hours working their way along the proposed line, looking for any issues, anticipating questions they might get from those above them in the chain of command. But when they are satisfied, they call in their senior officers and walk them through the plan.

Some of their superiors argue that this border would give too much land to the Soviets, suggesting using the 39th parallel instead. But Colonels Bonesteel and Rusk stick to their guns. They are adamant that the Soviets will reject any proposal that goes any further north, and the two men argue their case convincingly. Finally, everyone in the room agrees that the 38th parallel is the right proposal.

The plan is sent over to U.S. President Harry Truman and approved the same day. But without agreement from the Soviets, it is still just a suggestion. Many at the Pentagon expect the Soviets to demand a dividing line far more in their favor, or maybe to even reject the proposal entirely. That would prompt a crisis that could lead to another war.

Just two days later though, on August 16th, 1945, the Soviets surprise the US by agreeing to the deal, and just like that, Korea is split in two. When news filters back to Colonel Bonesteel and Rusk in Washington, they celebrate their small victory and the place in history it will inevitably bring, blissfully unaware of the fallout that's coming because the invisible line they’ve drawn on a map will divide more than just a patch of land. It will cut villages and towns in two. It will separate families and friends and divide an entire people against their will.

What follows is a period of social and political tension for Korea. Joint UN forces led by the US and the Soviets occupy the divided country for a time, but by 1949, both Cold War powers have withdrawn their troops. Hopes that the country might then be reunited quickly fall apart. What emerges are two new countries with two very different regimes: The Communist Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the north, and the Republic of Korea in the south. Each claims to be the legitimate government of a unified Korea that no longer exists. And as the months drag on, tensions rise between the two countries. Hopes of a diplomatic solution will slip away. And in the summer of 1950, the Korean peninsula will be plunged into war.

Act Two

It’s September 13th, 1951, in North Korea, just over a year after the outbreak of the Korean War.

A few miles north of the 38th Parallel, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Virgil Craven stands at his command post, near a place called Heartbreak Ridge. He massages his temples, wondering if he can grab a few hours’ sleep. He and his men have been here for over a week and everyone’s exhausted, but they have to stay alert – their new orders could come through at any moment.

After North Korea invaded the South in June 1950, the world’s attention was captured by this new brewing conflict. The communist government in the north had the backing of China and the Soviets. If they managed to conquer the rest of the peninsula, it would mean communism would spread yet further into Asia, and that was unacceptable to American President Harry Truman. So he ordered U.S. troops into South Korea to help repel the invaders.

After initial defeats at the hands of the North Koreans, the US and South Korean forces managed to regain ground and push back against the invasion.

But now, though, over a year later, momentum has slowed. On the front line, the fighting seems endless, and at his command post near Heartbreak Ridge, Lieutenant Colonel Virgil Craven has just started making his way back to his quarters when he hears his name called from behind. He turns to see a communications officer approaching, a piece of paper in his hands. It’s fresh orders.

Craven reads through the instructions twice to make sure he understands correctly. Then he slips the order into his pocket and lets out a small sigh. He looks around at the soldiers in the camp, knowing that he’s about to shatter the brief moment of peace they’ve enjoyed since the end of their last battle.

After dismissing the communications officer, Craven summons his section leaders and gathers them around a large map of the region. They’re to prepare for an immediate advance. The men around the table watch, their faces grim, as Colonel Craven traces his finger across the map, showing them the route they'll likely take.

Their orders are to take the three peaks on the ridge ahead to disrupt enemy communications and secure a better position for a larger offensive planned for later.

But unbeknownst to the Americans, the North Korean forces have spent the last week fortifying their positions in this exact area. They’ve dug trenches and restocked ammunition, anticipating that their enemy will make a press to take more territory. Now, they’re just waiting.

And when his troops are prepared, Colonel Craven gives the order for artillery regiments to open fire on known enemy positions. For thirty minutes the US guns pound into Heartbreak Ridge, kicking up clouds of dirt and debris.

Then when the dust settles, Colonel Craven leads his men north. The soldiers advance cautiously, scanning ahead for enemy troops, but for the first several miles they encounter little resistance. After a while, the soldiers begin to relax. Colonel Craven can hear his men talking quietly, some of them even laughing as they advance.

Then, as they summit the next ridge, laughter is quickly stifled by the whistle of incoming shells and the crack of gunfire all around them. The North Koreans are raining down mortars, artillery machine gun fire on the US troops. For Colonel Craven’s men, it’s bedlam.

Colonel Craven yells to regroup, and orders two and three sections to provide covering fire while the third continues forward. His plan is that they'll take turns advancing, and progress slowly up the ridge.

But the fighting is as fierce as Colonel Craven has ever encountered. As night falls, with the three peaks still unsecured, he realizes that all hope of a swift victory has been dashed. He and his men are in for a long haul.

The brutal battle rages on for weeks, and with each side winning and conceding ground day by day in a constant bloody tug of war. In the end, the United States and their allies are able to gain the upper hand, and finally secure control of Heartbreak Ridge on October 13th, 1951, a month after the operation began.

Despite this success though, the broader war in Korea is still at a stalemate. There will be no clear winner in this Cold War clash between East and West. And with neither side able to defeat the other, negotiations will finally begin to bring this destructive conflict to an end.

Act Three

It’s the morning of July 27th, 1953, in a small village on the border between North and South Korea, almost two years after the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge.

Three tables have been set up in a hastily constructed timber hall. Sitting at one table is US Army Lieutenant General William K. Harrison. Sitting at another is the representative from the forces of North Korea. Stacked on the smaller table between the two men are leather-bound copies of the two-volume Armistice agreement which is ready to be signed.

Truce negotiations between the warring parties have been taking place, off and on, for eighteen months. As the bitter fighting continued on the front line, representatives from both sides met periodically to try to arrive at a peace agreement. But the breakthrough didn’t come until March 1953. With the death of the autocratic Premier of the Soviet Union, Josef Stalin, North Korea’s most powerful ally became embroiled in a power struggle. There was no appetite among Stalin’s squabbling successors to continue Soviet support for the war in Korea. So instead, they called for a truce.

This gave peace talks fresh impetus. And now, finally, an agreement has been reached.

An aide hands General Harrison the first copy of the Armistice. He picks up his pen and signs. The aide then whisks the document away and hands it over ready for the North Korean general to sign. Back and forth the copies go, eighteen of them in all, until the agreement is finally official.

The armistice establishes the "complete cessation of all hostilities in Korea by all armed forces." The text also formally introduces a demilitarized zone to keep the two nations apart, and it makes arrangements for the repatriation of the dead as well as tens of thousands of prisoners of war. But the agreement is merely one between military forces - it does not officially end the war and it does not normalize relations between the two rival Korean governments. Still, it does stop most of the bloodshed.

Fighting in the Korean War will finally end 12 hours after the agreement is signed. But true, lasting peace will remain elusive. For decades afterward, North and South Korea will be locked in a frozen conflict - neither in open war nor at peace. Across the 38th Parallel, two suspicious nations will continue eyeing each other, watching for any resumption of the conflict that began years earlier when North Korean tanks crossed the border on June 25th, 1950.

Outro

Next on History Daily. June 26th, 1974. After decades of research and development, the first UPC barcode is successfully scanned at a grocery store in Ohio.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Mollie Baack.

Music by Thrumm.

This episode is written and researched by Michael Brown.

Edited by Joel Callen.

Managing producer Emily Burke.

Executive Producers are William Simpson for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.