ABSTRACT
According to US General Omar Bradley, the Korean War (1950-53) was “the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong enemy.”1 It was also a “limited war” that the Chinese military fought for the first time in history. It remained a conventional war though the United States warned the Chinese of possible use of nuclear weapons.2 Kim Il Sung wanted to unify Korea especially after the success of the Chinese Communist Party in the Civil War on the mainland in 1949. Stalin changed his attitude toward Kim’s decision from hesitation in 1949 to support in 1950 resulting from his miscalculation about possible American involvement. Mao never wanted to fight the American-led United Nations troops directly, but out of ideological and security concerns was forced to get involved.3 Mao prepared for a full-
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developments on the battlefield prohibited either party from winning a complete victory. Negotiations for a ceasefire went on until July 27, 1953. The war ended with the signing of an armistice but the problem of a divided Korea remains to the present day.4
