ABSTRACT

Two sad exchanges of combatants followed the conclusion of the Korean War. In the first, the opposing sides returned prisoners of war (POWs) in Operation Big Switch, but left out tens of thousands. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) did not hand back more than 80,000 South Koreans it used for labor or had conscripted during the short occupation of the Republic of Korea (ROK). The United Nations Command (UNC) kept POWs numbering in the low five digits. A core of genuinely anti-Communist prisoners had terrorized many more into renouncing repatriation. Another exchange was less politicized, but more poignant. The unpredictable fighting of the war left trails of bodies in forgotten corners at both ends of the peninsula. Operation Glory in 1954 disinterred and exchanged thousands of bodies, part of a new ethos in the handling of post-war remains. Both Glory and Big Switch reflected the U.S. government’s significant effort to meet or manage public expectations. The novel circumstances of the Korean War also effected both operations. The military stalemate shifted the measure of success from defeating the enemy in the field to out-shining him in public relations maneuvers that often involved prisoners. This turned Big Switch into a politicized jumble. Prolonged fighting for unclear objectives made the war unpopular in the United States, obligating the U.S. government to be responsive to the public where it could, such as in caring for the remains of American soldiers.