The Korean War: Panmumjom Cease Fire Talks (July 1951-July 1953)

Figure 1.--Hopes were raised when Korean cease fire talks began (July 1951). Disapointingly little progress was made because of an impass on the POWs with the Communists demanding forced repatriation as Stalin had done after World War II. Thus fighting and casualties cntinued for two years. Unlike the first year of fighting, civilian casualties were limited because combat was klargely cinfined to a narrow band along the 38th paralell and civilians wereable to mostly out of the way. There were, however, some civilian casualties. This photograph shows an injured boy. The press caption read, "Injured Child: A korean mother cradles her injured son in her arms as she sits on the ground at Panmunjom while UN officers investigate Red charge that child was injured by Allied strafing. UN officiakls have said that an Allkied plane did strafe the neutral zone." The photigraph was dated October 17, 1951. A photoigraph like this showing civilians killed by Communist forces would never have aopopeared in Vhinese or North Korean newspaoers. Siource: U.S. Army photograoph.

The War was essentially stalemated in 1951. President Truman was unwilling to commit the forces for another drive into North Korea. General Ridgway began truce negotiations with the North Koreans and Chinese (July 10, 1951). Peace talks with the Communists, however, were frustrating. The ceasefire line would essentially be the positions the two sides held. There was very little then to be negotited. The major issue became the Communist demand that all Korean and Chinese POWs be returned, even the ones who did not want to be repatriated. The Chinese were convinced that the Americans would eventually tire of the War. The War virtually ended on 10 July 1951, when representatives from the warring parties met in a restaurant in Kaesong to negotiate an end to the war. Although the two principal parties to the conflict-the governments of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (ROK or South Korea)-were more than willing to fight to the death, their chief patrons-the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union on the one hand and the United States and the United Nations (UN) on the other-were not. Twelve months of bloody fighting had convinced Mao Tse-tung, Joseph V. Stalin, and Harry S. Truman that it was no longer in their respective national interests to try and win a total victory in Korea. The costs in terms of men and materiel were too great, as were the risks that the conflict might escalate into a wider, global conflagration. Consequently, they compelled their respective Korean allies to accept truce talks as the price for their continued military, economic, and diplomatic support. For the soldiers at the front and the people back home, the commencement of negotiations raised hopes that the war would soon be over, but such was not to be. While desirous of peace, neither side was willing to sacrifice core principles or objectives to obtain it. The task of finding common ground was further complicated by the Communists' philosophy of regarding negotiations as war by other means. This tactic significantly impeded the negotiations. And while the negotiators engaged in verbal combat around the conference table, the soldiers in the field continued to fight and die-for 2 more long and tortuous years. President Truman and his new military commanders started peace talks at Panmunjom (July 1951). Still, the fighting continued along the 38th parallel as negotiations stalled. Both sides were willing to accept a ceasefire that maintained the 38th parallel boundary, but they could not agree on whether prisoners of war should be forcibly 'repatriated'. (The Chinese and the North Koreans said yes; the United States said no.) Finally, after more than two years of negotiations, the adversaries signed an armistice on July 27, 1953. The agreement allowed the POWs to stay where they liked; drew a new boundary near the 38th parallel that gave South Korea an extra 1,500 square miles of territory; and created a 2-mile-wide “demilitarized zone” that still exists today.

Military Stalemate

The War was essentially militarily stalemated in 1951. American firepower prevented further Chinese advances South. And President Truman did not want to provide the forces needed for another advnce north. Given the forces the Chinese deployed in North Kora, it would have been a costly ground campaign.' The United Nations urged that Communist China agree to a cease-fire afyer whivh diplomatic negotiations could begin for a permanent settlement of the Korean problem. Without a ceasefire the possibility existed of attacks on Chinese bases in Manchuria, a step President Truman was reluctant to take. The Chinese Communists, however, after their succesful drive south halfway down the Peninsula were making unacceptable demands. They insisted that 1) there would be no ceasefire until United Nations (meaning primarily American) forces withdrew from Korea, 2) the United States ceased protecting the Nationalist Chinese on Taiwan, and 3) the United Nations recognize the Communist regime as the legitimate government of China. Actualy the United States had not begun protectinbg the Nationalists on Formosa/Taiwan ubtil the Communists invaded South Korea.

Preliminary Contacts

General Ridgway who replaced Gen. MacArthur began truce negotiations with the Communist North Koreans and Chinese (July 10, 1951). Representatives from the warring parties met in a restaurant in Kaesong to negotiate an end to the War. Peace talks with the Communists, however, were frustrating. The ceasefire line would essentially be the positions the two sides held. There was very little then to be negotited about the new border, usually the most difficult aspect of a peace negotiation. The major issue became the Communist demand that all North Korean and Chinese POWs be returned, even the ones who did not want to be repatriated. The Chinese were convinced that the Americans would eventually tire of the War. They did not have a public demanding an end to the War. The War virtually ended when the first peace contacts occurred, but Chinese attacks and thus casualties continued.

Concerns

Although the two principal parties to the conflict-the governments of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (ROK or South Korea)-were more than willing to fight to the death, their chief patrons-the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union on the one hand and the United States and the United Nations (UN) on the other-were not. Twelve months of bloody fighting had convinced Mao Tse-tung, Joseph V. Stalin, and Harry S. Truman that it was no longer in their respective national interests to try and win a total victory in Korea. The costs in terms of men and materiel were too great, as were the risks that the conflict might escalate into a wider, global conflagration. Consequently, they compelled their respective Korean allies to accept truce talks as the price for their continued military, economic, and diplomatic support.

Impass

While desirous of peace, neither side was willing to sacrifice core principles or objectives to obtain it. The task of finding common ground was further complicated by the Communists' philosophy of regarding negotiations as war by other means. This tactic significantly impeded the negotiations. And while the negotiators engaged in verbal combat around the conference table, the soldiers in the field continued to fight and die-for 2 more long and tortuous years.

Initial Contacts

The Soviets floated a peace feeler. General Ridgway wjo had replaced Gen. MacArthur proposed a meeting to discuss a cease-fire (June 30). Communist China and North Korea promptly agreed. The talks began at Kaesong (July 10, 1951). President Truman and his new military commanders started peace talks.

Panmunjom Cease Fire Talks

The ceasefire talks were trnsferred to Panumunjom. Still, the fighting continued along the 38th parallel as negotiations stalled. Both sides agter initial haggling proved willing to accept a ceasefire that maintained the 38th parallel as a demilitarized position. They could not agree on whether how to deal with the POWs. Panmunjom today, other than Seoul, is the most famous place in Korea. It was before the Korean War a small undestinguished village just north of what became the defacto border between North and South Korea which was established after World War II. Once the front was stabilized, United Nations forces met with North Korean and Chinese representatives at Panmunjeom (1951-53). The talks continued intermably for months with no conclusion. The Chinese made outrageous charges that the United States was waging chemical and biological warfare. The Japanese had during World War II, not the Americans. The Chinese sid suffer enormous casualties, but mostly because they launched human wave attacks in the face od well entrmnched American forces backed by heavy artillery. The principal issue that defied resolution was the disposition of the prisoners of war (POWs). South Korea was uncompromising in its demand for a unified Korea, but the major issue was the POWs. The Chinese demanded thay all their POWs be repatriated. Considerable numbers of Chinese and North Koreas did not want to return home which the Chinese found intolerable to admit. There was not problem with the basic issue of repatriation. But quite a number of the Communist POWS did not wanbt to be repatriated. The Comminists demanded that they should be forcibly repatriated. The United Natiions refused to do this. And thus the fighting continued.

POWs

Most of the soldiers captured during the Korean War wer South Korean, North Korean and Chinese. We are not sure what the North Korean policy was toward POWs at the onset of the War when they invased South Korea swept south. We know that units simply shot men they captured rather than taking them captive. One such incident occurred furing the battle of Taejon--the Chaplain–Medic massacre (July 16, 1950). North Korean soldiers murdered 30 unarmed, critically wounded United States Army soldiers and an unarmed chaplain. Just how common this was and how captured South Korean soldiers were treated we cannot yet say. There were itger such incidents. The best known is the Hill 303 massacre. Historians today generally agree that these killings were not ordered by the North Korean commanders. The question of course arises as to whu so many unit commanders has no scruples about killing unarmed captives, even criticlly wounded men. American inteligence intercepts found that North Korean commanders, concerned about how prisoners were being treate, established stricter guidelines for handling th men captured. This was difficult to enforce in the chaos of th U.N. offensive followung th Inchon landings. Desperate and retreating men were actually more prone to take recenge on POWs as well as civiliams. [Appleman. p. 350.] We do not know if any North Koreans were ever punished for by their government for war crimes. Not do we know if the Chinese Communist Army after they intervened behaved any differently. Some 5,000 U.N. POWs, mostly Americans, but also British, Turkish, and Australian POWs) were taken by the Comminists, primarily early in the War during the initual Chinese intervention. They were kept by the Chinese Army at Pyoktong POW camps. These camps (five cluster units) were locatead near Pyoktong, North Korea, near the borderline between China and North Korea. The major issue in the peace talks becme the repatriation of the Communist POWs. The Communists demanded that all Korean and Chinese POWs be returned, even the ones who did not want to be repatriated. There was a POW uprisings at Koje-do. The Communists eventually accepted the voluntary repatriation, but only if the majority of the POW's would return to China or North Korea. This did not, however prove to be the case. North Korean and Chinese negotgistors found this embarassing as they claimed tht thy had created worker paradises. Many Coomunist POWS, both North Koreans anbd Chinese, refused to be repatriated. The negotiations and thus the War continued until the Communists eventually agreed to drop the issue. The repatiated U.N. POWs reported mistreatment and abuse including torture.

Armistice (July 1953)

The Communist calculation in prolonging the was that the American opublic would tire of gthe War and demand and end to it. This proved a miscalculation. The public did tire of the War, but they elected a military hero, Gen. Dwight Eisenhiower who promoised go to Korea and end the War. He not only went to Korea, but secretly passed to the Chinese that without a ceasefire agreement, he would begin bombing Chinese bases in Manchuria, possibly with nuclear weapons. THis broke the impass. Finally after 2 years of acrimonious negotiation, agreement on the POW question was reached (June 8, 1953). POWs declined repatriationn were placed under a neutral supervising commission for 3 months to ensure they were not being coerced. After the 3 months, the POWs who still refused repatriation would be released. They were mostly Chinese nd North Koreans. Among them were 22 American and British POWs, all but two of whom chose to defect to the People's Republic of China. With agreement on the POWs, after 3 years of war the Armistice Agreement was quickly agreed to and signed (June 27, 1953). It is widely believed that newly elected President Eisenhower's thily veiled threat to use nuclear weapons broke the meat-grinder stalemate. Slight adjustments were made to the frintline. A a new boundary near the 38th parallel that gave South Korea an extra 1,500 square miles of territory. And a 2-mile-wide demilitarized zone (DMZ) was created that still exists today.

Panmunjoem

A new site nearby was built for future talks (September 1953)--Panmujeom. Note the slightly different spelling. The Joint Security Area (JSA) is now located about 1 km east of what the village of Panmunjom. After the War and the signing of the armistice. The North Koreans and South Koreans removed from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), except for two villages near the JSA on opposite sides of the Military Demarcation Line. The emptied village of Panmunjom fell into disrepair and was over taken by the local flora. No evidence of it remains today. The building constructed for the signing of the armistice has been renamed by North Korea as the Peace Museum. It remains one of the last vestiges of the Cold War.

Created: 2:22 PM 4/25/2018
Last updated: 2:22 PM 4/25/2018