• SonKyousanJoui [he/him]
    ·
    edit-2
    3 years ago

    A declassified February 1949 CIA report had recognized “an inherent Korean sentiment against foreign interference,” that is, against the US presence on the peninsula. It also noted that Rhee’s government faced a “strong and efficient” Korean patriot under- ground. Hadn’t Hodge, and after him Rhee, spent the last four years rounding up leftists, immuring them in concentration camps, and fighting guerrillas in the countryside? Despite their efforts, culminating in 100,000 to 200,000 Korean patriots killed, 30,000 in prison and 70,000 in concentration camps, the resistance continued.

    Those 100,000 - 200,000 are between the end of WW2 and the start of the Korean War.

    After the war broke out:

    The ROK collapse was immediate. Syngman Rhee and his inner circle immediately fled, soon followed by the ROK army. Those of the South Korean military who didn’t flee defected to the North Korean side. DPRK forces liberated Seoul within three days.

    reminds me of recent events..

    (from Patriots, Traitors and Empires by Stephen Gowans)