Beijing should stop making historical distortion for Korean War

It has turned out from classified documents revealed after former Soviet Union collapsed that the Korean War was the making of three figures; Kim Il Sung, Stalin and Mao Zedong who conspired the invasion to South Korea. Some 20 years on now, however, the Chinese government is abruptly getting anxious to contend that it assisted North Korea by standing against the U.S. during the war, aggressively promoting its argument with video clips.

In 2010 when incumbent Chinese President Xi Jinping was vice president, he stirred an international controversy by beautifying China’s intervention to the Korean War as a “great war that fought against the U.S. and assisted North Korea” and a “war of justice that protected peace and stood up to the invasion” as Mao did in the past. Back then, the Hu Jintao government offered an explanation that what he said was a reasonable argument officially established by Bejing but has been conscious of the Washington by refraining from using the expression. Since then, China has used neutral expression‎ of “Chosun War” to indicate the Korean War except for special occasions and heavily censored any movies or TV dramas that cover the war in the context of fighting against the U.S. while helping North Korea.

Since Xi took office and America-China relations have begun deteriorating due to disputes over the South China Sea, things have started to change since early this year. China aired an anti-U.S. movie entitled “38th Parallel” through its network in May and granted a permission to play “My War” at theaters in September. Starting from Oct. 18, Beijing Television is to air a children animation, titled “My dearest person,” on its cartoon channel. In the case of the movie “My War,” Chinese veterans, in a promotional clip for the movie aired in the TV in advance. said in a bus that they used to visit Seoul with the red flag, not with their passports some 50 years ago  Their remarks has come under criticism in China and abroad, for having had despised South Korea. An Internet TV in Hong Kong made a harsh criticism by calling it “Shame on China.”

Beijing’s official stance on the Korean War is well expressed in an introductory narration at the first episode of “38th Parallel.” According to the drama, as the war broke out at the divided Chosun peninsular at dawn on June 25, 1950, the U.S. officially entered the war, making the civil conflict in Chosun as an international war.

In fact, however, Mao Zedong, under the direction of Stalin, intervened the Korean War from the very beginning. The fact was revealed in detail by multiple scholars from the Western countries and conscientious Chinese scholars such as Xu Zerong (aka David Tsui, professor at Zhongshan University) and Shen Zhihua (professor at East China Normal University). Xu Zerong was charged with crime of state secret leakage by the authorities and had to be imprisoned for 11 years. “China should offer an official apology to Korean people for having caused such a pain and make proper compensation. That will be a new beginning for friendly relationship between China and Korea,” he told a Korean journalist after he was released with a special pardon.

China made a step-by-step involvement to the Korean War. First, in May 1949, a year before the War, Mao Zedong decided to hand over three army divisions of Koreans under Communist Chinese army to North Korean army at the request of Kim Il Sung, making them be attacking forces at the front line when invading the South. Back then, Mao made detailed questions about the plan for unification by force to Kim Il Sung’s envoy and expressed his intention to support Pyongyang if needed.

Second, when Stalin, on the condition of support from Mao Zedong, approved the plan of invasion to the South to Kim Il Sung who was visiting Moscow around April 1950, Mao promised Kim to support North Korea if any foreign forces intervened against its invasion to the South. All this made it possible for Kim Il Sung to invade from the North.

(Dr. Tsui’s original quotations in his book)

“Stalin was also the coach who had not only trained the runners, but also arranged the second runner, Mao, to take the relay baton from the first runner, Kim” noted Professor Xu.

Third, when the U.S. decided to send its army at the end of June in 1950, Mao wanted to make early participation in the war so that the North could swiftly occupy the South. He advised Kim Il Sung to persuade Stalin who, however, didn’t approve Kim’s request in order to make the Korean War look like a civil conflict. By then, Mao sent some 200 officers of ethnic Koreans in Far East Command to the North for management training of North Korean People's Army.

Fourth, when the Communist Chinese army who took part in the War in October 1950 succeeded in interrupting Christmas offensive by the UN forces a month later, Mao ordered a “liberation operation” for the South under the direction of Stalin. The Chinese army took Seoul and reached Pyeongtaek but had to withdraw due to fierce counterattack by the UN forces. Beijing should stop making its anachronistic historical distortion that deceives its people and second generation in particular.

Nam Si UK(Guest Columnist and Professor of Sejong University)