Chris Cohlmeyer
Sep 7, 2018 · 2 min read

Ever since 1945 when the demarcation line was drawn on the 38th parallel the US occupation forces largely failed to understand and comprehend the Korean animosity towards those Koreans that had kowtowed to the Japanese since 1930. The US aided the quislings and police forces in putting down those who wished to see justice taken against these Koreans. Between 1945 and 1950 a considerable amount of infighting occurred in the south. In the north, things had run there course eliminating or jailing those who collaborated with the Japanese.

1950–53 was really a civil war that UN forces got tangled into on behalf of the South Korean puppet government. While the UN forces took on the North Korean battle hardened forces who had fought with the Chinese and later the Chinese forces after the UN got too close for their comfort; the South Korean forces went about eliminating their opposition mainly in the south.

If in 1945 the US occupation forces had sided more with the Koreans who had opposed the Japanese occupation things may well have turned out very differently. The prime irritant for the north would have been significantly reduced.

Recently South Korea has been owning up to its past repression acknowledging it’s dark past behaviour towards its own people. These efforts have opened the way for the North and South to begin a dialogue. Where this will go in the future is hard to tell for certain but I suspect a shared back room objective is to reduce/eliminate the US presence in the region. The North’s Nukes? That is the last card to be played by Kim if and only if the US is no longer a threat along its southern border.

    Chris Cohlmeyer

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    Janitor, leather craftsman, saddler, Forester, retired almost. Abuse survivor, former alcoholic addict, dad of three, skiing, nature, camping. life is good