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The Forgotten Army: The Republic of Korea Forces’ Conduct in the Vietnam War, 1965 – 1973
Shim, Hosub
Shim, Hosub
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Abstract
South Korean participation in the Vietnam War (1964-1973) is like the United States’ endeavors in the Korean War (1950-1953), namely both became soon-forgotten wars. Based on bilingual research in the U.S. and South Korea, this dissertation attempts to shed new light on the South Korean “forgotten army” in the Vietnam War. To find out why and how the South Korean (ROK) forces fought the way they did in Vietnam, this study focuses not solely on its military aspect but combines all the different elements that influenced the ROK forces’ efforts. The ROK forces were politicized armed forces that served South Korean national, political, and economic interests, and thus pursued “maximum efforts with minimum costs” to reduce casualties, yet to save face as a significant ally of the U.S. and South Vietnam. ROK forces conducted war as a separate entity exercising their own operational control based on the allied forces’ parallel command structure. Most of all, the ROK forces proved its capability to be recognized as a capable, up-to-date armed force delivering a significant contribution to the allied war efforts in Vietnam. Their conduct of war focused more on pacification by using small-scale tactics which differed from the American way of war but proved to be effective in Vietnam. After Vietnamization started in 1969, combined with the rift between the U.S. and South Korea, South Koreans’ cause and motivation for its participation faded. Because of the different interests existing in each country and its corresponding armed forces, the conflict among the Americans, South Vietnamese, and South Koreans accelerated during this period, and thus harmed all unified war efforts. Since the Koreans were not actually succeeding in realizing their war goals, the remaining economic benefits became a primary motivation for the country as well for its soldiers. As the end of the war without a victory neared in the Vietnamization phase, the Korean troops became more passive, and their morale and discipline deteriorated. As a result, soon after their return to South Korea, their efforts were forgotten as South Vietnam vanished from history. Lack of historical analysis and politically divisive evaluations have mutually contributed to the neglect of this topic. Experiencing the twists and turns during and after the Vietnam War, the U.S.-ROK alliance remains strong, and South Korea is now strengthening its ties with Vietnam. These conditions provide enough motivation to bring new life to the history of the Korean armed forces during the Vietnam War. This historical analysis of South Korea’s most significant deployment of troops abroad not only provides a fresh perspective going beyond a competing political evaluation of the Koreans in Vietnam, but also offers lessons to current and future audiences. By adding a Korean perspective in the vast historiography of the Vietnam War, this dissertation gives a more comprehensive view of this war. This dissertation intends to start a new dialogue on the Vietnam War.
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Date
2020-05-31
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University of Kansas
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Keywords
Military history, Asian history, Modern history, Conduct of War, Republic of Korea Army, South Korea, The Cold War, The Vietnam War, U.S.-South Korea Relations