Korea The Story They Never Told You

Mike Lee in conversation with with Jenny Town, the Washington based analyst on Korea.    Talking points:  NK options at launch site.  Ramifications.  IS KIM under pressure within the elite at home?      VODEO of this conversation can be … Continue reading →

The Korean War, which re-defined and hardened the permanent division of the north and south,  was probably inevitable, yet also unthinkable to many.   It was also a war that probably didn’t need to happen.   A war that helped set … Continue reading →

Did the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1949 not know, or not comprehend, that North Korean leader KIM il-sung was chafing at the bits to invade the South? They they not even realise that the Soviets were holding back on supporting an invasion because they believed the US would strike back hard, perhaps starting a WW3? It appears that American military leaders, and President Truman himself, thought it was more important to back away from foreign commitments. Each of you will draw your own conclusion as to what lessons are there for current world leaders. Continue reading →

(Dean Rusk on his decision to divide Korea at the 38th parallel) "“What none of us there at that meeting from the State Department and the Army knew was that earlier in the century there had been discussions between the Russians and the Japanese about a division of a sphere of influence in Korea along the 38th parallel. Had we known that we would have selected any other dividing line. “ Continue reading →

In so many ways the Korean story is also an American story. The US has sacrificed tens of thousands of America lives in east Asia, from WW2 through the Korean war. For over a hundred and fifty years America has tried - and is still trying - to influence events in Korea.     Continue reading →