The kind of stable, durable peace the Korean armistice produced would be a victory not just for Ukraine and its supporters but for the entire world, as well.
Despite being allies of the United States, South Korea and Japan did not have a direct security partnership during the Cold War. During the Korean War, South Korean President Syngman Rhee threatened to shoot Japanese forces first if they arrived to “help” Korea from the communist invasion. Japan, officially a pacifist state with “self-defense forces,” also did not affirm its security commitment to the neighboring democracy. The two countries animosities over past history and their reliance solely on U.S. security commitment were factors that limited bilateral security partnerships for decades.
Joseph Mellon, 93, of Hazelton, Pa., collected the photos taken by comrades while serving with the 24th Infantry Division in Korea from October 1951 to January 1952. Seventy years later, a shoebox in his home holds a photo collection that brings back memories of the “forgotten war.”