The characteristic of the Cold War in Asia, unlike other regions, is that it transitioned from a cold war to a hot war. That ‘heated war’ was the Korean War. So why did it turn into a ‘Hot War’? An attempt was made to examine this issue based on the ‘interests’ of each country, using Shen Zhihua’s 􋺷Cold War in Asia􋺸 as a guide.
While reading Shen Zhihua’s 􋺷The Cold War in Asia􋺸, three themes were established: Mao Zedong’s perception of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, J. Stalin and Fudonghang, the origins of the Korean War, and the ‘Anti-American Aid and Security Guard’, and the transition from the Cold War to a hot war. I looked at the process. We considered that Mao Zedong responded to changes in the situation on the Korean Peninsula based on China’s ‘interests.’ Mao Zedong emphasized stability on the Korean Peninsula for China’s economic development, and we also observed that the return of Korean divisions in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, requested by North Korea, was done to reduce armaments rather than to agree to North Korea’s war plan. In response to Shen Zhihua’s claim that Mao Zedong had no interest in the Korean Peninsula, China revealed that it monitored the situation on the Korean Peninsula from the area adjacent to the Korean Peninsula and that the delay in dispatching the Chinese ambassador to North Korea was related to China’s domestic situation. China’s delay in dispatching its ambassador can also be seen as an indirect expression of its dissatisfaction with North Korea. This is because war broke out on the Korean Peninsula due to a conflict of interest between China and North Korea.
Shen Zhihua emphasized the importance of securing a floating port for Stalin and argued that securing a floating port for Stalin was the motivation for the change in policy on the Korean Peninsula. The author agrees with Shen Zhihua’s argument, but suggests that it is necessary to reexamine the strategic status of Fudong Port within the larger framework of Stalin’s foreign strategy. In particular, it is regrettable that the strategic status of the floating port was not explained through a process of comparative analysis of the strategic importance of the western region adjacent to the capital of the Soviet Union, Moscow, and the Far East region, which is far from Moscow, from a geopolitical perspective.
Regarding the origins of the Korean War, we looked at scholars’ claims surrounding the Soviet Union’s absence from the UN Security Council on June 27, 1950, from Stalin to Czech President Gottwald on August 27, 1950. Although there are many controversies and negative evaluations about the contents of this telegram, it is worth noting that it provides insight into the situational awareness at the time. I believe that the conflict that formed as the interests of each country mixed in the international situation before the outbreak of the Korean War led to the war. While the Chinese people participated in the ‘Anti-US and Assistance War’, they shouted the slogan, “Anti-US and Assistance to the State of Security and Security” both at home and abroad, but I think that China deep down said, “The State of Resistance and Assistance to the United States.” Rather than “Let’s support North Korea against the United States, protect our families and defend the country,” we should understand it as “Let’s support North Korea against the United States to protect China’s families and people and protect New China.” I think we can grasp the true meaning of the slogan “Resist from the US, aid, protect the country.” As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the armistice along with the new Cold War, this is also the reason why the ‘anti-US aid war’ is once again in the spotlight.