Abstract
The end of World War II (WWII) saw the emergence of the United States as a neocolonial power on the Korean peninsula, the former Japanese colony from 1910 to1945. In agreement with the Soviet Union, the US government initiated the division of Korea at the 38th parallel into zones of military occupation. Korea became a captive of the Cold War as the two superpowers failed to agree on terms for reunification, perpetuating the division. In 1948, two separate, ideologically opposing regimes were established in the divided peninsula: The Republic of Korea (ROK, South Korea) through the initiative of the United States and the United Nations and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea) supported by the Soviet Union. The US occupation forces withdrew from South Korea in 1949, followed by Secretary of State Dean Acheson’s exclusion of the ROK from the US defensive perimeter in January 1950. On June 25, 1950, the North Korean army led by Stalin-supported Kim Il Sung crossed the 38th parallel, invading defenseless South Korea. The United States and sixteen other UN nations committed forces to support South Korea’s resistance of the communist aggression. The Korean War ended on July 27, 1953, with the signing of the armistice agreement between the UN side and the communist side.
An earlier, shorter version of this chapter was presented at the 2000 Oklahoma Conference of Asian Cinema Studies Society and was published in Asian Cinema 12, no. 1 (Spring/Summer 2001).
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Films
71: Into the Fire (Pohwa sok euro). Directed by Lee Jae-han. South Korea, 2010.
A Little Pond (Jakeun yeonmot). Directed by Lee Sang-woo. South Korea, 2010.
Battle Hymn. Directed by Douglas Sirk. USA, 1957.
Fixed Bayonets! Directed by Samuel Fuller. USA, 1951.
The Front Line (Gojijeon). Directed by Jang Hun. South Korea, 2011.
JSA: Joint Security Area (Gongdong gyeongbi guyeok). Directed by Park Chan-wook. South Korea, 2000.
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© 2014 Karen A. Ritzenhoff and Jakub Kazecki
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Chung, H.S. (2014). From Saviors to Rapists. In: Ritzenhoff, K.A., Kazecki, J. (eds) Heroism and Gender in War Films. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137360724_9
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