Comparison and Contrast of the Vietnam and Korean Wars

Comparison and Contrast of the Vietnam and Korean Wars

By Kathryn Rateliff Barr

In 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea, President Harry Truman responded by sending troops to aid South Korea, which requested United Nations assistance. 

In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson sent additional troops to Vietnam to assist the South Vietnamese government from being overthrown by the North Vietnamese and disgruntled South Vietnamese citizens. 

These two wars share similarities and differences that impacted the outcome based on war conditions and the motivation for the initial aggressions.

Divided Countries

When these two wars began, both Korea and Vietnam were divided nations with communism entrenched in the northern parts of Korea and Vietnam and anticommunism in the southern parts. President Truman’s policy resisted the spread of communism in favor of free societies that were attacked by armed minority factions or outside invaders.

Different Influences

The Russian and Chinese governments pushed North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung to invade South Korea and supplied troops and weapons when American forces responded to South Korea’s defense.

Vietnam's war was predominately an internal civil war without external influence, except for a short period of time when China invaded in 1978. The American troops had difficulty determining friend from foe because many South Vietnamese sided with the North Vietnamese, since the South Vietnamese government was corrupt.

Undeclared, Limited Wars

The U.S. did not declare war on North Korea or North Vietnam.

The U.S. responded to U.N. Security Council vote and quickly built up troops to aid South Korea under Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

In Vietnam, the U.S. had already supplied troops and advisers to South Vietnam when it was under French control. Johnson gradually supplied additional troops as they were needed.

One goal in both conflicts was to prevent communist takeover of an anticommunist government. The "domino effect" premise proposed by Truman, and later Kennedy, was that if one government fell to communism, other countries in the area would follow.

One Strategy, Two Results

Both wars relied heavily on bombing from aircraft, according to history professor L. Spencer Robinson, Ph.D., in an article for the American Diplomacy website.

American and U.N. allied troops bombed North Korea to such an extent that most cities, supply depots and industrial sites were destroyed. The North Korean government was plunged into financial and physical ruin to such an extent that the communist forces had to negotiate a peace settlement to survive the devastation.

In Vietnam, however, the destruction from the air was not as severe. North and South Vietnamese troops were fighting the Americans, in addition to troops from China. Additionally, in Vietnam, there was no frontline warfare -- it was guerrilla warfare in a jungle that didn’t follow traditional military campaigns. The strategies used in Korea were not effective in Vietnam, according to Robinson.

No Victory Won

The Korean War ended after 3 years, and the U.S. continued to aid South Korea with troops, money and supplies. Neither side was defeated, with both sides negotiating a treaty to end the hostilities. Korea remained divided after the war.

The Vietnam War lasted 10 years and wasn't one the U.S. could win, according to Robinson. President Nixon withdrew troops as the war became more unpopular and it became obvious that North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Mihn would continue to fight until he drove the U.S. out of Vietnam, no matter how long it took.

Ultimately, Vietnam reunited under communist rule.

베트남 전쟁은 제1차 인도차이나 전쟁(1946. 12. 19. - 1954. 8. 1.) 이후 분단되었던 베트남에서 1955. 11. 1.부터 1975. 4. 30.까지 사이에 벌어진 전쟁이다. 

이 전쟁은 분단된 남북 베트남 사이의 내전임과 동시에 냉전시대에 자본주의 진영과 공산주의 진영이 대립한 대리 전쟁 양상을 띠었고, 

1964. 8.부터 1973. 3. 까지는 미국 등 외국 군대가 개입하고 캄보디아·라오스로 전선이 확대되어 국제전으로 치러졌다.

베트남 전쟁은 베트콩으로 알려진 남베트남 민족해방전선(약칭 '베트콩')의 게릴라전과 북베트남 정규군인 베트남인민군의 정규전이 동시에 전개되었다. 

1964. 8. 미국이 통킹만 사건을 구실로 개입함으로써 국제전으로 확대되었고, 1965년 미국, 대한민국 등이 지상군을 파병하였다. 이후 8년간의 전쟁 끝에 

1973년 1월 프랑스 파리에서 평화 협정이 체결되어 그 해 3월 말까지 미군이 전부 철수하였고, 

1975년 4월 30일 사이공 함락으로 북베트남이 무력 통일을 이뤄 1976년 베트남 사회주의 공화국이 선포되었다.

이 전쟁은 제공권을 장악한 압도적 군사력의 미군이 폭격과 공습, 포격, 수색 섬멸 작전 과정에서 네이팜탄과 같은 대량살상무기를 투하하고 고엽제 등 화학 무기를 사용하여 무차별적으로 민간인을 희생시킴으로써, 미국 내에서 반전 운동을 촉발시켰을 뿐만 아니라 미국의 국제적 군사개입에 대한 정당성에 큰 타격을 입혔다.

프랑스와 베트남이 치른 전쟁이었던 제1차 인도차이나 전쟁의 연장선에서 제2차 인도차이나 전쟁(영어: second Indochina war) 이라 하기도 한다. 

* 한국은 월남과 매우 비슷한 점이 많다. 한국은 일본으로 부터 독립. 월남은 프랑스로 부터 독립. 한국이나 월남이나 남북으로 갈라저 공산국가와 자본국가로 나누어짐. 월남은 미군철수로 공산화. 남한은 아직 ????

남한도 미군이 철수하면 공산화될 가능성이 너무나 많다.

그러면 대 학살이 일어난다.