Northern Storm: The Second Korean War 2003

The Second Korean War (March to July 2003) was a resumtion of a military conflict between the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, and the United States. Japan declared war against North Korea and Japanese naval and air units engaged in combat. Other nations including Australia, Thailand, and the Philippians sent troops to fight in Korea. The war began on March 21st with North Korean commando and missile attacks, coupled with a massive invasion across the De-militzared Zone (DMZ). It ended with a cease-fire on July 1st following a coup against Kim Jong-IL.

Following the armistice at the end of the First Korean War in 1953, Korea remained divided. The communist north was supported by the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union. South Korea was supported by the United States which kept troops in the country as a deterrent to any future aggression by the north. The end of the Cold War saw the loss of support from the USSR to North Korea. Throughout the 1990s North Korea suffered from famine and had shortages of fuel. Isolated with little support from China, the North came under international rebuke when the DPRK once again began work on nuclear weapons in 2003.

Kim Jong-IL leader of North Korea saw the threats of economic sanctions and the movement of U.S. forces to Asia as casus belli. It was also believed by the North Korean leadership that the coming war against Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom) would leave the U.S. unable to reinforce South Korea. Kim saw this as a chance to correct the mistake his father made in 1991 during the First Gulf War. North Korea began mobilization in late February and by time of the U.S. offensive in Iraq was ready to attack.

North Korea made early gains but the Republic of Korea Army and the U.S. forces in the country were able to hold the North Koreans, and push them back across the DMZ. As the war in Iraq continued the Bush Administration decided to shift their focus to Asia. Operations were put on hold in Iraq with U.S. and Coalition forces stopping on the Euphrates River. Following a UN Resolution, the U.S. and several other nations sent forces to South Korea to build up a force to invade North Korea and remove Kim Jong-IL from power.

The Allied invasion began on April 30th with massive air attacks against the DPRK. Ground forces advanced taking Kaesong, Wonsan, and the roads leading to Pyongyang. North Korean efforts to stop the invasion failed. All economic and fuel aid to the north was cut off by China. By late June the Allied forces were advancing on the North Korean capital. In a desperate bid to stop the assault Kim Jong-IL ordered the use of chemical weapons on U.S. troops. The WMD attack prompted a U.S. threat to use nuclear weapons. Kim threatened to continue chemical attacks including ones against Japanese and South Korean cities. President Bush was getting ready to order a nuclear attack against North Korea when a coup against Kim Jong-Il was launched by Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun. It succeeded and Kim was removed from power.

Paek negotiated a ceasefire through China with the Allied forces. The end of the war saw the occupation of a significant portion of North Korea. Eventually the two Koreas were reunited over a period of ten years. Kim Jong-Il was tried for crimes against humanity and sentenced to death. He was executed on August 4, 2011.