History of Korea

Guerilla warfare was the "name of the game" during the Korean war. Guerilla forces extended all the way down to the tip of the southern peninsula. Guerillas took over towns and villages, destroyed and sabotaged railroad systems and communication lines. From June 25, 1950 to August 31, 1950 alone, 67,250 guerrilas were killed , 23,840 were captured , and 44,150 surrendered. In September of 1950, 30,000 to 35,000 guerillas were estimated to be active throughout South Korea.

Men were not alone in engaging in guerilla activites; guerilla forces also included women and sometimes children. During the battle for Taejon, men, women, and children, appearing to be refugees, came to the U.S battle line. As soon as they approached the battle line, in a given signal, they grabbed rifles, grenades, and guns from the Southern units and attacked them. Thereafter, refugees were often looked upon suspiciously.

Guerilla forces, accordingly, aided North Korean forces. U.N forces often had to fight the guerilla forces in the south and the Northern unit's attacks from the north. While retreating south in December, U.N forces were trapped in the east coast near Lake Changjin and battered by guerilla forces.

The U.S forces began burning and destroying villages and towns suspected of harboring guerillas. Twenty civilans were killed in Kongju by U.S forces because they were suspected of being guerillas. Furthermore, villages were destroyed just to prevent guerilla infiltration. By the end of 1951, "Operation Ratkiller" was devised to systematically combat guerilla warfare. According to U.S sources, by the end of Janurary 1952, nearly 20,000 guerilla units were killed or captured because of "Operation Ratkiller". But the effectiveness of "Operation Ratkiller" is debatable and unknown.

Liberation and the Korean War