India in the Korean War

In 1910, when Japan acquired Korea, the death of the Korean King and the subjugation of the hermit kingdom brought remorse to the people of Korea. They were appalled by the brutalities unleashed on them by the Japanese. It wasn't peaceful after they left; Koreans fought among themselves, and Indian diplomacy intervened, among others.

Korean War | Source: Military.com

The modern-day Koreans vividly remember the time of Japanese occupation when they were not free to move around, carry a sword, or speak in their native language, Korean. The disrespect to the Korean King and Korean culture was the order of the day. Back then, Koreans had two names, one Korean and one Japanese. The colonisers were indifferent to the pain of Koreans. Once the protest against the oppressive regime began, Korea sought international support for its cause.

By the end of World War II, the world was divided into two ideological camps of socialism and capitalism, and Korea looked forward to Independence. At the Yalta Conference of 1945, USSR and American cooperation were at their finest; the two agreed on the trusteeship over Korea. The USSR broke the pact and invaded North Korea. With this move, the entire balance was thrown off. The region of South Korea was under the control of the USA.

Korea gained independence in 1948 but at the cost of the partition of a homogenous country. The North-South divide of Korea caused conflict. In June of 1950, North Korea attacked South Korea with the aid of the USSR. South Korea lost ground, but the US retaliated amidst the Cold War, backed by the United Nations. The Korean War, as it is known, began in 1950 and ended in 1953.

In 1951, with the initiation of peace talks, along with the United Nations, India came to resolve the Korean issues. The active negotiation led to the resolution of the conflict, with India playing a part in it. Jawaharlal Nehru’s diplomatic intervention allowed both sides to arrive at a quick ceasefire, and the conflict did not escalate. The Indian diplomats had some suggestions, such as an armistice and resolving the issue of prisoners of war. From 1950 to 1954, India sent the Parachute Field Ambulance to treat 200,000 people affected by the war in Korea.

“The soft diplomacy of India strategically established the foundation of a peacekeeping mission on the Korean Peninsula (1947–1955) even though the politico-historical relationship with the Soviet Union and China frequently caused serious misunderstandings for South Korea." (Source David W Kim)

In 1953, India was to chair the Neutral Nations Repatriation Committee (NNRC). For the next ninety days, the NNRC released the prisoners of war, and an armistice was signed between the two nations on 27 July 1953. India provided non-military aid to Korea, being a neutral power and part of the Non-Aligned group. India opted for the establishment of a peace mission by not associating with the two camps.

Initially, in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), India was planning to send military support to Korea, but Nehru decided against it with suggestions made by his friend V .K. Krishna Menon “to the basic neutral policy by which they avoided the direct encounter of any (the Soviet Union or China) power bloc.” PFA or the 60th Parachute Field Ambulance was an army medical unit with 4,00,000 jute bags and medical supplies, medical practitioners, doctors, surgeons, and anaesthetics who came to the humanitarian aid of Korea. In this way, India maintained its neutrality and stood its non-alliance ground while coming in support of Korean Independence.