The 'Legacy' of the Vietnam War for South Korea - Printable Version +- InVietNam.org (https://invietnam.org) +-- Forum: Viet Nam History & Geography (https://invietnam.org/forum-24.html) +--- Forum: Vietnam in the 19th and 20th Centuries (https://invietnam.org/forum-26.html) +--- Thread: The 'Legacy' of the Vietnam War for South Korea (/thread-171.html)

The 'Legacy' of the Vietnam War for South Korea - admin - 24-09-2024 After two years of participation, income from the war accounted for 40% of South Korea's foreign currency earnings, and from 1965 to 1972, the country received $1 billion in cash. During the Vietnam War, the Republic of Korea sent 300,000 troops to assist the Republic of Vietnam and the United States in "fighting communism." According to the Korea Herald, over seven years starting from 1965, two South Korean infantry divisions and a Marine Corps unit participated alongside U.S. allies in South Vietnam. Of these, an estimated 8,000 were wounded and 3,000 were killed. BBC News reported in 2003 that a total of 300,000 South Korean troops took part in the Vietnam War, making it the second-largest foreign military contingent after the United States. Massacres committed by South Korean soldiers against Vietnamese civilians were discussed even during the war and have left a deep legacy on bilateral relations and affected the South Korean veterans who participated. In 2009, the war's legacy in South Vietnam was brought up during an "urgent visit" by a South Korean minister to Vietnam to prepare for the visit of then-President Lee Myung-bak. According to the Korea Herald, South Korea appeared embarrassed when Vietnam protested a bill recognizing the honor and benefits for South Korean veterans who had participated in the Vietnam War. In addition to granting material benefits to veterans, the bill acknowledged that they went to Vietnam to fight "to preserve world peace." This prompted Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan to "urgently" visit Vietnam on October 11, 2009, to alleviate Hanoi's "feelings." Political and Economic Reasons A 2013 document from the Asan Institute in South Korea suggests that there were two reasons why President Park Chung-hee—the father of recently impeached President Park Geun-hye—decided to send troops to South Vietnam. Maintaining Relations with the United States: Making Seoul an indispensable ally in East Asia, in case the U.S. considered withdrawing from South Korea, leaving the country to face the communist North alone. Economic Reasons: Payments from the U.S. for Seoul's deployment of troops to South Vietnam and other services for the U.S. military in Asia significantly contributed to South Korea's economic miracle. It seems that South Korean public opinion was well aware of this benefit. A 2012 survey by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies found that 80% of South Koreans are aware of their military's role in Vietnam, and 57% still support that participation. Contrary to the propaganda of Park Chung-hee's regime that fighting in Vietnam was to stop the spread of communism, 54% of respondents believed that participation in the Vietnam War aimed to bring economic benefits. Among those who acknowledged this economic reason, 58% believed that South Korea achieved its goal. The article "A Perspective on Korea’s Participation in the Vietnam War" (April 9, 2013) even called the Vietnam War an "El Dorado" for South Korea. It is believed that South Korea earned $5 billion (in the currency value at that time) during eight years of participation from various sources, including U.S. military aid to modernize its army, wages for South Korean soldiers in Vietnam, multi-million-dollar civilian contracts, and expanded trade with the Republic of Vietnam. After two years of participation, income from the war accounted for 40% of South Korea's foreign currency earnings, and from 1965 to 1972, the country received $1 billion in cash. "...It can be believed that South Korea's participation in South Vietnam was a contributing factor to its rapidly growing economy. Some scholars believe that financial income from the war contributed 7-8% of South Korea's GDP from 1966 to 1969." War Crimes and Reconciliation In 2009, the Yonhap News Agency quoted then-Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Tien Van as saying: "It is true that South Korea caused wounds in the past by participating in the war, but we do not mention that to maintain a good future relationship between the two countries." The source mentioned that it was thanks to South Korean journalists that the war crimes committed by South Korean soldiers in South Vietnam were discussed after the war. Meanwhile, Western media have pointed out the roles of Republic of Vietnam leaders like Nguyen Van Thieu and Nguyen Cao Ky, who had gestures of "honoring" South Korean units that participated. After the war, the unified Vietnam normalized relations with South Korea. There have been South Korean-funded projects built, such as in Phu Yen province, to make amends with Vietnam for what their military had caused. President Kim Dae-jung once referred to his country's participation in Vietnam as an "unfortunate historical event." Recent statements by President Moon Jae-in, whose parents fled to the South in 1953, may be aimed at pleasing right-wing, conservative, and anti-communist factions within the country. However, what South Korean politicians have raised can still provoke reactions because, as the Asan Institute's survey shows, many South Koreans are not yet ready to acknowledge responsibility for the war crimes their military committed in South Vietnam.