Public Opinion of the War
Author: Mason Cudlitz
Public opinion of the Korean war was heavily divided. While most people of the American public believed that peace could not be reached(60% by most polls), the vast majority supported attempting to end the war with a truce regardless.(83% by public poll). That being said, the public supported ANY means to end the war that would result in the US troops being pulled out. Most people were hopeful for the war’s outcome, but this was barely a majority. The American public didn't care if it had to end bloodily, but they were certainly hoping for peace.
The morale of the South Koreans was dwindling as as they were repeatedly bombed by the soviets. Many of their soldiers were teenagers, and civilian deaths were in the millions. As the American public began to see the effects on the locals and their own soldiers, public support began chipping before eventually collapsing. As casualties piled up, support dropped, and the American people began asking “why are we a part of this?”. Public support went from over 65% to under 40% in just a few short months. This inversely changed with the number of casualties, which began at only around twenty or so but quickly spiked to thirty thousand. The support bottomed out as China entered, and it only got a small piece of relief as Eisenhower was elected in October of 1953, before dropping again exactly a year later.
The American public felt that Communism had to be stopped, but they believed that this particular war was of benefit as it dragged on longer and longer. The resulting truce between the two sides made the public even more infuriated, as the US had not gained any ground and the war was essentially pointless. America had not lost any land or allies, but it also had not gained any ground at a great toll to its military. During this conflict, the South Korean people were practically broken before the war had ended. Many told tales of the tragedy they had to endure, including one story of how mothers put their young ones out of their misery and “bent their wills,at the river's edge, silenced the cries”. They were being starved out, and they wanted the conflict to end more than anything.
Public opinion is still divided to this day. North Korea remains independent as a Communist state, and South Korea remains Democratic. The North continually threatens the South, but at this point their threads carry very little weight and the vast majority of the public doesn't worry, because they know that any attack on South Korea would fling the world back into conflict. On the other hand, the American public seems to be more worried. Many people believe that war is inevitable, and that the US should strike first- while others believe that North Korea will destroy itself from the inside. Only time will tell who's correct.