At the end of World War II, the Asian peninsula nation of Korea unfortunately was divided into a Soviet Union occupation zone in the north and a U.S. occupation zone in the south. The United States established a free and independent South Korea. The Soviet Union established a puppet North Korean Communist nation.
Worse was yet to come.
In 1950, after the United States foolishly indicated it would not defend South Korea, the North Korean Communists invaded South Korea. But President Harry Truman surprised the Communist invaders by ordering U.S. defense of South Korea.
Americans suffered terrible losses before the three-year war stalemated with a divided Korea in 1953.
South Korea prospered with independence and U.S. support. North Korea has become a typical hostile, trouble-making Communist nation, oppressing its own captive people.
A few days ago, a South Korean warship was torpedoed and sunk, apparently by a Communist North Korean submarine. Forty-six South Koreans were killed and 58 were rescued. This was the worst of many such incidents since the end of the Korean War.
North Korea now has threatened military action if South Korea attempts retaliation.
The United States has called the Communist action an “act of aggression.” So the situation is tense.
All of this is another reminder that Gen. Douglas MacArthur was right when he said of the stalemated Korean War that left Communists in control of the north, “In war, there is no substitute for victory.”