A blog of the History and Public Policy Program
In a series of posts on Sources & Methods, Jiyul Kim and Sheila Miyoshi Jager describe several aspects of the Korean War that are in need of greater study, and offer some suggestions for sources, both old and new.
Our forthcoming book, The Korean War: A New History, expected in 2022, is a follow-up to Jager’s Brothers At War: The Unending Conflict in Korea (Norton/Profile, 2013).
In an upcoming series of posts on Sources & Methods, we will briefly discuss several of the topics that our new book explores and introduce some of our sources, both old and new.
Perhaps the most surprising topics are those related to military operations, given the large volume of scholarship and sources on the operational history of the Korean War. We chose three issues from the operational history of the war that deserve a fresh look: the nature of the United Nations Command; special operations; and the Battle of Ch’unch’ŏn that took place in the opening days of the war.
Among newer topics concern the roles of South Korean women, student soldiers (hakdoŭiyong’gun), and boy soldiers (sonyŏnbyŏng), three rarely examined and nearly forgotten participants of the war.
Part 1: The “Greater” UN Coalition during the Korean War
Part 2: Korean War Special Operations
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