Psychological Warfare In The Korean War
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During the Korea War, the US military went out on an all out offensive, in the use of psychological warfare, through the use of leaflet drops. Shortly after General Matthew B. Ridgeway assumed command of the Eighth United States Army in
Korea, December 1950, an increased emphasis on psychological warfare was ordered. They used prisoners of war to test the effectiveness of the leaflets, and the literacy rates of enemy combatants. Some 98% of the POW's cooperated voluntarily and apparently in good faith. Many, in fact,
seemed genuinely apologetic that they could not supply more information.
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When North Korea attacked South Korea, the only operational psywar troop unit in the Army was at Fort Riley, Kansas. The unit, sent to Korea in fall 1950 as the 1st Loudspeaker and Leaflet Company, was the Eighth Army’s tactical propaganda unit during the war. Loudspeakers on vehicles and aircraft also disseminated propaganda. Over 2.5 billion leaflets were dropped over North Korea during the war. The primary purpose of psywar was to lower the morale of the enemy soldiers and to influence them to stop fighting.
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Some leaflets promised medical treatment for frostbite, undermined faith in officers, and similarly instilled fear for soldiers’ safety. Other themes for tactical operations told of the mounting enemy dead and the U.N. materiel superiority. Many enemy POWs claimed that the signature of General MacArthur on a surrender pass convinced them that promises of good treatment would be honored. Less tactical and more indirect in effect was the spreading of the “true” battle picture and of the U.N. aims of peace, unification, and reconstruction.
Did the dissemination of billions of leaflets have any effect? Did psychological warfare gain results for the allied forces? Early in the war, General McClure informed the senior Army leadership that 68% of Chinese forces and 65% of North Koreans, has been effected by the use of psychological warfare. Psychological warfare was credited with a “nudging” effect on one’s willingness to surrender, though insufficient alone to cause surrender. The Chinese enlisted men were found the most amenable to the surrender mission of psywar, and the hard-core North Korean officer corps the least inclined. Later data from 1952 and 1953 showed that 85.6% of Chinese and 68.5% of North Koreans who had voluntarily surrendered, had done so due to psychological warfare efforts. 87,000 POWs captured either possessed or had seen PSYOP leaflets that provided them with instructions on how to approach US troops to surrender. |
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Reds Under The Bed: Early Cold War Comic Books - The crazy days of McCarthyism and the propaganda comic books that were spawned by all the "Red Scare" madness.
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Pocket Guide To China (1942): "How To Spot A Jap" Comic - A piece of WWII propaganda that's so bad, you wonder whether the top-brass were all on drugs when the authorised its release.
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USAF Guide to Psychological Warfare (1951): . In June 1951, the Army Psychological Warfare Division moved to Seoul, and the Psyops operation against North Korea and their Chinese allies went into over-drive.
Examples: (with accompanying documentation) of psychological warfare leaflets dropped during the Korean War.
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Love Land: The South Korean Sex Theme Park - On the island of Jeju off the peninsula of South Korea is a bizarre sculpture park, full of giant pastel coloured sculptures of people having sex.
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The Secret Nostalgic Seoul Of South Korea - The little eclectic toy museum buried away in the very heart of down-town Seoul.
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Korean & Japanese Geometry Problems For Voyeuristic Perverts - Text books for sexually repressed people who are good at maths. The geometry of looking up a girl's skirt!
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For The Love Of Ramen - A eulogy to the humble instant noodle. The history of ramen, and its iconic place in the culture of Japan and South Korea.
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