Volume XXIV – Number 2
Peter DuVall
Abstract: This article analyzes the proposals created by both North and South Korea pertaining to unification. It also examines how those proposals fit into the United States’ interests for that region. From 108 B.C to 1945, Korea was under control of the its three neighboring countries: China, Japan, and the Soviet Union. It was not until December 1, 1943, that the fate of the Korean peninsula was discussed in a statement made by the United States, China, and Great Britain in the Cairo Declaration that called for independence of the region. The article also goes into depth with the decisions made by Colonel Charles Bonesteel and Dean Rusk regarding the division of the Korean peninsula. It also analyzes the order that resulted from those decisions; General Order Number One. This order stated that after the division, the United States would take control of the south part of the peninsula and the north would be under the control of the Soviet Union. Lastly, the article takes a closer look at the proposals exchanged between the north and the south regarding unification. More specifically, the article looks at the terms and conditions, potential changes, grievances, and failures of those proposals.
Keywords: Cairo Declaration, Colonel Charles Bonsteel, Major Dean Rusk, North Korea, South Korea, General Order #1.
