Catalina Espinosa
Research expert covering society, economy, and politics for Europe and the EU
Get in touch with us nowKorean War: death of communist POWs in American custody from 1950 to 1953
The United States joined the Korean War in 1950 on the side of South Korea in its fight against the communist forces of North Korea. The conflict was one of the first flare-ups of the Cold War (1947-1991), the global struggle between the United States and its allies against communist states led by the Soviet Union, and the first full-scale military engagements for the U.S. after World War II. Both sides suffered heavy losses from the war, with the North Koreans losing the most troops of any of the participants, with approximately 520,000 fatalities.
Between August 1950 and September 1953, 7,614 North Korean or Chinese soldiers died in American custody as Prisoners of War (P.O.W). The subject of P.O.Ws would become a major sticking point during the negotiations to end the war, as neither side could agree to a mutually satisfactory way to exchange prisoners. This was particularly exacerbated by the arbitrary nature of the partition of Korea into two states, as many people on either side of the border were aligned or loyal to a state in which they were not resident (particularly with South Korean communists).
Between August 1950 and September 1953, 7,614 North Korean or Chinese soldiers died in American custody as Prisoners of War (P.O.W). The subject of P.O.Ws would become a major sticking point during the negotiations to end the war, as neither side could agree to a mutually satisfactory way to exchange prisoners. This was particularly exacerbated by the arbitrary nature of the partition of Korea into two states, as many people on either side of the border were aligned or loyal to a state in which they were not resident (particularly with South Korean communists).
