Armed conflicts have always brought collateral casualties among civilians and people totally outside the military. In every war, in every conflict, there are always unexpected casualties. In fact, some countries have even played with this trick to go to arms , assuming that their enemy has caused the indiscriminate death of civilians. Things are still that way today, despite all the technological advances out there. It is said that an unmanned drone can successfully eliminate marked targets in a matter of minutes. However, we have already found that these missions do not always go well, and there are sometimes civilian casualties that could have been avoided. The situation generated by the conflict around them, with misery, hunger and uncertainty, also tends to leave serious consequences among the population of these territories. Especially if we talk about not so advanced countries that try to survive as best they can.
In the 1950s, the Korean War was one of the first important episodes of the so-called Cold War. The two great powers of the time, the USSR and the United States, they had a non-direct confrontation for more than three decades. Normally they helped allied countries that had entered the war precisely because they belonged to different blocs in that conflict. It happened in Vietnam, surely the most popular and repeated war in fiction, but years before the same thing happened in Korea as well. After the occupation of a large part of South Korean territory by North Koreans, the United States decided to take action . It had bases in that territory thanks to the treaty that emerged after the Second World War, and it took advantage of them to try to stop that invasion. The situation was more complex than it first appeared, and the war lasted no less than three years . Millions of civilians lost their lives, and also many soldiers from both sides. But even today, the consequences can be seen in Korean society, especially with leaks of secret reports from that time that speak of prostitution in the North American bases…
The Korean War
After World War II, the United States and the USSR decided to divide the Korean peninsula, along with China and facing the Sea of Japan. There would be two Koreas, separated by the hypothetical line of the 38th parallel. The Democratic Republic of Korea, popularly known today as North Korea, was under Soviet control. For its part, the Republic of Korea , known as South Korea, was under US rule. During the first years of this division there were many attempts to reunify the two Koreas, but they were unsuccessful. This eventually led to a bloody armed conflict when the Republic of Korea, with the help of China, decided to penetrate the southern territory. The skirmish was intense and totally expeditious, since they reached almost 90% of conquered territory before it could be stopped.
The United States came to the aid of its Korean allies and established new bases in that territory. Thanks also to the collaboration of the armed forces of other countries, they were finally able to contain the North Korean army and get them to retreat. The conflict lasted three long years, and many lives were lost, as is usual in this type of event. However, the Korean War is always remembered as one of the bloodiest in history, especially considering the disputed territory. The United States enjoyed practical immunity in that conflict, but decades later, the reality is coming to light. Although almost all the countries aligned themselves in favor of North American intervention , many doubted, and not only those who were on the Soviet side. The stories that Koreans tell about that struggle continue to echo today, beyond the official history books . And some give goose bumps…
United States Bases
In order to establish itself more closely to the conflict, the United States created bases on South Korean territory during this war. They were immense fortresses where thousands and thousands of soldiers gathered. The saviors of the country, for many. It is not surprising that, beyond these bases, huge camps and garrisons were created that accompanied them at all times. In many cases, these camps were made up mostly of South Koreans, who offered all kinds of services to American visitors. And yes, as they are imagined, there was also a desire for sex among the American soldiers. So soon a multitude of prostitutes arrived at these camps, to animate the nights of the soldiers.
The country’s sex workers
It is not an urban legend , or a story that is told through stories of the time. Rumors about this type of practice have always existed, and you only have to go to the historical newspaper archives to verify it. In this case, we have first-hand testimonies, in which the country’s own sex workers who served those Americans share their experiences. Already in advanced age, and most of them being quite humble, they are now demanding compensation from their government . And it is that the girls worked every night to satisfy the American soldiers, but they hardly saw its benefits. They have gone so far as to explain that they were under the orders of the government of the time , which promised to conveniently reward them. That never happened and today, sixty years later, the women who still survive are seeking justice.
Did the government encourage these practices?
As can be seen from the demand of these women , it was the Korean government of the time who was behind their services. Prostitutes worked piecework in camps near military bases, and were not paid enough for it. Some even claimed that they did not charge more than the first days. That is why now they have wanted to go further and not only bring this thorny issue to light, but also directly sue the government of their country. It is the case that currently prostitution is highly penalized in South Korea, and society cruelly and sometimes violently stigmatizes these women. Their demands, however, have raised a great dust storm not only in this country, but also in the United States. The American armed forces seem to have already lost that halo of perfection, bravery and manliness that they possessed. Now that these kinds of things come to light, one cannot help but doubt the effectiveness of such an army in wars like Korea .