A blog of the History and Public Policy Program
Kim Il Sung would have never dared to launch the Korean War on June 25 without the approval of Stalin. He also probably wouldn鈥檛 have done it without the arms, experts, and rubles that the Soviet Union provided.
The Soviet Union nurtured North Korea鈥檚 ability to wage war in the months, days, and even hours leading up to the invasion of South Korea on June 25, 1950, providing essential economic assistance to Kim Il Sung鈥檚 fledgling state, and weapons and training for the armed forces.
The North Koreans were fortunate to have a number of advocates across the Soviet leadership. In May 1947, Marshal Kirill Meretskov (chief of the Soviet Civil Administration) and Terentii Shtykov (head of delegation to the Soviet-American Joint Commission on Korea) explained . According to Meretskov and Shtykov, all Japanese engineers had recently left northern Korea, putting the territory north of the 38th parallel 鈥渋n an extremely difficult position.鈥 Production plans were already faltering.
Personnel from the North Korean People鈥檚 Committee 鈥 the progenitor of the North Korean state 鈥 made repeated requests for Soviet specialists to come and fill the Japanese void.
Meretskov and Shtykov were sympathetic and supportive of such requests, but not because they were good-natured humanitarians. Rather, they believed it was in the strategic interest of the Soviet Union to help Korea. The two men argued that the presence of Soviet engineers would 鈥渟trengthen the position and influence of our country in Korea for the future鈥 鈥 even after Soviet troops withdrew and the unification of northern and southern Korea into a single independent government.
What if the Soviet Union refused the North Korean request? Meretskov and Shtykov speculated that the stakes were high. If the Americans jumped in to offer help, this would be 鈥渢o the detriment to our state interests.鈥
Meretskov and Shtykov were getting the bureaucratic run around from the Soviet Union鈥檚 ministries for trade, foreign affairs, and the armed forces 鈥 all of which seemed to be suggesting that a different ministry should be responsible for selecting and dispatching experts to Korea.
Wanting to cut through the red tape, they issued a direct appeal to Stalin.
Kim Il Sung learned to do the same thing. In to , from improving the North Korean armed forces to developing his country鈥檚 economy. Kim returned to Pyongyang with several from Stalin in hand. These included loans to , the establishment of new rail and airway links between the two countries (many built with Soviet assistance), the creation of several joint stock companies, and an agreement allowing Koreans to study engineering in the USSR. In the right to purchase ferrous and non-ferrous metals from North Korea, to (鈥渄ue to the presence of US troops in South Korea鈥), and to open up a trade mission in Pyongyang.
As the peninsula inched closer to war, North Korea鈥檚 need for Soviet aid, technical expertise, and products grew exponentially.
The Soviet Union helped the DPRK set up an arsenal, and by November 1949 Shtykov (now the ambassador) claimed that the 鈥 and鈥re exceeding the estimates for the production of weapons and ammunition.鈥 Nevertheless, North Korea needed additional raw materials from the USSR in order to expand and diversify its weapons production; for example, the ability to manufacture submachine guns.
Shtykov, once again, advocated on behalf of the Koreans and encouraged Stalin to meet the request. He did so frequently in , as North Korea鈥檚 wish list expanded.
Stalin was often generous, though he usually tried to gain something in return. He wrote in January 1950 that 鈥渋t is possible that Kim Il Sung needs our technical assistance and some number of Soviet specialists. .鈥 In return, Stalin wanted North Korea to export lead to the USSR.
In February 1950, Kim asked whether the Soviet Union could move up loan disbursements planned for 1951. The purpose of the advance, Kim explained, was so he could from the Soviet Union and expand the Korean People鈥檚 Army. Stalin . By June 1, soldiers of the Korean People鈥檚 Army were in training exercises.
The next month, Kim put forth a request for 鈥溾 worth hundreds of millions of rubles. Again, .
When Kim Il Sung to gain approval for an invasion of South Korea, he rattled off a number of projects 鈥 from mining to shipbuilding 鈥 that would benefit from Soviet aid and expertise. Stalin granted every request. Kim asked if Russian military instructions could teach at a new academy in the DPRK. No problem, Stalin and his advisers said.
In late May 1950, with underway, Kim asked for fuel, medicine, and ships for his navy. It took Stalin less than a day to .
Kim Il Sung would have never dared to launch the Korean War on June 25 without the approval of Stalin (or Mao Zedong). He also probably wouldn鈥檛 have done it without the arms, experts, and rubles that the Soviet Union provided.
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