Korea on the brink : a memoir of political intrigue and military crisis / John A Wickham ; [with a foreword by Richard Holbrooke].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wickham, John Adams, 1928-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Korea (South)--Politics and government--1960-1988.

Korea (South).

Politics and government.

United States--Foreign relations--Korea (South).

United States.

International relations.

Korea (South)--Foreign relations--United States.

United States--Foreign relations--1977-1981.

Wickham, John Adams, 1928-.

Wickham, John Adams.

Physical Description:

xix, 240 pages : illustrations, maps,. portraits ; 23 cm

Edition:

First Brassey's edition.

Other Title:

Korea

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Brassey's, 2000.

Summary:

From July 1979 to June 1982, Gen. John A. Wickham, Jr., served as the commander of American and United Nations forces in Korea. In October 1979, a series of potentially catastrophic events was set into motion: President Park Chung-hee was assassinated, South Korean officers staged a coup d'etat, and South Korean troops brutally suppressed civilian demonstrators during the controversial Kwangju uprising. Any one of these incidents could have sparked another major conflict on the Korean peninsula.

General Wickham contends war was avoided largely because of resolute action taken by the governments of the United States and the Republic of Korea, as well as because of the combat readiness of U.S. and South Korean forces. Moreover, he believes that this deterrent contributed to a political-economic evolution in South Korea and to subsequent peaceful transfers of power. Korea on the Brink sheds light on how political-military policy is formulated within the U.S. government and on how such policy is shaped and executed "in the field" under trying circumstances. It also shows how war can sometimes be avoided.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Death of a President 3

Setting the Stage

Initial U.S. Response

Intelligence Director as Assassin

Chun and the Road to Power

Assessing the Role of Commander in Chief

Chapter 2 Aftermath of the Assassination 27

Return to Seoul

The North Korean Response

Chun Takes Charge of the Investigation

Coordinating the In-Country Response

The Investigators Report

A Meeting with the Minister

Visiting the Troops

Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 3 The "12/12 Incident" 53

Chun's Secret Meeting

Events in the Bunker and at the Ministry of Defense

Power Consolidation and American Appeasement

The Birthday Card

Gleysteem Meets with Chun

An Insightful Discussion

Chapter 4 The Struggle for Dominance 77

A Countercoup Declined

Chun Restricts Contacts with U.S. Officials

Tactical Seminars on Korean Defense

Meeting the New Army Chief

Discussions at the Ministry

Thursday Morning Golf Club

North Korean Infiltrators

Chapter 5 American Reprise, Korean Influence 93

Assessing the Coup

A Stray Helicopter

The Mun Talks

Chapter 6 Maneuvering Toward the Presidency 109

Korean Army Morale

Meeting with Chun

The Magruder/Kim Memo

Another Meeting with Chun

Chun Takes Control of KCIA

Chapter 7 The Kwangju Tragedy 127

Full Martial Law Imposed

Fighting Reported

Efforts to Defuse the Crisis

Good News Before Bad

Preliminary Assessment

The Bad News

Wrapping up the Tragedy

The Special Committee

Chapter 8 Chun and the Presidency 151

Breakfast with Chun

Martial Law and Censorship

Media Troubles

In Limbo

A Visit with Roh

The Blue House

Chapter 9 Reflections 175

Appendix United States Government Statement on the Events in Kwangju, Republic of Korea, in May 1980 193

Korean Personalities 229.

Notes:

Previously published: Washington, D.C. : National Defense University Press, 1999 as, Korea on the brink : from the "12/12 incident" to the Kwangju Uprising, 1979-1980.

Statement-of-responsibility for foreword from cover.

Includes index.

ISBN:

1574882902

OCLC:

45273378