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49 Army Hist. 1 (2000)

handle is hein.milandgov/aryhsy0049 and id is 1 raw text is: ARMY HISTORY THE PROFESSIONAL BULLETIN OF ARMY HISTORY PB-2(-O-2Z (No. 49) Washington, D.C. Spring 2(0Q0 North Korea: How Did It Prepare for the 1950 Attack? By Richard A. Mobley Partisans will not decide the question. The people of the south know that we have a good army. Lately I do not sleep at night. thinking about how to resolve the question of the unificaton of the whole country. If the matter of the liberation of the people of the southern portion of Korea and tihe unification of the country is drawn out, then I can lose the trust of the people of Korea. Kim 11 Sung Throughout the spring the Central Intelligence reports said the North Koreans might at any time decide to change from isolated raids to a full-scale attack. The North Koreans were capable of such an attack at any time, according to the intelligence, but there was no information to give any clue as to whether an attack was certain or when it was likely to come. Harry S. Truman On the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, the danger of a surpnse North Korean attack still remains the preeminent concern of decision-makers at the Combined Forces Command. The proximity of forces and the North's military readiness reduce warning time compared to that available in more typical examples of contemporary military confrontation. Written in the context of this continuing danger, this article addresses the North's preparations for war in 1950 primarily from a historical viewpoint. It nevertheless illustrates the difficulty of interpreting indications and discerning warnings as military intelligence was practiced half a century ago. It may tempt the reader to pose the question: Would we provide better warning today? In hindsight, the preparations of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), as North Korea was officially titled, to attack the Republic of Korea (ROK) on 25 June 1950 appear extensive and striking. Initially, they entailed intense but discrete diplomatic lobbying by the North Koreans to secure Soviet and Chinese backing for an invasion. Beyond diplomacy,. the preparations included extensive logistical activity,. military mobilization, wide-ranging ground force movements, substantial command and control changes, deception, and civil sector mobilization. Indeed, the range of activity provides a model for how one counr might prepare to attack another. The P'yongyang regime ignored few preparations. Thik article will evaluate the preparations for war undertaken in three periods, observing the rapid growth of the Koean People's Army (KPA) from its foundationiFebruary 1948 through December 1949, the military traning and redeployment of forces undertaken etween January and early June 1950; and the fial preattack measures adopted during June 1950 The Buildup Virtually every element of North Korean soicl participated in a military buildup from I94X to I Th However, the North undertook specific, preara preparations relatively late in the force-generaton process, and these were conducted under the gui o an unusually large field exercise For example, the conscription that started in the summer of 148 oul just as well have been part of a long-term buildup of capabilnles as a preparation for attack. 1ndeed, prior to the spring of 1950. most KPA actvy would hac fallen under the heading of general miitary buildup simply the creation of an army as opposed to the

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