canada and korean war essay

• Architecture and Design
• Asian and Pacific Studies
• Business and Economics
• Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
• Computer Sciences
• Cultural Studies
• Engineering
• General Interest
• Geosciences
• Industrial Chemistry
• Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
• Jewish Studies
• Library and Information Science, Book Studies
• Life Sciences
• Linguistics and Semiotics
• Literary Studies
• Materials Sciences
• Mathematics
• Social Sciences
• Sports and Recreation
• Theology and Religion
• Publish your article
• The role of authors
• Promoting your article
• Abstracting & indexing
• Publishing Ethics
• Why publish with De Gruyter
• How to publish with De Gruyter
• Our book series
• Our subject areas
• Your digital product at De Gruyter
• Contribute to our reference works
• Product information
• Tools & resources
• Product Information
• Promotional Materials
• Orders and Inquiries
• FAQ for Library Suppliers and Book Sellers
• Repository Policy
• Free access policy
• Open Access agreements
• Database portals
• For Authors
• Customer service
• People + Culture
• Journal Management
• How to join us
• Working at De Gruyter
• Mission & Vision
• De Gruyter Foundation
• De Gruyter Ebound
• Our Responsibility
• Partner publishers

Your purchase has been completed. Your documents are now available to view.

Canada and the Korean War

Histories and legacies of a cold war conflict.

• Edited by: Andrew Burtch and Tim Cook
• X / Twitter

Please login or register with De Gruyter to order this product.

• Language: English
• Publisher: University of British Columbia Press
• Copyright year: 2024
• Audience: General/trade;Professional and scholarly;
• Main content: 360
• Other: 12 colour photos, 17 b&w photos, 6 maps
• Published: May 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9780774870528

Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Korean — The Military Participation of Canada in the Korean War

The Military Participation of Canada in The Korean War

• Categories: Korean

About this sample

Words: 1432 |

Published: Oct 22, 2018

Words: 1432 | Pages: 3 | 8 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof Ernest (PhD)

Verified writer

• Expert in: Sociology

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 546 words

1 pages / 1597 words

1 pages / 581 words

4 pages / 1750 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Culture shock is when a person involves themselves with another culture and comes into contact with their way of living and sees that every culture does things differently and can perhaps leave with a different mentality after [...]

The "Roaring Twenties" was a time of great cultural and social change in the United States. It was a decade of economic prosperity, technological advancements, and shifting social norms. This period saw the rise of new trends [...]

The popularity of Hallyu or Korean wave as an effective soft power mechanism has been of great interest to recent scholarship. The Hallyu wave gained its current momentum mainly due to the export of K-Dramas, that is dramas [...]

Korean pop music, also known as Kpop, is a very popular type of music among Korean and non-korean population. Korea was a poor country because of many invasions from China and Japan, forcing the slow development of the country. [...]

According to Oxford dictionary, the definition of culture is the art and manifestations such as humanities, literature, music and painting of human intellectual acquirement considered common. It is also set of learned [...]

The study of language boasts a distinctive historical trajectory, with modern linguistics taking its nascent steps in the 18th century. At its inception, the discipline primarily focused on the intricate task of reconstructing [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

Canada in the Korean War

Interview by Kate Jaimet

Read the transcript

More than 26,700 Canadians served in the United Nations force that came to South Korea’s aid after troops from communist North Korea invaded on June 25, 1950. More than 1,200 Canadians were wounded and 516 lost their lives in the conflict that continued for three years until the signing of an armistice on July 27, 1953. Despite the armistice, a true peace was never secured and tensions continue to run high between the two Koreas, divided at the thirty-eighth parallel.

Canadian War Museum post-1945 historian Andrew Burtch and Canadian Armed Forces Chief of the Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre — who served from 2018 to 2019 as Deputy Commander of the United Nations Command in Korea — discuss Canada’s role in Korea, during the war and beyond, in this episode of the Stories Behind the History podcast.

More from Stories Behind the History

Vancouver: Hippie City, Heroin City

Mi'kmaw Myths & Canadian Lore

How Prince Edward Island Joined Canada

Quest for the Northwest Passage

Best-selling historical author Ken McGoogan discusses the bold and gruesome search for the Northwest Passage with Kate Jaimet, senior editor of Canada's History magazine.

The Canada-India Connection

Many of the same British aristocrats wielded power in both India and Canada. A podcast with international relations scholar Madhuparna Gupta, historical non-fiction author Stephen Bown and senior editor Kate Jaimet. Winner of the 2023 Canadian Ethnic Media Award for Podcast Feature.

Themes associated with this article

• Military & War
• Politics & Law

Advertisement

You might also like...

Korea: Brushes with War

Korean War vet Ted Zuber overcame shell shock to become Canada’s official artist of the Gulf War.

Korea: 1951

It is known as the “Forgotten War,” but Canada’s role in Korea should be anything but forgotten.

Un-forgetting the Korean War

In August 2011, the Korean Veterans Association of Canada held their final national meeting. Although nicknamed “the Forgotten War,” a special initiative is underway to ensure the stories and legacies of the Korean War are remembered for generations to come.

Related to Military & War

The Great War — Battle of Ypres

April 22–May 5, 1915: When deadly German gas attacks send others running, the Canadians hold their ground.

Grey War, No More

Colourization project breathes new life into First World War images.

Letters From a Fighter Pilot

Second World War pilot Willie McKnight shared his thoughts and feelings about his dangerous work in letters he wrote to a friend.

The Burning of Washington

It wasn’t common for the British to burn public buildings because it didn’t serve a military purpose. The burning of Washington in August 1814 was more an act of vengeance. Episode 7 of the War of 1812 Video Field Guide.

Distributed for University of British Columbia Press

Canada and the Korean War

Histories and legacies of a cold war conflict.

Edited by Andrew Burtch and Tim Cook

360 pages | 29 halftones, 6 maps | 6 x 9 | © 2024

Studies in Canadian Military History

History: Asian History , Military History

View all books from University of British Columbia Press

• Table of contents
• Author Events
• Related Titles

"Most Canadians may have forgotten the Korean War, but many scholars have not. These very good essays look at Canada’s involvement in the conflict and also at the role of China, the two Koreas, the United States, and the Commonwealth. The coverage includes prisoners of war, veterans, medicine, and commemorations, and this is a very useful book for everyone interested in a conflict that, almost seventy-five years after it began, remains unresolved."

J.L. Granatstein, author of Canada’s Army: Waging War and Keeping the Peace

"These essays, masterfully edited by Andrew Burtch and Tim Cook, should forever make sure that the Korean War is Canada’s forgotten war no longer. Although it may not have been a decisive war, the contributors show here how important it was (and is) to understanding our world."

Michael S. Neiberg, author of When France Fell: The Vichy Crisis and the Fate of the Anglo-American Alliance

"Korean War literature from a Canadian perspective has been sparse, until now. Every reader of Canada and the Korean War will learn about an aspect of the Korean War that they knew – and perhaps have thought – little about."

Stephen Harris, chief historian, Directorate of History and Heritage, National Defence Headquarters

"Andrew Burtch and Tim Cook have provided readers with one-stop shopping for anyone interested in Canada’s role in the Korean War. They are to be congratulated."

Serge Durflinger, professor, History, University of Ottawa

Table of Contents

Introduction / Andrew Burtch and Tim Cook

Part 1: Canada, Korea, and Politics

1 Alignment without Illusions: Canada’s World, 1945–50 / Hector Mackenzie and Norman Hillmer

2 Canadian Political Leadership and the Korean War / Ryan M. Touhey

Part 2: Canada, Korea, and the War

3 The US Army and the Battle for Korea, 1950: Lessons Learned / Brian McAllister Linn

4 The Canadian Naval Experience Off Korea / Michael Whitby

5 Cut and Thrust: The Canadian Army in Korea, June 1950–October 1951 / William Johnston

6 Canada’s Defensive Battle, 1951–53 / William Johnston

7 The Commonwealth Division / S.P. MacKenzie

8 The Royal Canadian Air Force in the Korean War / Richard Mayne

9 China’s Battles for Korea / Xiaobing Li

10 Flesh and Blood: The Commonwealth Division and Medical Care in the Korean War / Meghan Fitzpatrick

11 Canada’s Korean War Dead / Andrew Burtch

Part 3: Korean War Memories and Legacies

12 The Korean War’s Prisoners / Jonathan Vance

13 Returning Home: The Canadian Veterans’ Experience / Ted Barris

14 The Korean War’s Impact on the Republic of Korea Army and the Korean People’s Army / Youngjun Kim

15 Canadian-Korean Relations since the Korean War / Tina J. Park

16 Canada’s Korean War in Commemoration, Memorials, and Memory / Tim Cook and Andrew Burtch

Selected Bibliography; Index

Be the first to know

Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!

Sign up here for updates about the Press

Language selection

• Français fr

Korean War (1950-1953)

Canada’s role in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. Timelines, remembrance, visuals and learning resources.

Services and information

Canada’s military role.

Overview of Canada’s involvement in the Korean War, including key facts and figures.

Memorials, honours and medals

Memorials, honours and medals commemorating the Canadian efforts during the Korean War.

Navy equipment exhibit

Online exhibit of equipment used by Canada’s Navy during the Korean War.

Canada Remembers the Battle of Kapyong

How Canadians fought in one of the toughest battles in Korea, the Battle of Kapyong.

Educational resources

Learning resources to help teachers plan lessons on Canada’s role in Korea.

Canada Remembers Hill 355

How Canadians fought for the coveted Hill 355.

Films and video

Documentaries and newsreels about Canada in the Korean War.

What we are doing

Laws and regulations.

• An Act respecting a national day of remembrance to honour Canadian veterans of the Korean War
• Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal Award Regulations

All related laws and regulations

Publications

• A Brush with War: Military Art from Korea to Afghanistan
• Canada and the Korean War
• Canadian Naval Operations in Korean Waters, 1950-1955
• Corée 1951 : Deux batailles canadiennes (in French only)

All related publications

They Chose China (film)

Watch this feature length documentary about 21 American soldiers who chose to stay in China after the Korean War ended.

Books of Remembrance

Find information about the seven Books of Remembrance, found in the Memorial Chamber on Parliament Hill.

Monument to Canadian Fallen

Learn about this commemorative monument, located at the United Nations Memorial cemetery in Busan.

Page details

Canadians remember the Korean conflict — the war that refuses to end

Canadians came home to a country that had largely forgotten why it had sent them to fight.

Social Sharing

It took an awfully long time — almost three decades — to convince the federal government to carve the dates of the Korean War into the side of Canada's national war memorial.

Tucked away on the side of the soaring granite monument in downtown Ottawa, next to Canada's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the inscription is easy to miss. For author and historian Ted Barris, it's a sad illustration of where the bloody, three-year-long war and its eventual stalemate sit in the country's collective memory.

"I think it was the mid-1990s before local cenotaphs across the country chipped the names of those who served in Korea into their [local] stone monuments. And up until that point, for many Canadians, they were invisible," said Barris, author of Deadlock in Korea, a seminal account of soldiers on the front lines of what was known at the time (somewhat derisively) as a United Nations "police action".

But the war was never invisible to Bill Black; he can see it still. When the war broke out — 70 years ago today — the former able seaman was a 16-year-old high school student, the child of a Second World War soldier who'd served overseas for years.

Initially, Black joined the army militia (now the reserves) — the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto — with a phoney identification card. His father convinced him to switch to the navy.

He shipped out as a marine engineer aboard the Tribal Class destroyer HMCS Cayuga in 1952 as the war entered its bloody, decisive phase. When he looks at the state of the Korean peninsula today — with no peace treaty and no prospects of one, and a brutal, nuclear-armed dictatorship periodically threatening its neighbour to the south with destruction — he is dismayed.

"It's just madness," he said.

More than 26,000 Canadians served in the war, on land, at sea and in the air. The Korean conflict took the lives of 516 Canadians, making it the country's third most deadly conflict.

The war and its painful legacy of division and international tension is also clear in the mind of Tina Park, a noted national security analyst and commentator who grew up in South Korea.

June 25, 1950 — the day 75,000 North Korean troops under communist dictator Kim Il-sung, grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un, swept across the border — has a solemn place on the South Korean calendar.

From kindergarten onwards, Park said, South Korean schoolchildren learn to honour and thank veterans.

"When I was growing up, it affected me personally," she said. "I would dream of reunification one day."

Is the dream of reunification dead?

The dream of a reunited Korea is just as elusive today as it was on July 27, 1953, when the warring nations agreed to an armistice that put a stop to the fighting but did not restore the peace.

The intervening years have only seen the trenches grow deeper and the barbed wire thicker between the two sides.

North Korea's belligerent, reclusive regime — now armed with nuclear weapons and long-range missiles — marked the anniversary of the start of the war this week with a new round of threats against the United States.

Park said the atmosphere of anxiety and foreboding on the peninsula is not likely to lift soon. She said she fears the dream of reunification — of bringing together families separated for generations by a war that refuses to conclude — is about to suffer a lingering death.

• South Korea's unification minister resigns as Korean tensions rise
• North Korea's military to re-enter liaison co-operation sites
• North Korea blows up liaison office, says it will cut off communications with the South

The decades since the armistice have only deepened the profound differences between the two Koreas, economically, politically and socially. Park said many millennials in the affluent south are indifferent to the notion of reunification. Some are even openly hostile to the idea of embracing their poverty-stricken, insular northern cousins.

The last gasp of the Cold War

To them, she said, reunification isn't worth the expense and upheaval it would entail. But the fate of reunification is also largely out of their hands, she added.

A lasting peace would require the endorsement and support of the United States, China and Russia, the chief antagonists in the proxy conflicts of the post-Second World War period. Barris said Korea was the first hot conflict of the Cold War, the generation-long geopolitical standoff that has been largely over now for more than a quarter century — making it especially ironic that the Korean conflict itself was never resolved.

"This was, then and now, a great standoff in every respect, politically, militarily, between East and West," said Barris, who has interviewed hundreds of Korean War veterans about their experiences.

For many Canadians, then and now, the Korean War remains a distant, murky event. Even when Canadians were still fighting and dying on the peninsula, few people back home had a clear idea of what was going on.

A 'totally invisible' war

One soldier told Barris how, upon his arrival back home in northern Ontario after fighting in Korea, his pals approached him and asked where he had been.

"They had no idea," said Barris. "It was totally invisible to small town Canada, what young men who had stepped up for the Korean War had experienced."

Black recalled the day his ship arrived back home to silence — no cheering crowds, no parades, just the spouses and children of the married sailors. He couldn't help but contrast it with the pandemonium that greeted the arrival of his father's troop train in Toronto following the Second World War.

His most enduring memory of the war was a visit to an orphanage ashore, when Canadian sailors brought the children toys and treats.

"They were all in tatters," he said.

Black said the collective amnesia of Canadians he saw upon his return home has been compensated for, in many respects, by the respect the Korean people continue to show the men and women who fought for them.

"The people of South Korea have provided and instilled in us a sense of pride."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Senior reporter, defence and security

Murray Brewster is senior defence writer for CBC News, based in Ottawa. He has covered the Canadian military and foreign policy from Parliament Hill for over a decade. Among other assignments, he spent a total of 15 months on the ground covering the Afghan war for The Canadian Press. Prior to that, he covered defence issues and politics for CP in Nova Scotia for 11 years and was bureau chief for Standard Broadcast News in Ottawa.

• Follow Murray Brewster on Twitter

Related Stories

• Veterans touched by gift of face masks, 70 years after start of Korean War
• South Korea president calls for calm after North threatens military steps

• A - Z Websites
• Academic Calendar
• Campus Services
• Faculties & Schools
• Student Service Centre
• UBC Directory
• a place of mind

Canada and the Korean War

Histories and Legacies of a Cold War Conflict

This superb study will interest members of the American, British, Chinese, and Korean military history community and will be highly relevant for undergraduate classes in Canadian military history, international history, and the Cold War. More broadly, its readership will extend to Canadian veterans, their families, and those with a general interest in Canadian military history.

Most Canadians may have forgotten the Korean War but many scholars have not. These very good essays look at Canada’s involvement in the conflict and also at the role of China, the two Koreas, the United States, and the Commonwealth. The coverage includes prisoners of war, veterans, medicine, and commemorations, and this is a very useful book for everyone interested in a conflict that, almost seventy-five years after it began, remains unresolved. J.L. Granatstein, author of Canada’s Army: Waging War and Keeping the Peace

These essays, masterfully edited by Andrew Burtch and Tim Cook, should forever make sure that the Korean War is Canada’s forgotten war no longer. Although the war may not have been a decisive one, the contributors show here how important it was (and is) to understanding our world. Michael S. Neiberg, author of When France Fell: The Vichy Crisis and the Fate of the Anglo-American Alliance

Korean War literature from a Canadian perspective has been sparse, until now. Every reader of Canada and the Korean War will learn about an aspect of the Korean War that they knew – and perhaps have thought – little about. Stephen Harris, chief historian, Directorate of History and Heritage, National Defence Headquarters

Andrew Burtch and Tim Cook have provided readers with one-stop shopping for anyone interested in Canada’s role in the Korean War. They are to be congratulated. Serge Durflinger, professor, History, University of Ottawa

A War of Patrols

Canadian army operations in korea.

By William Johnston

Canada 1919

A nation shaped by war.

Edited by Tim Cook and J.L. Granatstein

Invisible Scars

Mental trauma and the korean war.

By Meghan Fitzpatrick

Canada's Mechanized Infantry

The evolution of a combat arm, 1920–2012.

By Peter Kasurak

Receive the latest UBC Press news, including events, catalogues, and announcements.

Sign me up! Read past newsletters

Home Realizing the Pledge Realizing the Pledge: Education Resources Unit Plan: The Korean War Lesson Six: Legacies of the Korean War

Lesson Six: Legacies of the Korean War

By: brett conway.

Brett Conway

Education collaborator.

Brett Conway is currently a pre-service teacher at Concordia University of Edmonton. He has a M.A.s in English Literature and Asian Studies from the University of Ottawa and Sejong University, South Korea. He has taught at post-secondary schools in South Korea, Ontario, and Albera. He has published on a variety of topics including trauma, gender identity, and post-modernism.

Suggested Subject Area s

Social Studies History Politics

Grade Level

Grades 11-12

200+ minutes over three classes

Learning Goals

• Understand the legacies of the Korean War,
• Analyze how single stories impact our telling and understanding of conflicts such as the Korean War,
• Reflect on Canadian commemoration practices and possibilities for the Korean War, and
• Communicate these understandings, analyses, and reflections in an essay format.

Guiding Questions

Given what you have learned throughout this unit, what is your understanding of the Korean War and the countries involved in/impacted by it? How should Canada commemorate the war? How do we teach and remember the war in ways that resist single stories?

Assessment Plan

Final essay

Anticipated Challenges

Depending on the pre-existing narratives that students are bringing into the classroom, they might struggle to look at the Korean War from multiple perspectives, outside the lens of a single story.  They may need prompting to talk about the standpoints of the USA, Japan, North Korea, Russia (USSR), and China as well as South Korea.  As the unit develops— with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a scaffold for much of the material—the importance of hearing these voices from beyond simply a Canadian context will be clear.

Cognitive processes from Bloom’s Taxonomy are referred to throughout the lesson (remember, understand, apply) in order to help keep the end of the lesson in mind, thereby ensuring learning takes place and not just performance of learning. This unit is adaptable to elementary and secondary students with different processes for each (know, understand, apply for elementary; evaluate, analyze for secondary).  Please refer to Anderson et al. (cited below in the Additional Resources section), pages 12-23 for a deeper explanation.

Suggestions for what the teacher might say throughout the lesson are included below. Teachers are welcome to adapt these for their particular context and to enhance their specific students’ experience.

Student Supports

Students are welcome to engage in an alternate task that is not an essay, such as an audio or video response, a comic book, a one-on-one conversation with their teacher, etc.  Some students may have family who experienced the Korean War either through family members living in Korea or as Canadian, American, Chinese, Korean, etc., combatants.  Those students may recount details and perspectives specific to the family experience in question. The teacher should support students in engaging thoughtfully with these histories and experiences, and ensure that emotional support is provided for students who may be especially impacted by these conversations.

Lesson Outline 

Introduction (approx. 15 minutes).

Ask students what the word “legacy” means. Make sure the class has a shared understanding of how they are using the term.

Either independently or with their elbow partner, students reflect on what the legacy of the Korean War might be. Would “legacies” plural be a more appropriate way to think about it? Would different countries perceive this legacy differently? How do we remember the impacts of a conflict such as the war in a way that resists single stories?

Students can share some of their answers and discuss as a group before moving on.

Teacher Guided Learning (approx. 15 minutes)

Show students the following video (5:17):

As they watch, they should take notes on how the video is presenting the legacy of the Korean War. Whose perspective is the video from? Are there perspective missing?

Students can briefly share their answers before moving in to the next task.

Student Practice (approx. 60 minutes)

Ahead of the next step in this lesson—the student evaluation—students will spend time in small groups considering how Canada should remember and commemorate the Korean War.

The teacher should project or write on the board a definition of “commemoration” such as:

A commemoration is something that is done to remember a person or event. A commemoration can feel celebratory and/or solemn, and might be done to remember, honour, respect, or give official recognition.

The teacher can either ask students for examples or provide some themselves. Examples of commemorations include public ceremonies, official holidays, naming something in someone’s honour (e.g. roads, buildings), starting a prize or fundraising initiative in someone’s honour, public art pieces, statues, monuments, plaques, ongoing museum displays, takeovers of public space (e.g. memorial gardens), etc.

The teacher should bring up the question of curricula and how events and people are taught about in schools. Is this also a form of remembering? If so, what are the ways we should teach about the Korean War, for example, to commemorate and bring awareness to its legacies?

Students will then work together in small groups to consider the legacies of the Korean War in Canada and how the Korean War should be included in curricula. These can be the same groups as previous lessons or new ones.

Groups should receive a piece of chart paper (or multiple ones, if that works best) and some markers to write their ideas. The chart paper should track their answers to the following questions:

• What would a Canadian commemoration of the Korean War that resists a single story look like? What ideas do you have for remembering the legacies of the war, considering the diversity of people and communities living in Canada who may or may not have a connection to it?
• How should schools approach teaching about the Korean War to resist a single story? Should it be included in curriculum in specific ways? What ideas do you have for teaching about it that honour the UDHR’s Article 26.2?
• We have watched many videos about the Korean War throughout this unit. What would you include in a short educational video about the Korean War? What would be important to tell students about if you only had a few minutes of their time, while trying not to tell a single story?

Students can use the chart paper as a mind map, a list of jot notes, or whatever other form of brainstorming works for them. Other groups will be able to see the chart paper during the next step.

If students would like to reference additional materials about Korean War commemoration in Canada, they can look at these resources:

• Canadian Korean War Memorial Garden
• Canadians in the Korean War National Historic Event
• Korean War Veterans Day Act
• Wall of Remembrance
• Renewed Remembrance: Marking 70 years since the Korean War Armistice

Once groups have filled their chart paper, they can post it somewhere in the classroom to create a gallery walk. Students then engage in a gallery walk to take in the ideas of all the groups. It is up to the teacher and the students whether this is simply a reading of the content, or whether students can engage in responding to the chart paper by adding checkmarks to ideas they like/agree with, post-it notes to add helpful questions and feedback, etc.

Student Evaluation (approx. 100 minutes)

As a final evaluation for this unit, students will write a brief essay (approximately 500 words) about what they’ve learned. Their essay should have an introduction and a conclusion, and the body of the essay should address the following content:

• What happened during the Korean War? What countries were involved and impacted by it, and how are their perspectives on what happened different and/or similar?
• How should Canada commemorate the legacies of the Korean War, including in the classroom (i.e. how should it be taught)?
• Why is it important to resist a single story about the Korean War and other events like it?

Each of the above questions could be addressed in a separate paragraph or could be interwoven throughout, at the student’s discretion.

Students should brainstorm and outline their ideas into a structure of five paragraphs (intro, three body paragraphs, and conclusion), including:

• An introduction leading to a thesis statement and outlining at least three (3) points to be considered;
• Three body paragraphs including a statement, an example of why that statement is true, and analysis of that example. Each body paragraph should have at least one source to support their point. Students can use the sources from throughout the class—they do not need to do any additional research;
• A conclusion that brings up final reflections on their own learning (or unlearning) about the Korean War, and possible further questions they still have at this point in their learning.

Students should show their outline to the teacher for approval before moving on to drafting.

The teacher can use the following rubric to assess student essays or create one of their own:

Closure (approx. 10 minutes)

At this point, the class can come together for a final discussion where they share what they’ve learned (or unlearned) during this unit, and any remaining reflections or questions they have. They could also share a highlight of their learning from the unit.

Since the students have been considering how best to teach about the Korean War, they could also offer the teacher feedback about the unit and how to engage in this learning next time they teach this class.

Optional Enrichment

For early finishers, for curious students, or for further class enrichment, the students could engage with picture books and/or short stories from the countries studied in this unit. These do not have to be about the Korean War specifically, but can be about and by East Asian individuals and their lived experiences overall.

Students could engage in reading the books aloud to the class and/or presenting informal book summaries to their peers. These book summaries could include an introduction to the story, reflections on cultural representation in the story, and how this story might expand our understanding and resist single stories of Asian-Canadians.

For resources on book options:

23 books for kids and young adults to celebrate Asian Heritage Month in Canada | CBC Books

Canadian Multiculturalism Day: Books lists for kids and teens — Dyslexia Canada

Japanese Canadian Books – Nikkei history, Japanese culture– Nikkei National Museum Shop

Additional Resources

« Korean War ». The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/korean-war

Brazinsky, Gregg. Nation Building in South Korea: Koreans, Americans, and the Making of a Democracy. Chapel Hill: U. of North Carolina P., 2007.

Brasor, Philip. “Uncovering Japan’s Involvement in the Korean War.” The Japan Times. September 7, 2019.

Ch’oe, Youngcho, et. al. Sources of Korean Tradition. Volume Two: From the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Centuries. New York: Columbia U.P., 2000.

Cumings, Bruce. The Korean War: A History .  New York: Modern Library, 2011.

Cumings, Bruce. Korea’s Place in the Sun: A Modern History. New York: Norton, 2005.

Kirk, Donald, and Choe Sang Hun. Korea Witness: 135 Years of War, Crisis and News in the Land of the Morning Calm. Seoul: Eunhaeng Namu, 2006.

Lankov, Andrei. The Dawn of Modern Korea: The Transformation in Life and Cityscape. Seoul: Eunhaeng NaMu, 2007.

Martin, Bradley K. Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty. New York: Thomas Dunne, 2006.

Myers, B. R., The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters.  New York: Melville Press, 2010.

Johnston, William, A War of Patrols: Canadian Army Operations in Korea  (2003)

Human Rights

Morsink, Johannes.  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Origins, Drafting & Intent. Philadelphia: U. of Pennsylvania P., 1999.

Trauma Informed Practice

Herman, Judith.  Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror .  New York: Basic Books, 1992.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Anderson, Lorin W. and David R. Krathwohl, editors. A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives.   New York: Longman, 2001.

• Dieppe Raid
• RCAF Lancaster
• Naval Museum of Alberta
• KOCR Museum
• Calgary Soldiers’ Memorial
• Field of Crosses
• Mission Afghanistan Exhibit
• Pre – 1914
• World War I
• Victoria Cross
• World War II
• Peacekeeping
• Afghanistan
• Remembrance Day
• Diversity & Inclusivity
• Intermediate
• Museum Program (CCMH)
• Canada WW1: Trenches on the Western Front | Video Series
• Canada’s WW1 Battlefields | Video Series
• Canada’s WW2 Battlefields (NW Europe) | Video Series
• D-Day: Operation Neptune | Video Series
• Presentations for Classrooms | Video Series
• Valour Canada Scholarship
• Girl Guides Women of Valour
• Ship to Shore
• Veterans’ Voices
• Peace, Security, Prosperity Conference
• Websites & Social Media
• News | Communiqués
• Past & Upcoming Events
• Become a Member
• Sponsors & Partners

Canada in Korea

With much of the recent media attention being on North Korea, it’s important to look back at the history of the conflict and Canada’s influence on it.

Following Korea’s liberation from Japan by the Soviet Union at the closing of the Second World War, a dividing line backed by military units from opposing sides of the Cold War developed between the Communist North and the Capitalist South. This separation would not last long, as both sides desired the unification of the Korean peninsula.

North Korea would begin their invasion into the south in June 1950 armed with easily recognizable Soviet and Chinese weapons. Within a month the United Nations (UN) would officially decide to intervene, taking the side of the defending South Koreans, and bringing the United States and Canada into the war.

In total, 8 Royal Canadian Navy destroyers would see action during the three-year conflict. The RCN would be used to protect UN aircraft carriers, as well as to supply aid to onshore operations whenever possible. The Royal Canadian Air Force would be tasked primarily with shuttling supplies across the Pacific Ocean. On top of that, 22 RCAF pilots would fly in a select number of jet missions with the United States Air Force.

Lt Green and Captain Claxton Ray, Anyang, South Korea (Credit: Wikipedia-Windfield Photographic Collection).

For the Canadian ground forces, their time would be mostly spent patrolling the rough mountainous terrain of Korea where they did experience brief flashes of heavy hostilities. That being said, the Canadians did fight in a number of significant battles, including Kowang-San (Hill 355), Hill 187, and most notably, the Battle of Kapyong (see our Kapyong article or our video ).

After months of push and pull along the Korean front, the fighting mostly stagnated at the 38th parallel (North latitude) in mid-1951. The Korean Armistice Agreement was signed by both sides on July 17th, 1953, and the Demilitarized Zone, an approximately 4-kilometre-wide buffer, was established along the battle front. To this date, no peace treaty has been signed and both sides remain technically at war.

For a recount of the Canadian experience in Korea, see our Canada in Korea article.

Main photo : Private Heath Matthews of Charlie Company awaiting medical attention while stationed in Korea (Credit: Paul E. Tomelin, DND/PA-128850).

• View All Posts
• PeaceKeeping

Our Intention is to educate Canadian Citizens so that they:

• Appreciate the role of our military heritage in protecting Canadian interests, values and beliefs.
• Understand the role our military history has had in shaping our country and the world.
• Are inspired to be engaged and well-informed participatory citizens of Canada.

join us and make a difference 

Become a member! Join a community of like-minded individuals, gain access to exclusive Valour Canada content and events, and help us connect Canadian youth to our shared military heritage.

Please sign up to receive our monthly newsletter.

You have successfully subscribed to the newsletter

There was an error while trying to send your request. Please try again.

• Skip to main content
• Skip to simple HTML version

Language selection

Search veterans.gc.ca

1950 – 1953

T he Korean War started on 25 June 1950, when North Korean troops invaded South Korea. United Nations forces soon joined the fighting, which would rage until an armistice was signed on 27 July 1953. More than 26,000 Canadians served on land, at sea and in the air during this bitter conflict. Sadly, 516 Canadians died. Long seen as a forgotten war, the Korean War is now recognized as an important chapter in Canada's military history.

Korean War battles

Battle of Kapyong

On 24-25 April 1951, Canadian troops fought a difficult battle in the hills above the Kapyong Valley.

Battle of Hill 355

Canadian soldiers saw heavy action on several occasions in the area of the front lines around Hill 355.

Korean War stories

Captain (Retd) Arthur Lortie

Captain Arthur Lortie is a man of honour and integrity. He served in the military for 32 years, including serving in the Korean War with the Royal 22nd Regiment.

Ted Adye narrowly survived the Korean War and returned home with vivid memories of battles and miles trekked through Korea's countryside.

Gordon Coon

Gordon Coon talks about the past matter-of-factly, as if there is nothing to it.

Russ Moses was a residential school survivor and Korean War Veteran.

James Keirstead

There are somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 of James Keirstead’s paintings out in the world.

Ted Zuber survived the Korean War, and went on to become Canada's official war artist for the conflict.

Albert Hugh MacBride

Albert MacBride was part of a five man tank team on Hill 355 during the Korean War. He arrived home safely but others he fought with were not so fortunate.

Noel Knockwood

A residential school survivor, Noel Knockwood enlisted with the Canadian Army, served during the Korean War and went on to become the Sergent-in-Arms in Nova Scotia.

Gerald Edward Gowing

Gerald Gowing saw heavy action in Korea, including the Battle at Kapyong (Hill 677), where his regiment held the line and was later presented with a US Presidential Unit Citation for bravery.

Classroom materials

Lesson plan: ages 5-11.

Canada Remembers the Korean War Postcards for Peace

To help youth understand the significance of the sacrifices and achievements of Canada's Veterans or Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members.

Lesson plan: Ages 12-18

Youth Remember the Korean War Armistice A Brush with the Korean War - Hill 355

To familiarize students with the contributions and sacrifices made by Canadians at Hill 355 during the Korean War.

Remembrance Dog Tags – Fallen Canadians in the Korean War

To increase youth awareness of Canadians who served in the Korean War and died in service.

Korean War memorials

Buk-Myeon, Gapyeong-gun, South Korea

Canadian Korean War Memorial Garden

The Canadian Korean War Memorial Garden is situated northeast of Kapyong-gun and just below the hills which were defended by Canadian Forces in the Battle of Kapyong in April 1951.

Busan, Korea

Monument to the Canadian Fallen

The Monument to Canadian Fallen commemorates the sacrifice of Canadian service members in the Korean War.

United Nations Memorial Cemetery

The only United Nations cemetery in the world, this memorial cemetery in Korea is a burial ground for United Nations Command casualties of the Korean War.

Ottawa, Ontario

National Aboriginal Veterans Monument

Honours the contributions of all Indigenous people in war and peace support operations from the First World War to today.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier honours the more than 118,000 Canadians who sacrificed their lives in the cause of peace and freedom.

National War Memorial

The National War Memorial symbolizes the sacrifice of all Canadian Armed Forces personnel who have served Canada in the cause of peace and freedom.

Korean War medals

Campaign stars and medals (1939-1954), canadian korea medal, canadian volunteer service medal for korea, united nations service medal (korea).

Photo gallery

Photos from the Korean War

Order of events

25 june 1950.

Korean War begins when North Korean troops invade the south

August 1950

The Canadian Army Special Force is created for service in the Korean War

15 September 1950

United Nations forces begin landings at Inchon and drive the North Koreans back across the 38th Parallel

October 1950

Chinese troops begin crossing the Yalu river to support North Korean forces

February 1951

Canadian soldiers first reach the front lines

24 - 25 April 1951

Canadians see action in the Battle of Kapyong

22-25 November 1951

Royal 22e Régiment sees heavy action at Hill 355

2 October 1952

Enemy gunfire hits HMCS Iroquois off the coast of Korea

27 July 1953

The Korea Armistice Agreement is signed. Three years of fighting ends.

Last Canadian troops leave Korea

How you can remember

We honour the sacrifices and achievements of those who defended peace and freedom.

Read The Diplomat , Know The Asia-Pacific

• Central Asia
• Southeast Asia
• Environment
• Asia Defense
• China Power
• Crossroads Asia
• Flashpoints
• Pacific Money
• Tokyo Report
• Trans-Pacific View
• Photo Essays
• Write for Us
• Subscriptions

Speaking Truth to Power: Canadian War Crimes in Korea

Recent features.

The Curious Vatican-Asian Alliance

Donald Trump’s China Rhetoric Has Changed. The Epoch Times’ Support For Him Has Not.

Imran Khan’s Biggest Trial

Seoul Is Importing Domestic Workers From the Philippines

The Rise, Decline, and Possible Resurrection of China’s Confucius Institutes

Nowhere to Go: Myanmar’s Exiled Journalists in Thailand

Trump 2.0 Would Get Mixed Responses in the Indo-Pacific

Why Thaksin Could Help Hasten a Middle-Class Revolution in Thailand

Can the Bangladesh Police Recover? 

The Lingering Economic Consequences of Sri Lanka’s Civil War

What’s Driving Lithuania’s Challenge to China?

Hun Manet: In His Father’s Long Shadow

A history professor uncovers some troubling evidence from the Korean War.

Canadians are typically known for one thing: excessive kindness. While there may be some truth to the stereotype, the positive perception of Canadians today should not get in the way of unearthing and laying bare crimes committed by Canadians during the Korean War, argues Dr. John Price , professor of history at the University of Victoria.

On Friday, October 24, Price spoke at “ The Afterlives of the Korean War ,” an annual symposium of the Center for the Study of Korea (CSK) at the University of Toronto. On the panel, “On Unfinished Wars and the Politics of the Past,” Price delivered a speech titled “Burying the Past: Canadian War Crimes in Korea.” Culled from the research that went into his book Orienting Canada: Race, Empire and the Transpacific , the speech focused on the story of Shin Hyun-chan, a survivor of an unprovoked attack by a Canadian soldier in 1951 that left Shin wounded and his father dead. (The story, as written by Price, can be read at Japan Focus .)

Price learned of Shin’s grievance after being notified by his South Korean colleagues that Shin had filed a claim against the Canadian military for war crimes. After gaining access to the Canadian Press archives, Price was able to locate the perpetrator: John Murray Steeves, a Canadian solider with the 57th Independent Field Squadron of the Royal Canadian Engineers. While the motivations are unclear, testimonies indicate that Steeves was likely intoxicated and looking for trouble. Further archival evidence reveals that Steeves was eventually court martialed and sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter.

While it seems that justice was served, additional archival digging by Price discloses a troubling fact: Steeves was eventually freed after a judge advocate general found he had been wrongfully convicted. While this may very well be true (further information on the case has yet to be located), the number of cases similar to Shin’s is enough to make a strong argument that his tragic run-in with the Canadian military was not an isolated event. Many Canadian war crimes went basically unpunished. Even more troubling, the Canadian government (specifically the Ministry of Defense) appears unwilling to re-open these cases. For example, an official request by Price to look further into Shin’s case was refused.

Price’s research found that rape and murder by Canadian and other UN forces were not infrequent occurrences. The total number “remains unverified… [but] was substantial and exceeded anything seen during the fighting in Europe and WW II.” Price does not ignore the sacrifices made by Canadian soldiers and the “sense of humanity towards the Korean people” showed by some. But his point is not to extol the military; it is to render problematic the myth of the “kind Canadian,” a notion that Canada held itself to a higher moral standard than others.

On the contrary, Price argues that Canadians were as violent and racist as the United States and other Anglo-Saxon nations involved in the Korean War. He thus joins the efforts of other historians and academics researching the postwar racialized and gendered hierarchies of East-West (viz. Korea-West) relations.

Similar to what the Truth and Reconciliation Committee attempted to do in South Korea, Price contends, “it is time to expand and coordinate the research on war crimes beyond the US archives, [remembering] that the war effort, though led by US command, was a UN action, and that Canada, Britain, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and others joined the UN forces.” While governments may stymie such efforts, it hasn’t stopped people like Price and other committed academics from speaking truth to power.

Rival Koreas Mark Armistice Anniversary in Two Different Ways That Highlight Rising Tensions

By kim tong-hyung.

Thousands of North Koreans March in Anti-US Rallies as Country Marks Korean War Anniversary

The Korean War at 70

By yoav j. tenembaum.

The Glaring Omission in Kim Jong Un’s Plenary Speech

By daniel aum.

Captured Myanmar Soldier: Army Joined Hands With ARSA Against Arakan Army Advance

By rajeev bhattacharyya.

China Rejects the ‘San Francisco System’

By kawashima shin.

A New Bangladesh Is Emerging But It Needs India Too

By muqtedar khan and umme salma tarin.

By Aleksander Lust

By Victor Gaetan

By Bryanna Entwistle

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid

By Haeyoon Kim

• Essay Samples
• College Essay
• Writing Tools
• Writing guide

Creative samples from the experts

↑ Return to Essay Samples

Research Essay: How Much did Canada Contribute to the Korean War Effort?

Canada played a valuable role in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953 as part of its position in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This included taking direct military action in support of capitalist South Korea against communist North Korea. Although rarely publicized, Canada proved to be one of the US’s major allies.

In terms of manpower, the official numbers as accepted by most historians stand at 26,000 members of the armed forces supported by eight naval destroyers. The destroyers were the first to meet up with UN-backed naval forces in the Korean Peninsula. One of the reasons why the extent of Canada’s military confrontation was hidden was due to the fact Canada didn’t stand under its own flag. It fought as part of the British Commonwealth Forces.

Naval forces spent most of their time performing shore bombardments. These cut North Korean train lines and silenced coastal batteries. It silenced the coastal guns at the Battle of Inchon in January 1951, and they would repeat this in June 1951 with the allied recapturing of Seoul.

The Royal Canadian Air Force was present but never featured in combat roles. This is because they failed to possess the jet technology needed to compete in dogfights over Korea. They spent the war delivering supplies to troops at bases across the Peninsula. They played a vital role in keeping up with the frontlines during the first mobile months of the war when ground supplies couldn’t.

Canadian troops rarely fought with the Koreans. Instead, they joined up alongside the Australians in halting the Chinese advance at Kapong. Single units fought off entire Chinese battalions with minimal casualties. Arguably, this is Canada’s greatest contribution as it prevented an essential part of the line from collapsing.

After the cessation of hostilities in 1953, Canada remained as a military overseer. All eight destroyers remained until 1955 when they finally returned home. Canada lost 516 men, of which 312 were deaths during combat.

Canada’s contribution was more than most as it sent the most troops of the minor powers. It participated on all fronts at great economic cost to itself. Even though America and Britain gain much of the credit for many victories, Canada won many without the help of the major powers. It showed that it could compete in both a leading and support role.

It’s a prime example of why Canada continues to have a major role in international military actions to this day. It’s a misconception to believe Canada didn’t have a significant part to play in the first major battle of the Cold War, but this is due to mistakes on their part because Canada acted on behalf of the British Commonwealth not itself.

When looking at the facts and figures, there’s no denying the large contribution this North American country made to the Korean War effort.

Follow Us on Social Media

Get more free essays

Send via email

Most useful resources for students:.

• Free Essays Download
• Writing Tools List
• Proofreading Services
• Universities Rating

Contributors Bio

Find more useful services for students

Free plagiarism check, professional editing, online tutoring, free grammar check.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Is India a Safe Place for Women? Another Brutal Killing Raises the Question.

The rape and murder of a trainee doctor at her own hospital has brought up, once again, uncomfortable truths about a country that wants to be a global leader.

By Anupreeta Das and Sameer Yasir

In December 2012, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student boarded a bus in New Delhi a little after 9 p.m., expecting it would take her home. Instead, she was gang-raped and assaulted so viciously with an iron rod that her intestines were damaged. She died days later as India erupted in rage.

Nearly 12 years later, the nation is convulsing with anger once again — this time, over the ghastly rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor in a Kolkata hospital, as she rested in a seminar room after a late-night shift. Since the Aug. 9 killing, thousands of doctors have gone on strike to demand a safer work environment and thousands more people have taken to the streets to demand justice.

For a country desperate to be seen as a global leader, repeated high-profile cases of brutal sexual assaults highlight an uncomfortable truth: India, by many measures , remains one of the world’s most unsafe places for women. Rape and domestic violence are relatively common, and conviction rates are low.

This week, the Supreme Court of India took up the Kolkata case as one of fundamental rights and safety, questioning how hospital administrators and police officers had handled it and saying new protective measures were needed. “The nation cannot wait for another rape and murder for real changes on the ground,” Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said.

Gender-related violence is hardly unique to India. But even as millions of Indian women have joined the urban work force in the past decade, securing their financial independence and helping to fuel the country’s rapid growth, they are still often left to bear the burden of their own safety.

Longstanding customs that both repress women and in many cases confine them to the home have made their safety in public spaces an afterthought. It can be dangerous for a woman to use public transportation, especially at night, and sexual harassment occurs frequently on the streets and in offices. Mothers tell their daughters to be watchful. Brothers and husbands drop their sisters and wives off at work.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .

Israel’s war on Gaza updates: Dozens killed; 100,000 displaced in two days

During the latest 48-hour reporting period, Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed 69 Palestinians and wounded 212, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.

This page is now closed. You can continue to follow our coverage here .