The Korean War and the change of the status of Taiwan

 The Korean War which began in 1950 had a strong effect on Taiwan and China as well as North and South Korea which were directly involved in the war. The Korean War posed a serious threat to the survival not only of Korea, but also Taiwan. However, it reflected an important opportunity to draw attention and promote intervention from the U.S. In this paper, we investigated how the Taiwanese Regime responded to the U.S., the UN, and East Asia after the outbreak of the Korean War, and settled in Taiwan, obtaining legal status after evacuation from the continent.

The Taiwanese Regime was uncertain of their survival after evacuating from the continent to Taiwan. Specialists predicted that the government would collapse without outside aid. As the Taiwanese Regime was anticipated to fall, the U.S. neglected it and Western nations postponed its approval. Obtaining international approval from the U.S. and Western nations, and securing the independent status were practical issues for Chiang Kai-shek and the Taiwanese Regime.

The Korean War was an opportunity to overcome the Taiwanese Regime’s in a single stroke. The Korean War also created a perfect opportunity for Taiwan to resolve its problems with survival and internationalize the issue of China. When the Korean War commenced, the U.S. sent its Seventh Fleet to Taiwan to prevent a conflict between China and Taiwan and suggested neutrality for Taiwan. The Taiwanese Regime had complaints about the U.S. actions, but carefully and patiently accepted its policies given that their survival could not be achieved without U.S. support.

Sending the Seventh Fleet to Taiwan caused controversy concerning whether or not the U.S. had invaded China’s territory. This was connected to the legal status of Taiwan and UN representation. The Taiwanese Regime used the conflict between the Western nations and communist nations amplified by the Korean War, to internationally confirm Taiwan’s independent separation from China and maintain UN representation for Taiwan through the enthusiastic protection of the U.S. and other Western nations.

The intervention of China in the Korean War became an important opportunity to stabilize Taiwan’s status. The strategic value of Taiwan increased thanks to the intervention of China in the Korean War and the U.S. recommended the acceptance and approval of its legal status by Japan and the Western nations. Additionally, the Taiwanese Regime was provided aid because the thinking of the Taiwanese Regime and Chiang Kai-shek had been favorably changed. Furthermore, a mutual defense treaty between the U.S. and Taiwan was concluded to establish the legal status of Taiwan. As the Korean War grew longer, the status of Taiwan changed from unsettled to stable by the immediate aftermath of the war.

Taiwan benefited most from the Korean War. The Taiwanese Regime revived dramatically just before its impending collapse, and was accepted with a security assurance and legal status for Taiwan. The Taiwanese Regime made an effort to highlight its image as a bastion of anticommunism and achieved success in this. Taiwan selected a way to assure the security of their system rather than lose their identity. The U.S. did not want the Taiwanese Regime to govern Taiwan. The Taiwanese Regime became a partner with the U.S. despite a negative opinion by the U.S., a feat achieved because the Taiwanese Regime understood the conditions of that time and responded practically. Chiang Kai-shek and the Taiwanese Regime understood their limits and roles based on accurate decisions about international circumstances, and aggressively made an endeavor to achieve these results rather than merely going along with the changing situation in East Asia.