hey folks I'm having a hard time piecing together an answer to the above - just what exactly were the allied forces trying to do? Like, politically, what was their objective, what was their endgame
was reunification ever the explicit goal? or was it just a possibility entertained by some but never expressed? or was it just a general pursuit of the NK forces? or was there no specific objective?
UN Resolution 82 of June 25, 1950 demanded that North Korea stops attacking the Republic of Korea and withdraw their forces to the 38th parallel.
UN Resolution 83 of June 27, 1950 noted that North Korea had ignored Resolution 82 and as such:
Recommends that the Members of the United Nations furnish such assistance to the Republic of Korea as may be necessary to repel the armed attack and to restore international peace and security in the area.
UN Resolution 84 of July 7, 1950 noted the previous resolutions and North Korea's disregard for them, thanked all the nations that had stepped forward to help, requested that all military aid be put under the command of the United States, requested that the US pick a commander to lead said forces, authorized the UN flag to be used alongside national flags, and requested that the US give periodic reports to the UN on progress.
UN Resolution 85 of July 31, 1950 was mainly housekeeping - thanks, recognition of hardships, figuring the best way to deliver assistance, etc.
These four resolutions laid the foundation for UN action in Korea. The end game OF THE UN, as laid out in resolutions 82 and 83, was to stop the North Korean attack and maintain the border at the 38th parallel. The UN had already tried for unification with the election of 1948 which the North boycotted. The UN mandate was NOT reunification, but restoring peace.
The problem was that everyone involved had their own agendas and own views.
MacArthur wanted an expanded war with China, to defeat the PRC and restore the ROC to the mainland. MacArthur (and his subordinates) views on the Chinese were wrong - either due to hubris, racism, or willful blindness.
Truman wanted the war over quickly and was not looking for trouble in the region. He was in the middle of massive downsizing of the military and getting the US back to "normalcy" after 15+ years of depression and war.
Syngman Rhee, the South Korean president, wanted to reunify the country. In fact, he was so gung-ho for war that the US military did NOT arm the South Korean military as well as they could have for fear that, given a powerful army, Rhee would have started the war to reunify the country on HIS terms.
With this in mind, your questions:
What were the objectives?
to repel the armed attack and to restore international peace and security in the area. *UN Resolution 83
What was the endgame?
MacArthur had wide latitude as the overall commander of US/UN forces. His end game, at a minimum, was to conquer the peninsula and to reunify the country under a Seoul government. However, by ignoring Chinese warnings and overextending his supply lines by going North, the US/UN forces were routed and pushed south again. By April of 1951, MacArthur was out and Matthew Ridgeway was in. Ridgeway listened to the civilian commanders in Washington, i.e. Truman, and his end game was, at a minimum, to enforce the UN resolution and get the North Koreans out of South Korea.
Was reunification ever the explicit goal?
No. It might have been a result of MacArthur's tactical goal of crushing the North Korean military between US/UN forces and the Yalu/Chinese border, but it was never an explicit goal of US/UN forces. For Rhee, on the other hand, it was, as well as for Kim Il-sung, who started the whole damn thing.
What were the specific objectives?
an immediate cessation of hostilities
North Korea to withdraw forthwith their armed forces to the 38th parallel
to repel the armed attack and to restore international peace and security in the area
UN Resolution 83