Chinese Communist Youth League Claims Korean War Was Civil War, Not Northern Invasion

Claim that the Nature of the War Changed Due to U.S. Intervention
The War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea Was "An Invasion by American Imperialism"

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] The Communist Youth League of China, the youth organization of the Chinese Communist Party, is claiming that the Korean War was a civil war. This denies the historical fact that the Korean War broke out due to North Korea's invasion.

On the 25th, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League stated in a Q&A format on its official Weibo (Chinese Twitter) account that the answer to the question "Was the Korean War an invasion of South Korea by North Korea?" was "No."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Communist Youth League argued, "At that time, both North Korea and South Korea claimed sovereignty over the entire Korean Peninsula. This was a civil war of one country." It further explained, "Military clashes frequently occurred between the two sides, and subsequently, the Korean War broke out."

At the 70th anniversary exhibition of the 'Resist America, Aid Korea (Korean War)' which opened on the 25th, China described the outbreak of the Korean War as "After the outbreak of the Korean civil war on June 25, 1950, the United States sent troops and intervened militarily, causing a full-scale war," completely omitting North Korea's invasion and only describing it as the 'outbreak of a civil war.' The Communist Youth League outright denied the invasion itself.

The Chinese government also showed a similar perception.

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing on the same day regarding the Communist Youth League's claim that "the Korean War was not an invasion," "The Korean War originally occurred between the North and South sides on the Korean Peninsula and falls under a civil war."

Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his speech commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Resist America, Aid Korea War on the 23rd, referred to the war as "an invasion by American imperialism," which drew backlash from South Korea and the United States.

Morgan Ortagus, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, clarified on Twitter on the 24th (local time) that the Korean War was North Korea's invasion backed by China, stating, "When free world countries fought against the North Korean army, the Chinese Communist Party sent hundreds of thousands of soldiers."

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha also stated at the National Assembly audit on the 26th, "The Korean War broke out due to North Korea's invasion, as clearly stated in past United Nations Security Council resolutions," adding, "Since this is an undeniable historical fact, the international community is well aware of this issue." When asked whether President Xi's remarks constituted historical distortion, Minister Kang replied, "From our perspective, yes."

Spokesperson Wang claimed that although the Korean War started as a civil war, its nature changed due to U.S. intervention.

Wang emphasized, "Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, the relationship between South Korea and China has opened a new chapter, and over 28 years, the relationship has developed comprehensively, bringing great benefits to the peoples of both countries. It has also made important contributions to regional peace and stability."

He also said, "The common understanding between both sides is that further developing China-South Korea relations aligns with the interests of both countries," adding, "We want to work together with South Korea to further develop China-South Korea relations."