Paik Sun-yup

Paik Sun-yup was a South Korean army officer and diplomat who commanded forces during the Korean War and became the Republic of Korea Army’s first four-star general.

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Battle of the Pusan Perimeter: A series of battles in 1950 in which United Nations and South Korean forces defended a perimeter around southeastern Korea. Paik commanded the Republic of Korea Army’s 1st Infantry Division during the defense.
Douglas MacArthur: A United States general who commanded United Nations forces during the Korean War. MacArthur directed the Inchon landing and the broader coalition campaign in which Paik’s forces fought.
Republic of Korea Army: The land warfare branch of South Korea’s armed forces, established in 1948. Paik rose through its command structure and became its first four-star general.
Manchukuo Imperial Army: The armed forces of Manchukuo, the Japanese-controlled state in northeastern China from 1932 to 1945. Paik served in this army before Korea’s liberation, a biographical fact that later drew criticism.
Collaborator controversy in South Korea: Public and political disputes in South Korea over Koreans who served Japanese colonial institutions. Paik’s Manchukuo service became a focal point in debates about collaboration and national service.
Battle of Daejeon: A July 1950 battle in which North Korean forces captured the South Korean city of Daejeon. Paik’s division fought there during the North Korean advance.
Matthew Ridgway: A United States general who commanded United Nations forces in Korea from 1950 to 1951. Ridgway worked with Paik as South Korean forces strengthened under United Nations command.
Korean Armistice Agreement: The 1953 agreement that ended active hostilities in the Korean War without a peace treaty. Paik’s final wartime command preceded the armistice that fixed the military division of Korea.
Manchukuo: A Japanese-controlled state in northeastern China that existed from 1932 to 1945. Paik’s prewar military service took place within this state’s colonial-era institutions.
Chinilpa: A Korean term for people accused of collaboration with Japanese colonial rule. Critics have applied this label to Paik because of his wartime service under Japanese control.