Charles M Hernández

Mercenaries in the Vietnam War Charles M Hernández

Would the economically and technologically advanced South Korea that we know today exist if it weren't for the Vietnam War? American society has often viewed the Vietnam War through a narrow lens. Most believe that the United States battled the spread of Communism alone in distant lands. However, the US did not fight exclusively in Vietnam. Over 300,000 South Korean Soldiers were hired as a mercenary force in service to America. These forces incurred heavy casualties and earned the Park Chung Hee regime approximately $5 billion across an eight-year period of conflict. Mercenaries in the Vietnam War dives deep into the origins of South Korea's foreign involvement in Vietnam; the intimate relationship between the Republic of Korea and the United States during the Cold War; and the lasting effects on South Korea's modern-day economy.