1950 Tongkīeo Printing House Map of Korea, Thai Soldiers in the Korean War

Thailand's Contribution to the Korean War.

This is a rare and perhaps unique November 1950 Thai-language map of Korea extolling Thai soldiers who would soon fight in the opening phase of the Korean War (1950 - 1953). The map was published in Bangkok to promote to the interested Thai public, Thailand's support for South Korea and the emerging U.S. alliance system in Asia, which included both South Korea and Thailand, in the early Cold War. Thailand was the first Asian power to participate in the Alliance.

A Closer Look

The map covers the Korean Peninsula along with portions of China and Japan. Railways, roads, and administrative boundaries are traced, and cities and larger towns are labeled. A large inset map at the bottom-left displays the wider East Asian region, with Thailand and Korea shaded light red. A text box on the right gives a brief overview of Korea's recent history (including Japanese colonization) and economic conditions. Interestingly, it describes Korean habits and speech as very nearly matching those of Japan (no doubt the impact of colonization) and portrays Korea as somewhat underdeveloped. However, Korea's GDP per capita was similar to Thailand's at the time, likely a reflection of the relatively educated and affluent intended audience of the map.

Thailand in the Korean War

Thailand's participation in the Korean War is a little-known element in the conflict, but had important implications for the Thai-U.S. relationship and the emerging U.S. alliance system in East Asia. When North Korea invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950, the U.N. Security Council immediately condemned the move and two weeks later set up a unified command to coordinate troops of countries wishing to send troops to assist in the defense of South Korea. (The Soviets had been boycotting the body since January 1950 because the Republic of China still held the China seat, relegated to Taiwan, rather than the People's Republic). Eventually, 16 nations sent combat troops to Korea under the auspices of the U.N. Thailand was the first Asian nation to respond and organized the Royal Thai Expeditionary Forces, which arrived in time to participate in the Third Battle of Seoul (December 31, 1950 - January 7, 1951). They also featured prominently in the hard-fought Battle of Pork Chop Hill near the end of the war in 1953, where Major Kriangsak Chamanan (1917 - 2003) distinguished himself, being given the Legion of Merit by the U.S. and invited to study at Fort Leavenworth; he later served as Prime Minister of Thailand between November 1977 and March 1980. Eventually, nearly 12,000 Thai troops would serve in Korea, with 129 killed in action and more than 1,000 wounded.

Thailand's participation was engineered by its Prime Minister (i.e., military dictator) Plaek Phibunsongkhram (1897 - 1964), known as Phibun to Westerners, who had been returned to power in 1948 after being ousted in 1944 for siding with Japan during World War II. Phibun aligned closely with the U.S. in the emerging Cold War, turning Thailand into a bulwark of anti-Communism in Southeast Asia. In exchange, the U.S. showered his government with hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid (mostly direct, though some via the World Bank and other U.S.-aligned institutions) that was used to build highways, construct airfields, and modernize Thailand's military. At the height of the Vietnam War (Second Indochina War), some 50,000 U.S. troops were stationed in Thailand. Though Phibun was deposed again in 1957, the course he set during the early Cold War has largely defined Thailand's foreign relations to the present day.

Publication History and Census

This map was printed in November 1950. The text of the publication information in the bottom margin is somewhat indistinct, but appears to attribute the map to the Tongkīeo Printing House (ร.พ. ตงเกียว) in Bangkok, with publication by one Mr. Yikhun Sae-Ui (นายยิคุณ แซ่อุ้ย). A search of major catalogs and databases using either the laudatory phrase at the top or the title cartouche within the neatline returns no results. This appears to have been an ephemeral work, prepared as Thai troops were preparing to head into battle.

Condition

Very good.