Description

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Fills a gap in Cold War studies by focusing on Canada and its changing relationship with Korea.

Korea was the first hot war of the Cold War. It was also Canada’s most significant military engagement of the twentieth century following the two world wars. Canada and the Korean War gathers leading scholars to explore the key themes and battles of a seminal yet understudied conflict.

Canada had little stake and less interest in Korea before 1950, but the risk the conflict posed to the fragile postwar order was deemed too great for the country to stand on the sidelines. Alongside their allies, more than 30,000 Canadian service personnel fought a determined and skilled enemy. The armistice that ended the war left Korea devastated and divided, and it remains a dangerous hotspot today.

This timely collection synthesizes Canadian and international perspectives on a conflict that shaped not only the Canadian armed forces but also the evolving Canada–Korea relationship. In the process, Canada and the Korean War sheds light on how the war has been framed and reframed in public memory.

About the Author

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Andrew Burtch is the Canadian War Museum’s historian for the post-1945 period and adjunct research professor in the Department of History at Carleton University. He is the author of Give Me Shelter: The Failure of Canada’s Cold War Civil Defence.

Tim Cook is the chief historian and director of research at the Canadian War Museum. He is a frequent media commentator and the author of over a dozen best-selling books. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada and the Order of Canada.

Praise For…

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"Most Canadians may have forgotten the Korean War, but many scholars have not. These very good essays look at Canada’s involvement in the conflict and also at the role of China, the two Koreas, the United States, and the Commonwealth. The coverage includes prisoners of war, veterans, medicine, and commemorations, and this is a very useful book for everyone interested in a conflict that, almost seventy-five years after it began, remains unresolved."
— J.L. Granatstein, author of Canada’s Army: Waging War and Keeping the Peace

"These essays, masterfully edited by Andrew Burtch and Tim Cook, should forever make sure that the Korean War is Canada’s forgotten war no longer. Although it may not have been a decisive war, the contributors show here how important it was (and is) to understanding our world."
— Michael S. Neiberg, author of When France Fell: The Vichy Crisis and the Fate of the Anglo-American Alliance

"Korean War literature from a Canadian perspective has been sparse, until now. Every reader of Canada and the Korean War will learn about an aspect of the Korean War that they knew – and perhaps have thought – little about."
— Stephen Harris, chief historian, Directorate of History and Heritage, National Defence Headquarters

"Andrew Burtch and Tim Cook have provided readers with one-stop shopping for anyone interested in Canada’s role in the Korean War. They are to be congratulated."
— Serge Durflinger, professor, History, University of Ottawa