Operation Red Dragon and the Unthinkable

WMD Unleashed

At 0400 in the early hours of the morning, the ROK Army launched their surprise attack on North Korea. 5,000 artillery pieces and hundreds of rocket launchers began to fire their deadly cargo of Sarin and VX gas all across the North Korean frontlines. They chose to hit the North Koreans with two different types of chemical attacks as each one acts slightly differently than the other; it was hoped that the duel attack would be more effective and harder to defend against. Though the North Koreans were known for their stoic nature, screams of agony echoed across the quiet of the early morning. The ROK Air Force immediately began to engage North Korean radar sites and Surface to Air Missile (SAM) sites, punching holes in their air defense system for the bombers to fly in and drop more chemical and gas bombs. This enabled the ROK bombers to swoop in and deliver a death blow to the second echelon of soldiers; they hit them with thousands of Sarin and VX laden bombs, from the frontlines to as far back as 50 miles.

In the first ten minutes of the attack, the ROK Army had effectively disabled nearly 70 % of the enemy artillery crews while the Air Force began to drop cluster bombs and Napalm on the equipment, utterly destroying it. As the North Koreans tried to respond to the opening salvos, they found themselves completely immersed in Sarin and VX gas. The vast majority of soldiers were either unable to don their chemical protective gear, or lacked the gear entirely. Then the ROK Air Force began to pound them from the air, destroying their air defense systems and further depleting their ability to respond to this surprise attack.

At the end of the first hour, the ROK Army began to advance all across the frontlines, encountering little in the way of resistance. What they saw was horrifying; tens of thousands of twisted and disfigured bodies of those who had not been able to secure their chemical protective gear lined the battlefield. What minor conflict the ROK Army encountered was uncoordinated, and lacked sufficient force to stop their advance.

With the army advancing across the frontlines and deeper into North Korea, the air force immediately began to attack every known and suspected missile site that may house the North’s nuclear missiles. Hundreds of bunker buster bombs and missiles were used against these positions in an attempt to neutralize the North’s only real trump card, their nuclear arsenal.

By 1800 hours, the ROK Army had advanced to Pyongsan, nearly 30 miles inland from the border. Slowly, the North Korean Army was responding to the invasion and tried to mount a defense. However, each time the North would amass their forces, they were immediately attacked by artillery and air force units, which dropped more Sarin gas on their positions. One of the true weaknesses of the North Korean Army is that they did not actively plan or train to fight in a chemical war because they had nuclear weapons. The South had, because the Americans always trained as if it was a certainty that chemical warfare would occur.

Despite the relentless human wave attacks by the North, they could not stop the ROK Army from advancing towards Pyongyang. The South was relentless in their use of chemical weapons, and by the end of the first day of the Second Korean War, the South had utilized the same quantity of chemical weapons that was employed during the first year of World War I. Nearly 300,000 North Korean soldiers were killed by the chemical attacks.

By the third day of the Korean War, the ROK Army was at the outskirts of Pyongyang and showing no signs of stopping. The North Koreans were desperate, and indeed had attempted to launch their nuclear missiles. However, due to the quick thinking of two ROK pilots in the area, they were able to identify the silos as they were being opened and engaged them. They demolished both silos before the missiles could be launched. After blasting Pyongyang with Sarin for nearly four hours, the ROK Army moved in and secured the capital as the North Korean government fled to China. What tattered elements were left of the North Korean army quickly surrendered.

While the world was appalled with the massive use of chemical weapons by the South Koreans and the sheer loss of life (which, when including civilians had grown to over one million), there was no denying that they had effectively blocked the use of nuclear weapons by the North. Essentially, the Korean War had ended within 96 hours. The South quickly sued for a separate non-aggression pact with China, who agreed, so long as South Korea provided no military assistance or support to the Americans in the Chinese war against the US. After consultation with the Americans, the South Koreans agreed to the Chinese terms. For the first time in nearly 90 years, the Korean Peninsula was once again united.