Korean Service Corps A-Frame Pack

Korean Service Corps A-Frame Pack



In the summer of 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea.  The U.S. military presence in South Korea was not nearly large enough to sustain the war effort required and was in desperate need of manpower. 

The creation of the Korean Service Corps is therefore traced back to a July 26, 1950, Presidential Emergency Decree No. 6 signed by South Korean President Syngman Rhee. The decree allowed for the legal commandeering of all the national assets indispensable to fighting a war. One of the most crucial resources needed was manpower.  Men became liable to conscription to provide the personnel needed to assist in various tasks to include the supplying of troops.

In the area of transportation, members of the Korean Service Corps carried supplies on their backs with hand-made wooden framed backpacks called "A-frames."  These frames enabled an individual to carry 50 pounds of supplies/equipment per person.  They carried the supplies to places that could not be reached by vehicles due to Korea’s very mountainous terrain.    Over 70% of the country has a 30% or higher grade, making it very rugged.

In addition to being laborious, the task was intensely dangerous.  They were often on the front lines.  An average schedule for the KSC members was to carry in supplies, help build bunkers by day, and haul out the wounded by night.  One of the most amazing facts about this corps is that they accomplished their front line missions as a completely unarmed labor force.  The KSC, at its peak, had over 133,000 men serving U.S. and United Nations Forces.

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