This article aims to analyze the role of Commonwealth of Nations in repelling North
Korean aggression on South Korea in 1950 with the concept of value alliance presented
by Micheal N. Barnett and Risse-Kappen who claimed the alliance between or among
states can be formed and kept well when it is based on the common values. It is said
that the Commonwealth of Nations joined the UN troops under the pressure from US
or expecting economic or military benefits from her who actually established and was
th most responsible country for South Korea. At that time, South Korea and those
Commonwealth states(Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South African
Republic) didn’t have any pact or agreement to regulate both parties. There was no
alliance between them, but those faraway states from Korea decided to help South
Korea in crisis caused by North Korea and its supporter, the Soviet Union. The
military alliance between or among states to help each other is generally made to
overcome security threat from a common enemy or enemies. But some nations
belonging to the Commonwealth sent their army to Korean Peninsular, although they
didn’t have diplomatic relations or any agreement with South Korea to help each
other. The announcements made by leaders of Commonwealth of Nations when they
decided to help S. Korea show it was because they perceived North Korean invasion to
be a big threat to their core values which were shared by S Korea, which proves
Barnett and Risse-Kappen’s premise that the sharing of core values is a very
important factor for alliance formation even if the document for alliance doesn't exist.
The conclusion of this article is that the Korean War was not only an anti-communist
war but also a war to defend the core values- freedom, democracy, and market
economy, shared by South Korea and states belonging to the Commonwealth which sent
army and helped her. Most tombs of the soldiers from Commonwealth of Nations died in the Korean War are at the Busan UN Cemetery. So, the cemetery is the symbol of
sacrifice for the democracy and freedom, which we should keep well and make an holy
place of world peace, freedom, and democracy by establishing a memorial hall.