Chinese Korean War Defectors

Apart from saving Chiang Kai-shek's (蒋介石) regime, it seems that the Korean War had other repercussions for Taiwan.

Such as a minor influx of Chinese - mainly defectors from the Korean War - from Sichuan province (四川) to Taiwan.

Apparently, to clear the way for a Korean War armistice in July 1953, Beijing dropped its demand that Chinese and North Korean prisoners of war be repatriated to their homelands.

"Understanding the potential for a political victory, the ROC organized the delivery of welcome letters and 14,000 gifts to encourage defections. Taipei also sent advisers to the camps to tutor Chinese prisoners in correctly responding to interview questions so as to ensure they would not be sent back to China," wrote Denny Roy in Taiwan: A Political History.

Taipei's efforts apparently bore fruit.

More than 14,000 of a total of 20,000 Chinese POWs went to Taiwan, arriving on the island in July 1953. To mark its public relations coup over the mainland, Taipei proclaimed January 23 "World Freedom Day."