In Feb. 1954, Marilyn Monroe entertained the U.S. troops in Korea. According to war correspondent Liesel Brander, her performance may have boosted her stardom on the world-wide stage, but it also may have threatened her recent marriage to Joe DiMaggio (historynet).  The trip to Korea coincided with Marilyn and Joe’s honeymoon to Japan.  While Joe, the baseball legend, had been invited to speak to Japanese professional baseball players, Marilyn was asked to entertain the troops in Korea.  Joe wasn’t really hot for this idea.  He was used to being the star of the show.  He wanted his wife by his side, but Marilyn went anyway.   It was on this trip that friction began to splinter the relationship.  Joe couldn’t handle all the attention his wife would receive. In Japan, the couple was greeted by thousands of fans at the airport.  They were screaming “Mon Chan! Mon Chan!” This means “Sweet Little Girl!”  No one was screaming for Joe.

Reluctantly, Joe allowed Marilyn to go on her own to Korea.  So while Joe was  playing baseball in front of modest groups of fans in Japan, Marilyn  spent four days touring different army bases in Korea by helicopter – before more than 100,000 soldiers. The trip made Marilyn realize her stardom. Up until this point, she had never performed before a live audience.  Her singing was always limited to a small studio in front of a director and camera crew.   Now in Korea, she was up on stage singing to huge crowds of soldiers sceaming their lungs out at every move she made. Despite the frigid weather conditions – it was snowing! -  she wore a lavender cocktail dress and little else. She sang “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” from her most recent movie.  Of course, no one in Korea knew the movie, but it didn’t matter. They were all there to see Marilyn. The writers of this article seem to predict Marilyn’s performance in Korea would doom the marriage.  Joe had lived the life of a competitor.  It was clear, now, he didn’t  have what it took to compete with Marilyn.  Upon Marilyn’s return from Korea, she was so excited to tell Joe, “you never heard such cheering.”  When Joe answered, “Yes I have,” you had to know it  would be the beginning of the end for these two.