Asia Society presents; 39

The Asian society presenting. This is a series of interviews with experts on Asian affairs designed to strengthen our understanding of Asian people and ideas. Your most on this transcribed series is the noted author on the ward winning broadcaster Lee Graham. Here now is Mrs. Graham. Since 1953 when the thirty eighth parallel was restored in Korea keeping the country divided north and south we haven't heard too much about that part of the world until the past year 1968 when the United States as a as Pueblo was captured by the government of North Korea. Then Korea came back into the news and many of us perhaps were surprised thinking that the situation had been more or less settled at least temporarily. Just to point out Korea remains divided. There is the northern part which is called the Democratic People's Republic of Korea the Premier is Kim il-Song and there is a south which is the Republic of Korea and there they have a

President Jiang. He. The population differs in the north there are about 13 million people in the south there are about 30 million people. Whether they capture the Pueblo in some recent stirrings mean that trouble will begin again we don't know. But as long as there are two Koreas I suppose we can expect difficulties. And so we're very fortunate to have on this edition of the Asia Society present a man who can I think in lightness about this part of the world. He is a John Wan Kim Mr. Kim is associate professor of political science at Columbia University and he is also at the present time senior research fellow at the Research Institute on communist affairs. Now Dr. Kim has been educated in this country. He's as you will see many Koreans he speaks fine English and knows a lot I guess about both east and west. But we concentrate on the east of Ezekiel. And you just fill us in very

quickly on the history of Korea. Well just a minute ago you said that there are two Koreas. First of all it is important to note that the term to Korea is simply a catch phrase. There are two governments in the Korean Peninsula as you say both of which has legitimacy. But there is really only one Korea nation. No other I do would even consider the idea of being more than one nation. The reason is very simple. Career Koreans who are unified under a single government. So it didn't introduce ago and shared a single language culture history and then I didn't identify with a common territorial background and also they had the same political destiny for certain centuries.

And since nineteen all five Korea was occupied by a Japanese colony colonialism and facts are. Korea was liberated in 1945 by Americans and Western allies. Since that time from 1945 to forty eight hours to buy. American and you know it's by a Soviet Union. And since that time Korea was divided into two parts and South Korea was established under the union supervision as a Republic of Korea. And at the same time North Korea was established under Soviet guidance and control and directed by both Koreans in those careers. He has now a many people still I don't understand how it came to be that the Soviet Union has the north or controls the north and that the United

States established itself in the south and then gradually gave it over to South Korea to run its own government. I mean how did the government let's say this Korean peninsula become divided into two parties as we all know Korea was to buy at the end of World War 2. At the at the conference. Stalin and Roosevelt had agreed that Korea which had been ruled as I said by Japan since 1945 should be placed under a trust to ship government after Japan was defeated. But trusted it was to be administered to administered by the United States and the USA cell as well as Great Britain and China for some unspecific purity of her time which Roosevelt said might be 20 or 30 years when Japan was

actually defeated later in the year. A military decision was made for the Soviet Union for the Soviet troops to occupy north of the thirty eighth parallel and American troops in South. The United States and Russia was supposed to come to a specific agreement after that of for creating a trust ship trust a ship government for three years as I said earlier. The true hearts of Korea were occupied by Russian and American troops while the government tried to reach some kind of specific agreement but they never could. The rag these three years and the Russians set up a government in North Korea that was run by Soviet to Koreans that is so bad to citizens of Korean ethnic origin.

Yes there are quite a few people of Korean origin in the Soviet Union which may surprise our audience. Is that true. Yes there were quite a bit and were these the Soviet Koreans then who were sent into Korea itself to run the government. No they in fact served Soviet military forces during the World War 2 and they Soviet Union brought them with them and run the South to North Korea. And that's what happened during those three years. And so finally us turned over the problem to the United Nations about the Korean question and the U.N. decided that Korea should be given that independence instead of being put under a trusteeship by our government and the U.N. would supervise an election in Korea throughout Korea. That means and then turn over control directly to Koreans. However the

Russians refused to allow the election to be held in North Korea. And the result was that the election was held in the south and the South Korean government was established. What reason did the Russian government give refusing permission for this election. In other words they are not recognizing us. You're a United Nations supervision in handling Korean question. Still they remain in control of North Korea right now. What excuse was given in 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea went across the 38 parallel. The bed is very. Now you are questioning about to the situation how they came about the war in Korea. Yeah well this is a very complicated problem but it is very simple that when we have to look at international situation at that time in East Asia meaning

far east Japan Korea and China and also Soviet Union when they established North Korea after the established North Korea as you know that China became our communist China occupied and declared October 1st they are Chinese People's Republic in China in 1949 and Soviet Union and China made a treaty of alliance and friendship. When Mao Tse-Tung persisted in Moscow in January 1950 they came back. But I feel that they already agreed. The unification of Korea allowing US North Korea to take initiative to attack South Korea I mean unified through attack through through military military means rather than peaceful unification. So

there is a strong indication that both China and Russia were involved in that this June to start a Korean War. For one thing is clear there is 100000 Koreans had been enlisted in the Chinese Communist army and 44 Chinese communism until they won the war in China before they came into power in 1949. These Koreans returned to North Korea at the end of 1949 and became part of the North Korean army. They already had this as you know had combat experience in China during the Civil War. Also 10000 North Koreans had been taken into Siberia in the USSR in 1946 right after World War Two and were trained there in the operation of tanks modern aircraft

and other instruments of modern weapons. These two came back into Korea North Korea in 1949 and their forties Andreessen not reasonable to assume that the North Korean offensive of 1950 was not only our current Concord in. Jointly planned by the USSR and China. You read Mr Harrison Solo's Berry's new book about war between China and Russia. I think you probably will want to read it because of his interpretation of the way you have read it not about I mean than I thought perhaps you had his interpretation of why the war began in Korea. He felt that it was just another power play in the rivalry longstanding rivalry between China and Russia and that it was Russia who decided we'd better put our foot in here and get going before China does the same and that it was

really a Russian desire to show its strength in North Korea and thereby urging this attack in this war because it is Russian style communism isn't it that is now prevalent in North Korea. That is true but at the same time I could ask a question that is then how come the Chinese send 200000 soldiers to do two to North Korea two to fight. At 1950 you would have had Chinese with these Koreans trained in China with these actual Chinese or Chinese volunteers so-called Preis asked Mississauga here. Anyway that was a theory appears crisis seemed no plausible at all though. The idea of two careers is upsetting and you say it is one nation and it is one Peninsula. The fact remains that on paper and in and more than on paper but in reality there are two Koreas today. How much do you know about North Korea.

Well what I know about I mean it's obvious that you're a citizen of South Korea. Yes I since I am very much interested in I was born and raised educated and career I and also my field is political science and Far Eastern politics international politics in the Far East. I have been keeping reading all these newspapers magazines. All source materials which are published in North Korea. In fact every day whenever I can get get in my on my desk. Those are the materials that I have been reading and studying about analyzing the situation in North Korea and sometimes I read these Korean newspapers South Korean newspapers the Korean newspapers the Koreas newspaper about to cover the defectors from North Korea to South Korea. They write a number of articles there so I understand through false media about our Korean situation.

North Korean situation how is the number of defrag is decreased now. Well let me ask you this. Do people continue to defect to North Korea if these are mostly military man. Yeah from North Korea because it must be difficult to get out of the hospital to get out you know to receive a life or death to get out from North Korea. You don't go in the ring or no in 1000 from for example from 1945 to 1948 about two million South Koreans left the north to North Korea abandoning their old life exodus. You know how this family and all these things with a modern Catholics no margin no no they were people who just wanted to get out. Right right. Get out from communist regime. Yes and the totalitarian life which is somehow hard for I imagine anyone to take unless he happens to be the boss. Professor Kim is so North Korea is obviously over with school the Democratic People's Republic

it is a tyrannical place in which to live. How different is South Korea while career is is is quite different from North Korea. I'm not trying to defend South Korea here per se. I am trying to tell you that what it is I are as I said I was born and raised and career and I just came back from my research trip to the Far East during that research trip I was here in Seoul. And. Just simple indication is that there is our freedom of speech freedom of assembly freedom of press as like the United States. Probably when opposition political party

member against which you know about its constitutional amendment which is initiated by Republican party Democrat or Republican Party of John he stated the opposition party. Freely and discussed about today are reason why they are against it and in fact to some members of National Assembly said that part. He is our dictator because simply he wants to run a third or term where how anyone in North Korea for example in the. They are supreme national people. Some read say that our song is our dictator. Probably he says life. Is probably banished from our society the next day it would say it more than once I suppose one and one and once they think that over the coming years and in South Korea you have a greater freedom maybe not complete

freedom but I don't suppose there's any country maybe except England and the Scandinavian countries where you have complete freedom I think we do still in the United States. We hold on to it. The fact is that in South Korea it is a different atmosphere it is a different type of government. Now I think maybe you should explain to our audience about a pact on he who he has been president for two terms right to for years right. And he had an amendment was suggested an amendment which was passed to the constitution saying that he could run a third term right if the people want to call him a dictator they do openly and in prison for that. Excuse me I mean it. If his critics call him a dictator yet they are not in prison for that are no. Now they haven't gone to prison yet. So far so I am I don't think they will and in fact are the one who fed the dictator is going to run for the presidency again. Presidents are trying to be a candidate from his party to be a

presidential candidate from his party in 1971 election. Yes when President Roosevelt in this country ran for a third I think even a fourth term he was called a dictator too so that added the criticism of it. Sure and at the same time many students even political activities are very strong they when they opposed constitutional amendment they went out on the streets. Of course they were stopped by a policeman and then some casualties there war but feel they are trying to express their views in I hope in constructive way of life. Moratorium in Washington. Some people are trying to destroy something and some people are silent march yang to when it gets out of hand the police come in no matter what country it is that is true. Yes. So what criticism could there then be the freedom that the people have or don't have in the south. Well the coming you hear some criticism you do. Sure sure there are unit careers case unique position in a sense

because they are. According to reports and numbers. So what is there are like a prayer for instance. And number of other cases number of North Koreans are trying to infiltrate into South Korea. For example I can give you one week's case that is North Koreans in East Western Europe trying to recruit Korean students you know brought in western Germany in England in friends who were studying trying to make an agent. And in fact about so many of them came back after even visiting to North Korea come young the capital of North Korea and got the training in North Korea and then came back to not west to Germany or France came back to South

Korea. You fell and joined the government. What teaching and organizing political selves to overthrow the Saddam regime meaning to the public career. Well in that case there are number of underground activities going on in South Korea in order to protect to these people. They have to somehow control certain areas of press I think and also Assembly and other things. So occasionally when police detectives and other people are who are working for the government are not really trying to be neutral in terms of freedom of press and assembly. They might be very harsh on some minor cases where the government in order to survive has despite subversion. Now many people scoff at that and say there's no such thing and you're depriving these people of their

rights. But when subversion amounts to treason I think the government has to be on guard. Yes. Let me ask you a little bit more about Kim Il Song. He's been in power since 1948. Have they held any elections. Even if you call them studio or mock elections or does he just remain in power and they don't bother with an action where they had an election. They have bombed various already this is before the election everything has defied it. He never has decided yes he doesn't have an opposition candidate. Now there is now I've heard that in Korea the retirement age for a man is 60 is like in South Korea but I don't know whether that's a Korean. Yes you're right. Yes. South or North Korean traditional pattern is that 60 is about age and so a man wants to accomplish all he can by the time he's 60. Now since Premier Kim Il Song is what about the 37 58 yes. Winnie do you think the amount

to make a prophecy now. Will he start putting more pressure upon matters because he hasn't just two or three years in which to prove himself which perhaps to create this reunification by military means. Well is that a factor. It seems to me that as you say he was born in 1912. Now he which is by 1972 here which seems to determine to age of 19 60 years old yeah. And. He is trying to since 1950 trying to unify Korea by military means but it has not been successful so far. So now as you'll recall that he published its his autobiography of his revolutionary so-called revolutionary struggle trying to Japanese regime under Japanese 3G and trying to maintain his power trying to influence I was

career and in fact in the New York Times Oct. 27. Eighty four pages two pages of spending seven thousand dollars of his advertisement be what you call Korea has produced here over 20 centuries in fact a number of people fought against the Japanese for their independence. So he is trying to use psychological warfare at this time trying to influence so the world trying to unify some other means. It's not military but they are he has two options. One is trying to. Unify career by military means. Before 1972. Well I wish that we could continue longer because you said a number of revealing things. We'll leave the question still unsettled but people might have a few clues now for the future. We have the pleasure of listening to our guest young one Kim who was a professor of political science at Columbia University. Thank you very

much and goodbye. That concludes tonight's edition of the Asia Society presents with Lee Graham. This series comes to you through the cooperation of the Asia Society. If you would like to comment on tonight's program or would like further information about the society and how you can participate in its many interesting activities please write to Mrs. Graham at W NYC New York City 100 0 7. I make a note to join us again next week at this time for another edition of the 80s with all Friday presents. This is the national educational radio network.