조병옥 경무부장이 1948년 4월 2일 서울방송국을 통해 발표한 연설

(An Address, delivered by Dr. P. O. Chough, Director of National Police Through Seoul Broadcasting Station at 2115, 2 April 48) My dear fellow countrymen! And my thirty thousand colleague policemen! It gives me a great pleasure to speak to you again on this important occasion before the holding of the general election in the near future, which is the first step toward independence for Korea. What is democracy? To define it in an easy way, a democratic nation is a nation whose people obey the laws enacted by majority vote of the representatives elected by the free election of the people. From this definition, every citizen has two responsibilities: one is to exercise his right by casting a free vote and the other is his duty to obey the laws. In this sense, a citizen of a democratic nation is a ruler on one hand and a subject on the other. Therefore, in the capacity of the ruler, we elect a president and others to govern the people in accordance with the laws enacted by our representatives. Then, in the capacity of the ruled, we obey the enactments and the orders of those we elected. The people of a democratic nation ought to know how to vote and how to obey. He who casts an honest vote and obeys faithfully is a good citizen. The two qualifications of a citizen of a democratic nation, election and obedience, can be summed up as obeying the laws, for without law and order no nation can exist, especially as a democratic nation. Even in a despotic monarchy or in a class absolutist country, the first duty of the citizen is to obey the laws. The difference is that in a democratic country, the laws are not made by any one individual or class but by the majority vote of representatives who were elected by the people at their own free will. For instance, in our country, the laws were made by the king and in Soviet Russia and her satellites, the laws are made by the Communist Party, which is a minority of the people. The people in general are only allowed to vote for or against the laws made by the Communist Party and for or Inclosure No. 80 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 826598 er inst the Commissar candidates nominated by the same Party. Furthermore, the people do not cast their vote in a free atmosphere, because they know that if they vote against the desire of the Government, they will be sternly punished. This is what is called class absolutism, but in Soviet Russia, it is disguised by the word "democracy". They cry for wine and sell vinegar. Certainly it is nothing but deception and blasphemy on democracy. I stated above that democracy can be summed up in two phrases -- free election and absolute obedience to laws. It is the duty of the police to see to it that the people carry out their responsibilities faithfully. We are going to hold the general election before not very long. Whether it can be carried out in the atmosphere of freedom, without any unlawful acts, depends in the first place upon the patriotism and political training of the people and in the second place on the efforts of the National Police. A policeman must understand the principles of democracy thoroughly and must see to it that the election is carried out in the atmosphere of freedom and that no illegal elements hamper the election. He should also be on the alert to observe whether a candidate or any other force is trying to influence the success of the election by means of threat, allurment, bribery, favoritism, illegal word or act. This is the only way that a fair and just election can be expected. The police who observe the laws faithfully are the friends, protectors, and servants of the people. All of you have a badge on your breast which has the two words, inscribed thereon, "kindness" and "service" and this must be the guiding spirit of the National Police. If any of you should forget the spirit of service to your own benefit and pleasure, you debase the dignity and spirit OF THE NATIONAL POLICE. When you hear someone call you "a grateful policeman", or "a reliable policeman", or "a pleasing policeman", it does not only please you but also promotes the reliability of the people upon the National Police, and consequently, it will play an important role in helping the people observe the laws better. If the Police 2 Inclosure No. 80 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 826598 are patriotic enough to be determined to maintain peace and order and are ready to die in the pursuit of their duties, the people will feel morally uplifted and will try to increase the output in factories and at farms. Then, it will be a good country to live in. Free atmosphere is absolutely necessary for the general election because without that, true representatives who reflect the will of the people can not be elected. What are the causes that demolish the free atmosphere? They are: (1) The interference of the Communists, (2) Some of the rightists who are opposed to the general election, (3) Parties or individuals who exert pressure by threat, bribery, by the relationship of land owner and tenant or that of employer and employee, on the voters in order to attain their political ambition. The police should be always on the alert in observing [illegible] their such activities ever take place. Whenever such illegality is found, it is the duty of the police to expose the crime and turn over the case to the judicial authorities. The leftists or radicalists are apt to slander or calumniate the Interim Government, the United States of America, of the United Nations Commission with groundless rumors to hamper the general election and to try to disturb the peace by inciting the people. In such cases, it is the duty of the National Police to nip them in the bud by vigilant supervision. Free atmosphere in the true sense of the word can be had only when peace is assured and maintained and we must adopt a prudent policy to maintain peace and order by preventing all kinds of underground destructive intrigues and riots. Some of the people, political parties and young people's organizations who will cooperate in the general election are liable to forget the principles of democracy and trespass on the right and freedom of the voters and the candidates by using threat or coercion for the purpose of electing their own candidates. They will not use open speech but will attempt to make the majority of the people submit themselves to the will of their parties or organizations. Such acts are as unlawful as the underground activities of the other extremes, and they should be exposed and sternly punished. Democracy is a statecraft which presupposes 3 Inclosure No. 80 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 82625[illegible] the conflic of opinions. In a democratic country, there are always more than two political parties, each having diverse views and each trying to win more people to its side by advocating special policies. There is nothing illegal or immoral in this, on the contrary, it tends to better the government by mutual criticism and polishing up. For example, in America, there are two political parties - Democrat and Republican, and in England, there are Conservative, Liberal, and Labor Parties. Therefore, the fact that there are more than two diverse political parties in Korea is by no means an unfortunate or an unwelcome phenomena. It depends upon how they compete. The only legal means for political party competition is discussion, that is to say, the proper means for political competition is to let the people know political opinions either by speech or press and wait for the people's judgment. When the people have heard the political opinions, and examined the character, knowledge, and merits of the political parties, they determine by vote which party is right. The political party which obtains the majority vote wins the confidence of the people and takes up the reins of government until the next election period. This is the normal course of government of a democratic country. Such is the government we want to establish and this general election is the birth of it. Some people say that the rivalry of the political parties is wrong and that all of them must be unified. But if there is only one political party in the country, it will be a one-party absolutism or class dictatorship. The Fascist Party in Italy, Nazism in Germany, and Communism in Soviet Russia and her satellites are examples. There the minority rules the majority of the people which is an anti-democratic government and worse than absolute monarchy because most of the people become slaves. The government we are trying to establish is not such a one-party absolutism or class dictatorship but a country of freedom and equality where every individual can have a voice in the enactment of laws and elect representatives by vote of his own free will. What is the criterion for judging whether an individual or a political party is democratic or · Inclosure No. 80 4 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 83629[illegible] autocratic? That means the way they fight politically, that is, whther they fight by means of discussion or by force and intrigue. Now, you will clearly understand what the police who are supervising the general election are trying to do. They are trying to protect the people from plot and force. The law is just like a big dam. If there is a small leakage in the dam, it will cause a break and if it reaches two or three feet wide, all the water inside it will flow over the whole area. In the same way, whether or not the merit of the police is nullified depends upon whether an individual policeman devotes his attention to his duty at the moment of importance. This shows how sacred and important the duty of a policeman is! There is one thing a policeman ought to know in creating the atmosphere of freedom, and that is taking a strict neutral standpoint. As an individual, he can uphold the political view of a certain political party and oppose that of another party, but as a policeman, he should not take such an attitude. The po'ice are the police of our entire country and not of any one political party or clique. A policeman ought to have the reliance of all parties and organizations and at the same time, he should equally restrain all their illegalities, giving preference to no one, since all are equal in the eyes of the law. A policeman ought to place himself on the legal side and suppress the illegal side. Therefore, a policeman, in an individualistic capacity, can cast a vote for the party he favors, but in police capacity, he must strictly take the neutral attitude. For instance, when there are two candidates of opposite factions in a certain police district, the place and time when and where an opinion can be expressed for or against the candidates is only when he casts his vote at the poll. If he, in the capacity of a policeman, should praise one of them in public and attack the other, or condone one man's unlawful acts and be harsh one the other, he degrades the strict neutrality of a policeman. If thi should occur, the people will lose confidence in the police, and, consequently it will debase the dignity of the law and that will 5 Inclosure No. 80 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 8316518 be detrimental to the country. For this reason, the policeman should cultivate the virtue of drawing the line between public and private matters. The duty of the police is to create the atmosphere of freedom so that the people can vote at their own free will, and not to make the people vote f[o]r or against a certain political party. The criterion for execution of the duties of a policeman is the law and not private opinion or views. The right of judging which of the two parties is right is in the hands of the people, and not in the hands of the police. Maintaining peace and order and creating the atmosphere of freedom for the people so that they can vote freely is the unique and sacred duty of a patriotic and democratic police. 6 Inclosure No. 80 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 82659[8]