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PART I SOUTH KOREA Secret From: 281200/I May 48 To : 041200/I June 48 Headquarters, USAMGIK Seoul, Korea 04 June 1948 No. 142 Maps: KOREA, 1/250,000 East ASIA, 1/1,000,000 A. ARMED FORCES 1. Strength (Secret) Police: 34,900 Constabulary: 50,806 (including 23,646 recruits) Coast Guard: 2,776 (including 132 cadets) 2. Operational Activity (Confidential) a. Border Incidents The nine border incidents reported during this period represents a new high for 1948. Five involved U.S. personnel, but no casualties to Americans ensued. At 280900 May a U.S. patrol was fired upon at (1165.6-1697.9) by unidentified persons from north of the 38th parallel. At 281015 May, South Korean police fired two rounds at a North Korean position at (1166.0- 1698.8). Later, at 281330 May, North Korean Constabularymen fired on a U.S. soldier on O.P. duty at (1166.5-1697.8). The resulting exchange of fire lasted one and one-half hours but resulted in no casualties. At 291230 May 8 North Korean Constabularymen moved 500 yards south of the parallel to (917.9-1696.4) and fired upon South Korean police. The fight lasted three and one-half hours but no casualties were reported. At 292225 May North Korean Constabularymen raided three police boxes in the vicinity of CHANG NI (1160-1690.7). No casualties were reported. At 310800 May unknown persons directed machine-gun fire from north of the parallel at South Korean police near (828.5-1697.7). At 311800 May two North Korean policemen violated the parallel to kidnap one South Korean policeman and two members of the NORTHWEST YOUNG MEN'S ASSOCIATION from TCHUL-HEGO (1011.4-1696.0). The victims were taken north of the parallel. At 311830 May a U.S. patrol at (835.7-1697.7) was fired upon by North Koreans. About 40 rounds of machine gun and rifle gun fire were direct[ed] at the Americans. At 021040 June an American motorized patrol at (917.9-1696.6) was fired upon by unseen riflemen north of the 38th parallel. At 021600 June an unobserved marksman fired upon a group of Americans who were being oriented on the parallel markers at (900.5-1697.05). 3 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 745070 XXIV CORPS G-2 W/S #14² PART I Between 020930 and 021030 June North Korean Constabularymen and South Korean police exchanged the total of 150 rounds of machine-gun and rifle fire in the vicinity of OP #8 (836.4-1698.0). COMMENT: It cannot be determined whether the attacks on Americans are due to Soviet inspiration or a relaxing of Soviet control. It is probable also that the continued hate propaganda against the U.S. is coming to fruition. b. Constabulary Action on CHEJU DO The Constabulary during this period continued their sweep through the mountains from west to east. By 02 June a total of 427 individuals of the 596 apprehended had been screened and 77 are being detained for further interrogation. 4 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 745070 XXIV CORPS G-2 W/S #142 PART I B. CURRENT INTELLIGENCE 1. National Assembly a. Proceedings RHEE Syng Man became the first chairman of the National Assembly when, at the morning session on 31 May, 188 members cast ballots for him. LEE Chung Chun received 4 votes; KIM Yak Soo, 2; SHIN Ik Ki, 2; and LEE Yoon Yung, 1. The two vice-speakers elected were SHIN Ik Ki (RHEE's National Society for the Acceleration of Korean Independence) and KIM Dong Won (Hankook Democratic Party). Addressing the afternoon Assembly session, the Commanding General stated that the Assembly was the elected agency intended to form a democratic government for the Korean nation, not merely an adjunct to, or part of, Military Government and that, with the future of KOREA lying largely in the hands of the Koreans themselves, the eyes of the entire world are upon the coming Assembly deliberations and KOREA will be judged by the results obtained through Assembly decisions. The Military Governor assured the group that Military Government stands ready to assist in every way the group wishes, and looks forward to an orderly transition of governmental functions to the government to be established. During the afternoon session of 01 June a 10-man committee on nominations was selected and instructed to select the members of all the standing committees, commencing with the one on the constitution. The personnel of the nominating committee include LEE Yoon Yung, SHIN Ik Hi, YOO Hong Yo, LEE Chong Rin, YOON Suk Koo, KIM Chang Yul, SAW Sang Ill, HAM Chung, CHOI Kyu Ok, and OH Yong Kook. The Assembly provided for liaison with the United Nations Commission, The Commanding General, the Military Governor and foreign Consulates by establishing the following Liaison Committee during the 02 June morning session: YUN Chi Young (Hankook Democratic Party) CHANG Myun (NSAKI) LEE Hoo Koo (Independent) KIM Do Yoon (Hankook Democratic Party) CHANG Ki Young (Independent; RHEE-inclined) In the afternoon session 02 June the Nominating Committee presented the names of thirty members of the Committee on the Constitution and fifteen members of the Committee on House Rules. There was objection to the membership of these Committees from the floor on the grounds that undue representation had been given the NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE ACCELERATION OF KOREAN INDEPENDENCE (10 of 45) and the HANKOOK DEMOCRATIC PARTY (11 of 45); and, further, that the Nominating Committee had included the names of its own members in the new committees. After considerable discussion, RHEE (of NSAKI) brought the arguments to a close with the statement that party affiliations should be forgotten. The Committees were finally approved as nominated. Lee Chung Chun of the Constitution Committee and YUN Chi Yong of the House Rules Committee called the committees into session 03 June. RHEE, the Chairman, then recessed the Assembly until 08 June. b. RHEE's Statement The following statement was delivered by Dr. RHEE Syng Man before the National Assembly at its opening session, on 31 May: 5 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 745070 XXIV CORPS G-2 W/S #142 PART I Introduction: "Today we are assembled here to open the first Congress of the Republic of KOREA. For this day, we must first thank Almighty God, and secondly the patriotic men and women who sacrificed their lives and thirdly our friendly nations, particularly the UNITED STATES and the UNITED NATIONS, for their great contributions which made this occasion possible. As members of the Legislative Assembly elected by, for and of the people of KOREA, we are here to assume the authority and responsibility as their representatives in, first adopting a national constitution and re-establishing the independent democratic government. As the chairman of this Great Assembly, I have the honor to formally declare to the world that this day the Republic of KOREA is born again and further declare that this Assembly is the sole representative body of this nation." Provisional Government of 1919: "On March 1st, 1919, the representatives of the 13 provinces gathered in SEOUL organized the Great National Assembly and declared to the nations of the world the establishment of the independent Republic of KOREA and organized the Provisional Government of this Republic, thus laying the foundation of the democratic principle for our nation. Unfortunately, due to the world situation we were unable to achieve our aim. Our people, both at home and abroad, however, supported the government, giving up their lives and shedding their blood in order to uphold the principle and spirit of that memorable day of March First, 1919. Logically enough, this Congress which we open today is the successor of that Great General Assembly and the government which we are to organize will be the successor of that Provisional Government established in SEOUL at that time. Therefore, we hereby confirm that this is the day when that Republic of KOREA is re-born after 29 years of our revolution. It is appropriate and proper to continue to hold that historical year of 1919 as our epochal national year and this assembly, as our National Congress representing the entire nation. Consequently the government born of this assembly will be the sovereign independent government of the entire nation." National Duty: "We deeply regret that our brethren of the 5 Provinces in the North were not able to elect their representatives to participate with us in this Assembly. However, four and a half million refugees from the North participated in the national election and some of them have been elected as members of this House. And, moreover, we have reserved a certain number of seats in this House for the Representatives freely elected by our people in the North to come and occupy them so that they will fully share the responsibilities and privileges with the rest of us. In this we count on their cooperation and concerted efforts and also on the support of the UNITED STATES and the UNITED NATIONS so as to achieve our common objective as speedily as possible. We hereby reassert that it is our firm unanimous determination that our people will either live together or die together in our struggle for the complete restoration of our country and that we will not yield one foot or one inch of our land to any nation or any group of nations." General Objectives: "The main objectives of this Congress, as already made known, are to adopt a constitution based on democratic principles and to establish a government according to that constitution and to form a national defense force for the security and defense of our country and provide for the relief of our suffering people. We will regulate the prices of rice and other necessary commodities, put in effect a land reform program with fairness to all, protect individual freedom and equal rights, protect lives and rights of our people residing overseas through international negotiations, promote the interest of public education, develop our industry, endeavor to open commercial relations with other nations on a fair and equal basis, safeguard the freedom of speech, press, assembly and religion, promote peace of the 6 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 745070 XXIV CORPS G-2 W/S #142 PARTY through friendly relations with other powers[illegible] attempt to open direct friendly negotiations with the SOVIET UNION for the just solution of the critical common problems of the two nations and to settle the political, economical and other urgent problems with JAPAN through negotiations whenever possible." Cooperation Urged: "The duties and responsibilities of every member of this Congress are heavy and urgent and we cannot afford to indulge ourselves in petty discussions, and unnecessary debates on minor detail matters tending to waste valuable time; we must first take up the main problems as just announced in our program and take action one after another after due and full discussions on them." The Role of the UNITED STATES: "When we have set up our government, the American Military Government will withdraw, for the Military Government authorities are fully ready to turn the administration over to our government. We hope our Government will request the Government of the UNITED STATES to let us retain some of our American friends who have been serving in the central administration as well as those in the provincial governments who can be helpful to us either as advisors or technicians. The American forces of occupation, we hope, will remain for the security purposes until our government has organized our own security force. However, the UNITED STATES Government will act in this matter in accordance with the decision of the UNITED NATIONS. Therefore, in cooperation with the UNITED STATES and the UNITED NATIONS, we will act according to our common understanding and agreement. The only point, which must be clearly understood, is that the remaining of the security forces shall not interfere with the exercise of our sovereign rights. There is no doubt that whenever we request the withdrawal of the American forces they will evacuate at once. It is a well known fact that the UNITED STATES has no political or territorial interest in any part of the world. AMERICA's interest is in the establishment of democratic governments wherever possible for the sake of world peace and of commercial relations for mutual benefit and, therefore, what AMERICA expects from us is nothing more than the goodwill of our people. Although American forces may remain for the time being due to the international circumstances, they will leave KOREA without delay whenever the Korean Government formally requests their withdrawal." Korean Communists: "To the Korean communists we are willing to offer another and last opportunity to repent and join hands with us in our common efforts towards the complete restoration of our nation. If they accept this opportunity and sufficiently demonstrate their desire to cooperate in our national program, we will forgive and forget the past and regard them just as we do the rest of our loyal citizens in the North and South. If however they fail to utilize this opportunity and insist on their unpatriotic efforts to affiliate our nation with any of the foreign powers and continue to murder, burn and destroy in order to carry out that unpatriotic proposition, we shall have to deal with them strictly and sternly according to the law. They must realize that from now on no foreign influence could help them to secure pardon or release from due punishment for their crimes." Law and Order: "Any violator of law and order will have to pay the full penalty for his crimes. In order to live and let live and to enjoy the blessings of freedom and prosperity, they must observe law and justice; for otherwise they will not be allowed to enjoy the privileges of democracy. 7 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 745070 XXIV CORPS G-2 W/S #142 PART I To all my fellow citizens I wish to give the advice that if they are misled in believing that the establishment of the Congress and of the government will bring every individual citizen all that they need without work on their part, then they will soon be disappointed and disillusioned. Under the old monarchical rule, the people left all the affairs of the nation entirely in the hands of those in the government without any participation in it. But under a democratic government the people are rulers of the nation and, if rulers neglect their duties, the nation will again have to fall into jeopardy. From now on, every citizen, man and woman, must realize that he or she has an equal share of the responsibility, authority and power, and must exert all of their energy to work and struggle to consolidate and strengthen the foundation of the government, which will safeguard his or her individual rights and privileges, so as to make speedy progress towards the enlightenment and prosperity of our nation. There should be no one, regardless of sex or age, who has no work or duty to perform, and if there are any unpatriotic and subversive elements who try to obstruct or destroy the progress of our nation, they should be strictly dealt with according to the law so that no loyal, law-abiding citizen may suffer. People and government must strive together in carrying out the determination to stamp out all the evils of corruption and profiteering. We must disclose and purge all such practices which sap the vitality of the nation and whoever proved guilty either within government or without should be rigorously punished. I request every individual and organization to do their utmost for the solution of this most urgent question for the sake of us all." The Destiny of the Republic: "Henceforth, the destiny of our Republic and the welfare of our people will be entirely in the hands of the individual citizens of KOREA. If we fail, we shall suffer and have only ourselves to blame. If we succeed, we shall enjoy all the benefits and blessings thereof and all our friendly nations will willingly give us their warm and sympathetic support. I trust all the members of this Assembly will heartily join with me in the full measure of devotion to the Cause of our nation. I know that all our people will revive the self-sacrificing patriotic spirit of 1919. Let us recall the solemn vow made in the Declaration of Independence and renew our determination 'to continue our struggle to the last man and to the last moment.' With this determination, let us pledge ourselves to the great tasks before us in the presence of Almighty God and of our 30 million fellow citizens." COMMENT: RHEE's speech more closely resembled the inaugural address of a president than the usual words of acceptance uttered by persons assuming chairmanships. Since his election to the National Assembly RHEE has acted as though he has already been vested with as much authority as one man should possess in a "democracy." Considering the urgency for a quick resolution of problems so that the government can begin functioning without delay, RHEE's address had its admirable features. It was unevasive; its meaning was clear and his position on all points was set forth without equivocation. If he achieves such authority, his address can be considered an accurate statement of the program of the new government. His announced views on the UNITED STATES are considered sensible; however, privately he has readily and vigorously asserted that American economic aid will not be acceptable at the cost of dictation or interference in any way by the UNITED STATES. 2. Non-Communist Opposition There has been no conclusive evidence to show what course the factions comprising the non-Communist opposition to the National Assembly will pursue in continuing their existence as political organizations. DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 745070 8 XXIV CORPS G-2 W/S #142 PART I 3. Civil Unrest a. A Week's Violence in South KOREA Although G-3 reports received from both ends of South KOREA this week told of communist plotting against the lives of National Legislature members, no such attacks have yet been reported. On 04 June it looked as if the week connecting the latter part of May with early June has been South KOREA's quietest since the beginning of the 25 February disturbance period. A summary of acts of violence involving communists for the week as reported up to 041200 June is as follows: [TABLE WITH COLUMNS: SEOUL / KYONGGI-DO / KANGWON DO / CHUNGCHONG NAMDO / CHUNGCHONG PUKTO / CHOLLA NAMDO / CHOLLA PUKTO / KYONGSANG NAMDO / KYONGSANG PUKTO / CHEJU DO / TOTAL] Attacks on towns Attacks on police | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | 2 Police killed Communists killed | | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | 3 Rightists killed Demonstrations, disorders, arson, & attacks on rightists | 7 | | 2 | | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 Attacks on government buildings | | | | | 1 | | | | | 1 Sabotage (communications) | | | | | | | | 1 | | 1 Sabotage (RR lines) Sabotage (roads) Sabotage (bridges) Sabotage (power) Strikes (labor) Strikes (schools) b. Delayed Reports Covering Last Week Delayed reports of incidents that occurred during the week ending 28 May which were not carried in last week's summary (see Part I, B.2.a., W/S #141) are: [TABLE WITH COLUMNS: SEOUL / KYONGGI DO / KANGWON / CHUNGCHONG NAMDO / CHUNGCHONG NAMDO / CHOLLA NAMDO / CHOLLA PUKTO / KYONGSANG NAMDO / KYONGSANG PUKTO / CHEJU DO / TOTAL] Attacks on towns Attacks on police Police killed Communist killed | | | | | | | | 1 | 9 | 10 Rightists killed | | 1 | | | | | | 3 | | 4 Demonstrations, disorders, arson & attacks on rightists | | | | | | | 5 | 2 | | 7 Attacks on government buildings Sabotage (communications) Sabotage (RR lines) Sabotage (roads) Sabotage (bridges) Sabotage (power) Strikes (labor) Strikes (schools) 9 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 745070 XXIV CORPS G-2 W/S #142 PART I c. 1948 Communist Activities In South KOREA | | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | TOTAL | |------------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-------| | Attacks on towns | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 72 | 77 | | Attacks on police | 0 | 130 | 118 | 50 | 85 | 383 | | Police killed | 0 | 33 | 20 | 15 | 32 | 100 | | Communists killed | 1 | 74 | 75 | 70 | 153 | 373 | | Rightists killed | 1 | 14 | 14 | 81 | 138 | 248 | | Disorders, demonstrations, | | | | | | | | arson & attacks on rightist | 6 | 118 | 69 | 126 | 186 | 505 | | offices & homes | | | | | | | | Attacks on | | | | | | | | government buildings | 0 | 9 | 14 | 2 | 9 | 34 | | Sabotage (communications) | 14 | 53 | 58 | 32 | 57 | 214 | | Sabotage (RR lines) | 1 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 27 | | Sabotage (RR locomotives) | 0 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 74 | | Sabotage (roads) | 0 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 25 | | Sabotage (bridges) | 0 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 24 | | Sabotage (power) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | | Strikes (labor) | 0 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 38 | | Strikes (schools) | 0 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 25 | | Attacks on registration | | | | | | | | & election booths | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 63 | 126 | d. Rightists Engage in Violence In the third and fourth incidents of rightist-sponsored violence during May, members of the NORTHWEST YOUNG MEN'S ASSOCIATION in YONGCHON (1190- 1452) assaulted an enlisted constabularyman whom they claimed was a communist, and killed his father on 20 May; and an anti-separate government vicechairman of the TAEJON branch of the UNITED YOUNG MEN'S PARTY was narrowly thwarted in an attempt to have four rightist leaders assassinated during the latter part of May. COMMENT: Since 30 March there have been only nine reported cases of internecine fighting within the right-wing. In all these cases members of the UNITED YOUNG MEN'S PARTY, into which Communists are known to have infiltrated, have participated. They were involved in violence with the KOREAN NATIONAL YOUTH CORPS in four cases, with the NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE ACCELERATION OF KOREAN INDEPENDENCE in three cases and with the NORTHWEST YOUNG MEN'S ASSOCIATION in one case. The 07 February riots marked a great decrease in campaigns conducted by various rightist youth organizations against other rightists. It is assumed that they have forgotten minor intrarightist differences in order to cooperation with the police in combatting communists. 4. Metropolitan Newspapers a. Communist-Line Press The OORI SHINMUN (Our Press) and the SYN MIN ILBO (New People's Daily) were ordered to cease publication on 26 May by the SKIG Department of Public Information for having violated a provision of SECTION IV of Ordinance #88, dated 29 May 1946. This provision states, in part, that "The license of any newspaper or other periodical may be revoked or suspended by the licensing authority for any of the following reasons: . . . Failure to report any change in the formation furnished in the application (for license). . . ." 10 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 745070 XXIV CORPS G-2 W/S #142 PART I CIVIL UNREST CHART HWANGHAE-DO KANGWON-DO Ongjin 38 Chunchon JAPAN SEA Seoul YELLOW SEA KYONGGI-DO CHUNGCHONG PUKTO CHUNGCHONGNAMDO Chongju KYONGSONG-PUKTO Taejon Chongju Taegu CHOLLAPUKTO KYONGSONG-NAMDO Kwangju CHOLLA- NAMDO Pusan SOUTH KOREA Chonju CHEJU-DO LEGEND O COMMUNIST KILLED ⊙ ATTACKS ON POLICE ⊕ ATTACKS ON GOVT. BUILDINGS 11 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 745070 XXIV CORPS G-2 W/S #142 PART I C. WAR POTENTIAL 1. South Korean Economy Cost-of-Living Seven of the twenty-five cost-of-living items in SEOUL* showed increases of from 1.5 percent to 12 percent during the period 24-28 May. Barley and firewood increased in excess of 11 percent, while beans and polished rice increased more than 8 percent. There were no decreases, the remaining items covered showing no change. *Cost-of-Living Items Checked in SEOUL (24-29 May) ± Polished rice Matches Flannelette ± Barley Beef Kwang-mok (cloth) Wheat Pork Silk nyungju (cloth ± Soybeans Eggs Silk sooksoo (cloth, ± Red beans Korean cabbage Cotton socks Dried nyungtai (fish) Radish Anthracite ± Soy sauce Rubber shoes ± Firewood ± Sugar Laundry soap Charcoal ± Increase Rice Price Summary (Monthly Averages) JAN FEB MAR APR MAY 04 JUNE SEOUL 743 746 707 655 * 860 KANGWON DO 791 860 772 750 CHUNGCHONG PUKTO 586 657 654 600 CHUNGCHONG NAMDO 630 662 613 576 KYONGSANG PUKTO 541 550 502 550 KYONGSANG NAMDO 650 707 650 640 CHOLLA PUKTO 608 608 550 556 CHOLLA NAMDO 558 575 508 541 CHEJU DO 733 680 617 740 AVERAGE 648 676 619 659 * Data not available Source — National Price Administration, SKIG 2. Population a. Surrendered and Disarmed — No change: 179,376 b. Progress of Repatriation — This Period To Date Japanese Civilians Arriving from N of 38°N'KOREA, CHINA and MANCHURIA 0 288,529 Japanese Evacuated to JAPAN 0 883,995 Total Koreans Returning 2,592* 2,114,399 * Incomplete report 13 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 745070 XXIV CORPS G-2 W/S #142 PART I Total Repatriates Moved Since 15 August 1945 2,998,442 c. Koreans Apprehended While Attempting Illegal Entry to JAPAN 23,717 14 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 745070 XXIV CORPS G-2 W/S #142 PART I E. SABOTAGE AND ESPIONAGE Only one case of what appeared to be sabotage was recorded during the period. At 282210 May a Korean was arrested in INCHON (960- 1630) while attempting to ignite oil-soaked rags about 40 yards from the CIC house. (A-1) One female espionage agent was apprehended in CHUNCHON (1060- 1680) on 29 May. She had been sent to South KOREA to gather information for the North Korean Labor Party. (Police report) 16 DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 745070