The Wilmington morning star., 1945-11-20
BY GLENN BABB
Associated Press Foreign News
Editor

Editor
SEOUL, Korea, Nov. 19- up -
The 3Sth parallel promises to
become one of history's famous
boundaries.
1t divides Korea roughly in half.
There the postwar worlds two
mightiest political and economic
systems, the American and Rus
sian, both claiming they are
bringing freedom and democracy
to the Koreans, meet but don
mingle or cooperate.
The 38th is virtually an impos-
sible barrier. 1t is the main rea-
son why the Koreans are far from
happy over the current phase of
their liberation. The question they
most often ask Americans is when
the barrier will be razed. Amerl-
cans here are unable to answer.
There's no iaison on the mill
tary level" is the way the high
est United States officers phrase
it. They mean that any effective
discussion of Koreas future must
occur in Washington and Moscow.
It is felt here that the 38th' s
barrier is likely to persist until the
United States and the Soviet agree
on many other questions, such as
how Japan shall be ruled and the
future of Eastern and Central Eu-
rope and the Turkish Straits.
Meanwhile, although Koreans
south of the border are agitating
for power in the projected Korean
state through 50-odd political par
ties, they feel that this ferment
is of lesser importance while the
fate of the country depends on two
distant capitals.
Partition of Korea is not of
Americans seeking. They made
numerous attempts to establish CO.
operation so as to permit Korea to
resume a normal economic exist
ence, but without avail. The Rus
slams are not unfriendly. They
merely say all questions must 60
to higher levels. When they are
submitted to Moscow-an example
is the recent American request for
10000 tons of badly needed coal
from northern Korean mines
there simply is no reply.
American officers say there is no
friction along the 38th parallel,
that immediate contact of frontier
units is even cordial, with local
visits back, and forth. There are
limited telephone connections and
occasional visits of American
liaison officers to Russian heacs
quarters where Vodka is offered
in great profusion.
But all normal railway and road
travel, all mails and the telegraph
are cut at the 38th. What news
comes from the north is mostly
brought by Koreans slipping
through the Russian lines and
whose accounts are not all taken
at face value. Some of these
Koreans say the Russians are re-
moving quantities of machinery
and other industrial equipment to
Siberia, but the Americans say
such reports have not been authen-
ticated.
The parallel, running 40 miles
north of Seoul, provides not an
unequal division. The Russians get
more territory, some $4,000 square
miles to 10000 in the American
zone. But the Americans get H.
600, 1000 inhabitants compared with
6, 1000, 600 in the north. The south
is largely agricultural while most
of the major industries and mines
are in the Russian zone. Ninety
per cent of the country's electric
power is supplied by hydroelectric
plants in the Russian zone. Seoul
is dependent on the north for its
light and power, and when the
city's lights flicker out, as they
frequently do, there is anxious
speculation whether the Russians