Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-08-21
Future Still Uncertain
For Koreans After
Year Of Liberation
BY Roy Roberts

rear OF LlDeIdII0n
By Roy Roberts
/ Assseiossd Press Fsssisn csrsspsnd.ns
SEOUL, Korea, Aug. 21.-on,
year after Japan's surrender mad,
Korea a ward Of the Allied Nations
the little peninsula country still Il
bisected by 4 political and economi,
stonewall at the 38th parallel ant
Its future still is q question.
/ The United States occupies agri.
cultural Korea south OF the S8tf
parallel. Russia holds the industria
section in the north. None but 1
few authorized military govern.
ment personnel and only few
sacks OF Korean mall legally ma,
Cross the line. There Is not one bill
OF commerce or trade between the
two parts OF the country.
While the Nation watts for thu
independence promised by the Bia
Three foreign ministers Mt MoscoN
last December, Korea suffers from
fractured economy and debates
sometimes violently-the type OF
government it wants.
Conference Failed.
A joint commission OF the occupy
ing powers met In Seoul for six week,
last spring to establish . Korean
provisional government, Is directed
by the Moscow conference, but the
conferees were unable to agree on
the extent to which Korean polti-
cal elements should participate
American delegates wanted psrtici-
patton by all who agreed to uphold
aims Of the Moscow decision. Soyie,
delegates sought exclusion OF al
elements which opposed Big Fou,
trusteeship.
Negotiations were suspended May
8. 1t. Gen. John r. Hodge, American
military commander In South Korea
has made standing offer to resume
negotiations on one days notice
There has been no response from,
the Soviet command.
Gen. Hodge tersely sums I'D the
last year: THE imprint Of Japa ness
imperialism has been erased from
Korean life. A foundation has been
laid for the establishment of 4
democratic, self covering Korea, In
dependent Of foreign control and
eligible for membership In the
United Nations"
Operations Reviewed.
Maj. Gen. Archer L. Lerch. the
American military governor of South
Korea, sees In the future for Korea
not \ democracy a. Americans
know 1t. but an oriental tyne of
democracy under which the people
may wish their government to con-
troll some public services but under
which the people will own and
operate their own shops, businesses,
farms and Industries, and have 1
voice IN their government.
Reviewing military government
operations for the year, Gen. Lerch
listed these chief accomplishments: .
!. Substitution Of ana all-Korean
police force OF $4,000 for the JAZZ
anese-controlled force OF the last
40 years in which all above the rank
OF sergeant were Japanese. eve
nave q democratic police force now
and police laboratory equal to any
IN the United States" Gen. Lerch
said.
2. Creation Of q national economy
board to supervise Koreas imports
and exports. Gen. Lerch named
Koreas top-pri6rity import needs
as "irst. food: second, the things
which make food, such as seeds
and fertilizer; third, the things
which make things which make
food, such rs concrete for irriga-
ton projects. farm tools and lum-
ber." When Korea is ready to
of1er products for sale on the world
market, the general said, 1.-THE ex-
ports viii be ginseng root. dry and
salt fish, cabinet work, inlaid wood
work. baskets and ingredients Of
several types Of drugs"
Health Service Needed.
). Establishment of a public health
service and development Of cholera
and smallpox vaccine laboratories.
The service already has inoculated
the entire $4,000, 600 population of
South Korea against cholera"
4. Establishment Of primary
school system. Despite q shortage