Evening star., 1948-12-05

lClOn 70 the lacC CnaC Wnen MOScoWS
! oughly screened and are considered
reliable by the Seoul government
and by the American military COM
mand.
The constabulary, however, con-
tains q number of doubtful ele-
ments who reached South Korea
from the Soviet-dominated zone and
were placed in the ranks, where it
was easiest to take care Of them.
The constabulsrymen are well
armed.
BY q curious coincidence the re-
Liable Korean police, however, are
poorly armed, possessing only
swords, pistols and tommyguns. It
would not be democratic, our repre-
|sentatives are said to have argued,
to provide other weapons to 4 force
which Is intended merely to main
tain civil order.
No wonder that the Korean gov
ernment, which is fully aware of
existing conditions, lives in Q con-
tinual state of fear and urges us to
keep our weak military forces in
Korea as long as possible. President
Synghman Rhee realizes that the
American contingents In Korea could
not repel q full-scale invasion from
the north, but he believes the pres
ence of Americans at this time will
prevent a coup from the inside.
For the last II months the Soviets
have been actively tearing down the
economy of South Korea. This is
being done not only by forbidding
any profitable economic intercourse
between the two parts of the coun-
try, but also by sabotaging the
country's currency. Printing presses
have been set up in North Korea
and large quantities of spurious
notes are being dumped into South
Korea. thus depreciating the cur
rency.
400 Political Parties
In most cases the counterfeit
money gets into the south without
detection, although there have been
some instances in which smugglers
were caught. Some eight months
ago the Korean police intercepted
two hogsheads full of currency at
Inchon. The usual protest was sent,
with the usual result that nothing
happened and the number of Ko-
rean banknotes increased alarm
ingly.
Political conditions in South Ke-
rea also are unsatisfactory. There
are no less than 400 political par
ties under the present system. Any
man who has two friends and some
ideas of his own can form po-
litical party. In fact, however, there
are six real political parties which
have representatives in the newly
elected Parliament. The ablest and
most helpful to the government is
the dissident Communist group,
which is headed by Trotsky SYM
pathizer and is even more bitterly
opposed to. the Stain brand Of
communism than some Of the old
Hps nennncrats
Unsettled political conditions
would be bearable and could be
overcome In due course of time II
it were not for the fact that the
Soviet Union, which has effectively
split Korea into two parts, means
to gobble up the south. At the
present time Russia is using ali
methods of conspiracy to soften up
its intended victim before it sends
in an armed force.
There is dire poverty in Korea to-
day, due not only to the manifold
problems which that liberated
country faces, but also to the pres
sure of the Soviets.
Sad but Inevitable
It was obvious to those who de-
cided on partition of Korea that
half of the country could live with
out the other. But while in the
north the people must accept their
fate without a murmur, as in other
Communist exploited countries, ir
the south the people can object and
protest loudly. And they are doing
so, not only on their own initiative,
but also at the instigation of agita-
tors who pass easily through our
paper curtain"
Despite the Seoul governments
tongue-in-cheeck expressions of con-
fidence that democratic Korea will
survive, every one in the administra-
ton expects q blow from the north
as soon as Generalissimo Chang
Kai-shek's score has been settled
To the fatalistic Orientals this Is
sad, but inevitable. They console
themselves with the thought that
no one can escape his destiny.
This situation fills our people,
however, with anger and distress.
We lost thousands Of our best young
men on Okinawa, Saipan and other
islands, where they fought the jap
anese single-handed.
The war in Asia was different
from that in Europe. Throughout
the Pacific we fought practically
alone. Also we did not hull ourselves
with the idea that we were fighting
to restore democracy in lands where
such thing-in the American
meaning Of the worlds unknown.
We fought In Asia to nberate the
peoples from the yoke Of the ruth
less military dictatorship Of the
Tokyo warlords. We also fought
because we had been aggressively
provoked by that dictatorship.
Little did our fighting men realize
that in place Of domination by q
country with only 10000, 900 in
| Ihahitantx-poor and lacking raw