Evening star., 1949-02-27

ad been masters in Korea for a
a quarter of a century, the longest
government in exile in existence
supported by patriots who risked
f1ogging, poverty and death.
The United Nations at Lake
Success is considering two de-
mands sent in by the Democratic
Peoples Republic" of the North
and the Southern Republic OF
Korea" both wishing membership,
both claiming sovereignty over
the whole country. Korea. the
land of morning calm," the land
where the poet had been the most
esteemed, has become the battle
ground for two PHILOSOPHERS OF
Wife.
It has been a long time since q
young man, fired by a vision,
mounted the platform in Pagoda
Park to read the Declaration of
independence. When Churchill,
Roosevelt and Chang Kai-shek
declared at Cairo in 1943 that
Korea shall in due course become
free and independent; when it
was agreed in Potsdam two years
later, that the 38th parallel would
serve as the dividing line between
the two occupying powers, it had
not been foreseen that an iron
curtain would one day part the
north and south.
Country Now Divided
The Russians streaming into
the northern half of the country,
which holds one-third of the peo-
pie and two thirds of it's indus
trial resources. Immediately set up
peoples republic. Iney were
welcomed by the peasants who
expected land from the great
estates. 1t turned out to be land
without property titles. its allot-
ment completely dependent on
the local Communist committees
Again they lived under the
shadow of tyranny-it took the
form of the all-powerful North
Korean Labor Party-even after
the Russian troops withdrew. at
the end of 1948. They were not
allowed to listen to radio programs
from the south. Their churches
were ruthlessly prosecuted. Tales
of torture. of uprisings were whlS-
pered about. According to con-
tract, whereby the peoples repub-
lie has promised to supply labor
to the Soviet Union for 40 years
many left to work on vast Far
Eastern projects. The Russians,
hopeful heirs to the japanese En-
pire on the Asiatic continent. are
planning for the control OF the en-
tire Korean country.
! Meanwhile, the democratic
forces attempted to hold general,
free elections. After wangling
with Russians they had to limit
themselves to Southern Korea. A
general election was held under
U. N. auspices on May 10. l948.
which brought 81 per cent Of the
people to the polls. On August
is, 1e4s, the first democratic gov
ernment was installed. with Syng-
man Rhee as President. the man
who had been President in exile
since the 1919 uprising. He set
aside 100 seats in the National
Assembly for future representa-
tives from the north.
Faced With Problems
! The new government was
faced with imitation. black mar
ket, food shortage. high prices and
ever-increasing floods of refugees
from the north. Most of the elec.
trical power, supplied by the
north, was cut off. One OF its
first acts was the passing OF an
agrarian reform bill which made
it possible for tenants to buy their
own land by giving one-f1fth of the
harvest for IS years. An ECA pro-
gram provides 800 million dollars
for three years.
President Truman's first offlcia.
act in 1949 was the recognition ot
the southern democratic govern
ment. Yet more is needed thar
recognition and material assist.
ance. Western democratic ideas
are as foreign to Korean thinking
as MarxiSt theories.
The incredible feat of theil
Weaponless revolution-uSeleSs per-
haps by some standards-mus'
burn in the nations memory anc
keep alive the faith in their in.
destructible destiny. however in
f1uenced by the onslaught of East
ern and Western ideas. Only re-
Gently, President Truman received
Mohn Myun Chang, the specia
representative to the Unitet
States. 1t is very doubtful whethe
this would have happened. whethe
mere patience would have en-
dured, without the memory of tht
p~~'r-' -0''-''on cf 90 "-ea"S ~