Fifty years ago, in August 1910, the Kingdom of Korea was annexed by the Empire of Japan. Fifteen years ago, in September 1945, the Korean people were freed from Japanese domination by the victory of the Allied Powers in World War II.
At the moment of liberation the United States, as one of the occupying powers, looked forward to cooperation with its Allies and the Korean people in the creation of a new Korea-united, democratic, and free of all foreign domination. This purpose, which has also been that of the United Nations, has been only partially achieved. Twelve years ago, the people of south Korea, under U.N. observation, freely chose their representatives and successfully established a democratic republic. The people of the north, to whom the Communist occupying power denied the free expression of their own will, were instead forced to establish a rival regime which subsequently launched an unprovoked surprise attack on the south. At great cost of life and property, this aggression was repelled through U.N. action; and unceasing efforts have been made by the United Nations and its members since that time to realize the continuing aspirations of the Korean people for unity in a single, free, and independent nation.
The record of the efforts toward this end on the part of the United States and the United Nations during the period 1943 to 1960 is summarized in the following pages. It includes the Cairo Declaration of Korea's right to independence in 1943; the patient but unsuccessful negotiations for Korean unification held by the U.S. military commander with the Soviet commander in 1946 and 1947; the establishment of the Republic of Korea under United Nations auspices in 1948; the Communist aggression in 1950, the United Nations action to repel this aggression, and the 2 bitter years of armistice negotiations which followed; the Geneva Conference in 1954, at which Communist representatives refused to agree on a formula for free elections throughout Korea for a unified government; and the subsequent decisions of the United Nations reaffirming the call for such elections as a basis for unification.
The continued unnatural separation of the Korean people into rival camps is contrary to the expressed wishes and the fervent desires of all Koreans. It is contrary to their national heritage. It has