13. The United Nations Command is satisfied that, under the circumstances which now exist in Korea, the course of action taken is the one which best fulfills the essential purpose of paragraph 13, "to insure the stability of the Military Armistice", and of the Armistice Agreement as a whole to have "an armistice which will insure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved".

14. The text of the statement by the representative of the United Nations Command in the Military Armistice Commission on 21 June 1957 is attached.

Resolution of the U.N. General Assembly on the Korean Question, November 29, 19571

The General Assembly,

Having received and noted the report of the United Nations Commission for the Unification and Rehabilitation of Korea (A/3672), Recalling its resolutions 195 (III) of 12 December 1948, 498(V) of 1 February 1951, 811(IX) of 11 December 1954, 910 (X) of 29 November 1955 and 1010(XI) of 11 January 1957,

Noting that the Armistice Agreement of 27 July 1953 (S/3079, appendix A) remains in effect,

1. Reaffirms that the objectives of the United Nations are to bring about by peaceful means the establishment of a unified, independent and democratic Korea under a representative form of government, and the full restoration of international peace and security in the

area;

2. Urges that continuing efforts be made to this end;

3. Calls upon the communist authorities concerned to accept the established United Nations objectives in order to achieve a settlement in Korea based on the fundamental principles for unification set forth by the nations participating on behalf of the United Nations in the Korean Political Conference held at Geneva in 1954, and reaffirmed by the General Assembly;

4. Requests the United Nations Commission for the Unification and Rehabilitation of Korea to continue its work in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly;

1 Text from General Assembly Official Records: Twelfth Session, Annexes, Agenda Item 23, p. 5.

5. Requests the Secretary-General to place the Korean question on the provisional agenda of the thirteenth session of the General Assembly.

Statement by the North Korean Regime Advancing Certain Proposals for Korean Unification, February 5, 19581

More than twelve years have already passed since the liberation of Korea from the yoke of the colonial rule of the Japanese imperialists. And it is already more than four years since the signing of the Armistice Agreement which put an end to the disastrous three-year war imposed upon the Korean people by the U.S. imperialist aggressors and the Syngman Rheeites.

However, Korea has not yet been unified and the Korean people are still undergoing misfortunes because of the division of the country. The entire Korean people ardently desire to eliminate the artificial barrier between the North and South at the earliest date and unify the fatherland peacefully.

The Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea proceeding from the unanimous desire of the entire Korean people, has already advanced more than once a number of reasonable proposals for the promotion of the peaceful unification of the country and has been striving for their realization.

However, the United States and the South Korean authorities, peremptorily turning down the fair proposals of the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, are opposing the peaceful unification of Korea and advocating "unification by force". The South Korean authorities ruthlessly suppress and persecute the people, political parties and politicians on the charge of the "violation of the state policy", if they show even the slightest indication of being in favour of peaceful unification.

The U.S. side and the South Korean authorities are increasing tension in Korea by systematically wrecking the Armistice Agreement. Arbitrarily rejecting the observance of the most important provisions of the Armistice Agreement which prohibits armaments reinforcement in Korea, they are engrossed in introducing new types of weapons into South Korea and building up an atomic base there.

1NNSC doc. 497/PV356, Feb. 11, 1958.

566379-60- -15

211

Today in South Korea under the occupation of the U.S. imperialists, even the smallest democratic freedom and rights are not allowed to the people, the economy has been subordinated to the United States and the national industry and medium and small enterprises are going headlong to ruin. The rural economy has also been devastated, and an increasing number of peasant households are running out of provisions and leaving their land year after year. South Korea, which once was an area exporting provisions, has become an area of famine, which imports millions of suk of rice every year from foreign

countries.

As a result, today millions of unemployed are wandering about the streets in South Korea and living conditions of the popular masses are becoming all the more miserable.

The longer the unification of Korea is delayed, the greater will be the sufferings of the South Korean people and the national misfortunes of the entire Korean people.

Owing to the division of the country for more than twelve years, the concerted development of the national economy and national culture of our country is beeing [sic] completely hampered. Even the concerted development of the national language which has been loved for generations is beeing [sic] menaced.

It is impossible for the relatives and friends separated in the North and South even to hear from each other, much less see each other. This extremely unreasonable state must not continue any longer.

The main cause of the delay of the peaceful unification of the country, the increasing danger to peace in Korea and the aggravation of the wretched situation in South Korea lies in the continued occupation of South Korea by the U.S. army.

Recently, in particular, the U.S. army and the South Korean army staged a large-scale atomic war manoeuvre near the Military Demarcation Line. The U.S. army commanders as well as Syngman Rhee and other South Korean bellicose elements take no pains to conceal the fact that they are making preparations for a new war against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and are openly blaring that they have introduced atomic weapons into South Korea. Thus peace in Korea is facing a grave danger.

The Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea deems it its sacred duty to take once again, at this critical juncture, appropriate measures for removing the threat to peace, easing the tense situation and promoting the peaceful unification of the country. The Korean question can never be solved by means of armed invasion as the U.S. imperialists and Syngman Rheeites are plotting. It must be and can be solved only by peaceful means, that is, by means of negotiations and talks.

Considering that the question of the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Korea and that of the peaceful unification of Korea are already ripe issues which must be solved without delay, the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea declares that the following measures should be immediately taken:

1. For easing the tense situation in Korea and solving the Korean question peacefully the U.S. army and all other foreign troops including the Chinese People's Volunteers should be simultaneously withdrawn from North and South Korea. For this purpose all the countries which have dispatched their troops to Korea should at once take appropriate steps for immediately withdrawing their troops from Korea. The occupation of South Korea by the U.S. army cannot be justified under any pretext, and the U.S. army has no ground whatsoever for remaining in South Korea.

2. Within a definite period after the complete withdrawal of all the foreign troops from North and South Korea, all-Korea free elections should be held. These elections may be conducted under the observation of a neutral nations organ. The democratic rights and the expression of free will of the people must be ensured in the elections. For this, the free activities of all the political parties and social organizations as well as of political and social figures in North and South Korea and the freedom of speech, the press, assembly and association should be legally granted everywhere in North and South Korea.

Such suppression of the activities of political parties and the freedom of speech as that exercised in South Korea at present should be strictly prohibited.

3. For the discussion of questions pertaining to economic and cultural exchange between the North and South and to the all-Korea elections, negotiations between the North and South based on equality should be realized at an early date.

Free postal communication and free travel of peaceful inhabitants between the North and South should be permitted.

To begin this, the North and South may mutually designate definite spots and conduct economic intercourse between the North and South at these spots.

For the concerted development of national culture including the national language, contacts and joint activities of scholars, men of culture and arts and sportsmen of North and South Korea should be undertaken.

4. The Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has already reduced the numerical strength of its army by 80,000. The armies of North and South Korea should be respectively reduced to the minimum in the near future.

By responding without delay to this fair proposal of the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on the reduction of armaments of the North and South, the South Korean authorities should ease the tension between the North and South and lighten the onerous burden of military expenses which the South Korean people pay for the maintenance of the expanded "ROK army”.

Under the present situation in which the destiny of the fatherland and the nation is gravely menaced, all the Korean people with national conscience, regardless of their political views and social status, must firmly rally under the banner of the peaceful unification of the fatherland and must win the unification and independence of the fatherland and safeguard national honour by courageously struggling for the implementation of the fatherland unification program of the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

This is the supreme national task set before each Korean today.

Firmly convinced that the realization of the above measures will greatly conduce to the peaceful unification of Korea and to the preservation of peace in the Far East, the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea expects that the governments and the people of all countries concerned about the maintenance of peace in Korea and the peaceful solution of the Korean question will pay due attention to this statement.

Statement by the Communist Chinese Authorities Endorsing Unification Proposals of North Korean Regime, February 7, 19581

On February 5, 1958 the Government of the Korean Democratic People's Republic issued a statement on the question of peaceful unification of Korea, proposing that all foreign forces be withdrawn from North and South Korea simultaneously, that within a definite period following the withdrawal of all foreign forces nation-wide free elections be held under the supervision of a neutral nations organization, that consultations be held between North and South Korea on an equal footing on the economic and cultural intercourse between them, the holding of nation-wide elections and other problems, and that the armed forces of North and South Korea be reduced to the minimum within a short period of time. This is another major effort made by the Government of the Korean Democratic People's

1NNSC doc. 498/PV 356, Feb. 11, 1958.