Decree No 18 of the DPRK Military Committee of 17 July 1950: The Food Situation in Seoul

Translation from Korean

DECREE Nº 18

of the DPRK Military Committee of 17 July 1950

[Archival information handwritten in the left margin]:

F. 0102.  [d.] 6 [op]. 49. [[p]]. 22. pp. 130-157; the number "130" is circled]

The Food Situation in Seoul

In order to overcome the difficulties in the food situation in Seoul, the Military Committee DECREES:

1. Create a commission to solve the food problem in Seoul with the following composition:

Chairman of the Commission            Ri Seung-yeop [Ri Sung Yop]

Commission Members Pak Cheon-sik [Chon Sik]

Kim Gwan-ju [Kwan Ju]

2. Hold the chairmen of the Provisional People's Committee of Seoul, the Provisional People's Committees of the Provinces of Gyeonggi and the southern part of the Province of Gangwon-do [Kogendo] [SIC] responsible for conducting a rapid accounting of the availability of food reserves in these provinces.

Suggest that the chairmen of the Provisional People's Committees conduct an accounting of commodities not needed for the People's Army in order to organize their exchange for food.

3. Hold the chairman of the Provisional People's Committee of Seoul responsible for organizing the evacuation of 500,000 people from the city to rural locations and to industrial enterprises of North Korea in accordance with the attached request of Ministries and Agencies.

Suggest that ministers and heads of agencies and also the chairman of Provincial People's Committee and the City People's Committee of Pyongyang accept the necessary number of workers by agreement with the chairman of the Provisional People's Committee of Seoul.

4. Hold the chairman of the Provisional People's Committee of Seoul responsible for drafting measures to ensure the safekeeping of the property of the population evacuated from Seoul.