Information on the Reunification Policy of the Korean Workers' Party

First Extra-European Department
A/27/219
Berlin, 3 May 1962
Classified Materials no. 101/62
6 copies
Copy 2, 5 pages
Information on the reunification policy of the Korean Workers Party
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A new trend has become evident in the reunification policy of the Korean Workers Party since the call by the United Fatherland Front on 15 February 1962. Neither the call nor the campaign conducted thereafter contained any mention of peaceful reunification. This possibility has been replaced with “independent unification of Korea”.

1. Comrade Pak Jeong-guk, Director of the First Department, laid out the Korean Workers Party's stance on reunification for the first time in a conversation with Comrade Stark.

Comrade Pak stated that the current goal is to chase US imperialists out of South Korea. He said this was critical for resolving the national issue in Korea. He stressed that every resource must be used to force the US imperialists to withdraw, since they will not go willingly. This mission also promotes building socialism in the DPRK. He said that the socialist camp is very strong, the national liberation movement is becoming even stronger, etc., and therefore there is no need to ask the imperialists for anything. In this context, regarding the armistice of 1953, he stated that although the DPRK agreed to the armistice, it also agreed to continue to wage the war. There is no other way to wage the war against imperialism. He stressed that war and class struggle are integral parts of one another.

On the issue of driving the US imperialists out of South Korea, he stated that this is a matter for the entire Korean people and one could not wait until the population of South Korea starves. South Korea does not have the strength to drive the US imperialists out by itself.

On the issue of how to drive the US imperialists out, since they will not withdraw peacefully and this would mean war, Comrade Pak responded again that war cannot be separated from class struggle and stressed that the DPRK is fighting for what it sees in the future, that is, reunification of the homeland. He stated that the socialist revolution means eliminating the power of the bourgeoisie and establishing socialism. The only path to socialism is class struggle and socialist revolution.

Comrade Pak furthermore stated that the struggle against imperialism must be waged in all areas, not just in one realm, such as, for example, the economic realm. He stated that peaceful coexistence must serve the socialist revolution, the struggle against colonialism, national liberation, and class liberation. The struggle for peace alone would be something different.

He remarked that disarmament would also be good and that the DPRK would therefore support it, as well.

2. Comrade Kim Tae-hui, Deputy Foreign Minister, spoke to ambassadors and charges d'affaires on 13 April. Comrade Kim stated that the US imperialists had increased their hostile provocations and direct preparations for war in Korea to a new high. In lengthy remarks, he told about specific steps the US had taken and then said that our Korean comrades are currently increasing their defense readiness and have taken measures “to arm the entire population” in order to be prepared for an act of aggression.

He stated that nothing had changed in terms of reunification policy as it had been established at the IV Party Congress. The DPRK has made proposals for peaceful reunification and the population has fought valiantly to make these proposals a reality because there was the possibility of toppling the colonial system in the south. The Americans created a fascist regime since they saw this happening. He said that under these conditions there can be no talk of a policy of peaceful coexistence with respect to the American occupiers. There can be no negotiations with South Korea if there is no democracy. Therefore, given current conditions, the main task is to fight for democratic rights and freedoms and to fight to topple the Park Chung Hee regime.

Our Korean comrades are for peaceful reunification, but if American imperialism pushes its war propaganda to the extreme, all resources must be used for defense readiness. There can be no peaceful reunification until the American occupiers have been chased out and the Park Chung Hee regime has toppled.

He said that the current situation must be considered more serious than the events in April of 1960. He stated that if the entire Korean populace rose up, as in April 1960, it will be possible to chase the American occupiers out. In conclusion, he said that our Korean comrades are mobilizing all their resources to maintain peace in Korea.

3. Foreign Minister Pak Seong-cheol also addressed this problem at a meeting with Comrade Schneidewind. Comrade Pak remarked that, based on the situation in South Korea, there could be no talk of the DPRK pursuing a policy of peaceful coexistence or confederation with respect to the south and the occupiers. But this does not mean that the liberation of South Korea will be accomplished by war. The DPRK continues to favor peaceful reunification. But if the DPRK were to speak of peaceful coexistence with regard to the south, democratic forces would lose hope that the Park Chung Hee regime will topple and that the Americans will withdraw.

Our Korean comrades are mobilizing all of their resources in the southern part of the country for toppling the Park Chung Hee regime and are increasing their endeavors for building socialism. They are firmly convinced that the democratic forces in their nation will find the strength to topple Park Chung Hee and to liberate the country from its American occupiers.

Remarks:

1. Comrade Pak Jung-guk's remarks give the impression that the Korean Workers Party has now backed away from its line supporting peaceful reunification.

On the other hand, Comrades Pak Seong-cheol and Kim Tae-hui assert that nothing has changed in terms of the objective of peaceful reunification. They base their rejection of the confederation and of peaceful coexistence between the two parts of Korea, and the measures they have undertaken to arm the populace, on stepped-up war preparations on the part of the US Imperialists and on the existence of a Fascist power in South Korea.

It must also be mentioned that Comrade Choe Yong-geon spoke again of peaceful reunification of Korea on 25 April 1962 during an announcement.

It is therefore evident that our Korean comrades' remarks are contradictory.

2. The manner in which Pak Jung-guk stressed the strength of the socialist camp in his statements is meant to express the expectation that the socialist nations support this policy.

3. In its current policies, the DPRK is not willing to conduct negotiations with Imperialism. Negotiations with the Imperialists are portrayed as supplications to and weakness before the Imperialists.

4. The statements made by our Korean comrades indicate that they no longer agree that peaceful coexistence is the foundation for the foreign policy of the Socialist nations. This openly places in question the correctness of the resolutions regarding foreign policy at the Moscow Conference and the XXII Party Congress.

5. This Korean Workers Party policy reflects a stronger Chinese/Albanian interpretation.


[signature]
(Stude)
Department Director


Distribution:
1 x Min. Schwab
1 x Central Committee, Foreign Policy Department, Comrade Ott
1 x Comrade Stude
1 x Information Department
1 x Embassy in Pyongyang
1 x Korea Section Remarks