Record of a Conversation with Ambassador Ri Sin-Pal of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

from the journal          Secret. Copy Nº 2

of M. V. ZIMYANIN     26 August 1958

Nº 322/dv

[faded stamp: 10184-gs

26 August 1958]

[handwritten: to M. V. Zimyanin

Cannot the decision

[[of the issue] regarding point 2 be sped up?

[[illegible signature]]

Copy to Torbenkov]

RECORD OF A CONVERSATION

with DPRK Ambassador in the USSR

RI SIN-PAL

23 August 1958

I received Cde. Ri Sin-pal and had a conversation with him.

1. In connection with a request of the DPRK government (Cde. Pelishenko's 23 July 1958 conversation with Cde. Kim Il Sung) I passed Ri Sin-pal an aide memoire containing information from the Soviet Embassy in Japan about the possible repatriation of people of Korean nationality from Japan (attached).

2. In connection with the fact that the DPRK Embassy in the USSR has exhibited interest in the issue of people of Korean nationality without citizenship living in Sakhalin Oblast', I informed Ri Sin-pal that the relevant local bodies had been given instructions to study this issue locally, finding out which citizenship, DPRK or Soviet, these people wish to accept. Some time is needed to do this work.

The DPRK Embassy in Moscow will be informed on receipt of the information about this issue from the local bodies.

Ri Sin-pal said that the DPRK Embassy in Moscow receives 20-30 letters every day from people of Korean nationality without citizenship living in the USSR. In these letters they ask that their citizenship be determined. Among them are people who want to receive Soviet citizenship, but also people wishing to be citizens of the DPRK. Some want to return to [their] homeland, but some want to remain in the USSR. Considering their legitimate aspirations, the Korean side thinks that this issue ought to be solved faster. In Ri Sin-pal's opinion, this might improve the attitude of the Korean people without citizenship toward the Soviet Union and the DPRK. The DPRK knows that some Koreans without citizenship have left the USSR for Japan and then to South Korea, where they conduct [activities] hostile to the USSR [Translator's note: the available text ends in progress; the aforementioned attachment follows]

[Handwritten: to Cde. G. N. [[Z]]arubin for approval.

[[illegible signature]]

Confidential

2[1] August 1958

In connection with the fact that the DPRK Embassy in the USSR has exhibited interest in the issue of people of Korean nationality without citizenship living  in Sakhalin Oblast', we inform you that the relevant local bodies have been given instructions to study this issue locally, finding out which citizenship, DPRK or Soviet, these people wish to accept. Some time is needed to do this work.

The DPRK Embassy in Moscow will be informed on receipt of the information about this issue from the local bodies.

[Some handwriting mostly off the page;

"to Ognev", "to Torbenkov", and

"to file" are visible]

Nr. 921/dv

26 August 1958