Report from Csatorday Károly, 'The visit of DPRK ambassador Pak Gyeong-sun'

Record

Subject: The visit of DPRK ambassador Pak Gyeong-sun [Pak Kyong-sun]

On March 28th I received the Korean ambassador for his inaugural visit at his request, who said that this is his first diplomatic mission. He is keen on getting to know the country better. Last time he visited Szeged, where he was hosted heartily. He liked the pleasant little town that is not as crowded as Budapest.

During the conversation he mentioned that he requested our help in inviting the UN representatives of three African countries. I replied that I know of it and an appropriate mail was sent to our delegation in New York. I think it is a good idea that they wish to show the state of their country and introduce the lives of their people to the representatives of the aforementioned countries. The diplomats returning with a favorable impression will obviously view the Korean problems from a different perspective. On the other hand, we should not forget that there are other factors influencing the governments of non-committed countries besides these personal experiences. It cannot be taken for granted that the delegations will get permission to support the DPRK's position in all cases. Furthermore, another non-negligible factor is the person of the UN representative. During the debates or even the voting, subjective aspects play certain roles. Among the representatives of the aforementioned three countries (Sierra Leone, Kuwait, and Cameroon), the ambassador of Sierra Leone was a serious, level-headed man with a political mindset, who was regarded highly by the other delegates, and by his own government as well. But he was transferred to London. The new ambassador of Sierra Leone is an extremely reactionary chieftain, who, for example as the President of the Security Council last year, tried to ridicule the Soviet Union delegate during proceedings. This was received with revulsion even by the Western delegates. His political views can be considered extremely radical even relative to his own government.

All these should be accounted for when inviting him, and he has to be treated accordingly should he accept the invitation.

The ambassador mentioned the UN Trade and Development Board's conference in Santiago. I informed him about the general political nature of the issues appearing on the conference's agenda and further emphasized that it would be very useful if our delegation could receive general information about the DPRK's economic development, and its trade policy with developing countries. The presentation could set an example to a large group of developing countries displaying how a socialist economy leads to fast development.

The ambassador expressed thanks for all the support that they received in various international organizations through Hungarian delegates. I expressed my hope towards an even more fruitful collaboration in the future.

Budapest, 1972 March 30.