Report for General-Major Comrade Romanenko on the Political Situation in Korea

TO THE 25^TH ARMY FOR GENERAL-MAJOR CDE. ROMANENKO

The Social Labor Party which has been created is [composed] exclusively of representatives of opposition and reactionary elements of the Communist Party, the People's Party, and the New People's Party.  Its program and its behavior with respect to a strike, toward a legislative body, and the desire to unite with rightists finally undermined its authority in the eyes of the laboring masses of South Korea.

[Translator's note: the latter sentence of the above paragraph is apparently missing a word or two, or the text is slightly corrupt]

Not having support in the lower masses, but not desiring to lose influence on them, it is not excluded and can be assumed that the leaders of the Social Labor Party will take a whole series of measures as follows: they will try to unite with the progressive majority of the above three parties, in particular with the preparatory committee for the convening of the Labor Party Congress, but also in the event of the failure of this they will try to abandon participation in the Social Labor Party and move to a workers' party. One can regardYeo Un-hyeong [Yo Un Hyong], Baek Nam-un [Paek Nam Un], Kang Jin [Kang Jin] and other important opposition leaders as such people.

Such a policy by them might be explained by the fact that they will try to enter the Labor Party and again occupy leading positions. They will criticize their own mistakes in order to gain the trust of the masses. But the experience of their struggle against the party and their behavior show that they cannot be believed and ought to categorically kept out of the leadership of the recreated Labor Party.

REGARDING THIS:

1. Recommend to Pak Heon-yeong [Pak Hon Yong] and other comrades to in no event:

a) permit the unification of the Social Labor Party with the Labor Party. Better to let it disintegrate without having found support in the masses than to merge with the Labor Party. Its collapse would serve as a lesson to all reactionary elements and members of the opposition and will make the Labor Party more steadfast and organized in its struggle for the interests of working people.

b) let Yeo Un-hyeong, Kang Jin, Baek Nam-un and other opposition members into the Labor Party leadership (even as CC members).

2. Explain to Pak Heon-yeong and others that, as a result of struggle that is being conducted both inside the Communist Party as well as in other parties, remarkable cadre have been created in the South on issues of the strike movement who are able to defend the interests of the Party and working people.

In the present situation the Labor Party of South Korea ought to make HO HON the leader and  Pak Heon-yeong and another person from the People's Party deputies.

Please report the results of the Congress.

T. SHTYKOV

22 November 1946

Cde. SHTYKOV has permitted the telegram to be sent over his signature.

SECRETARY OF THE MILITARY COUNCIL

LT. COL. ZOTOV

Cde. Shtykov has copy Nº 2.