Opinions from the State Council on Correctly Administering the Korean Nationals Issue

(70) State Council Document 70

[To] All Provincial, Municipal and Autonomous Region Revolutionary Committees (not to be sent to Tibet):

As of late, Korean nationals have been writing to [government] departments to report that they have been discriminated against and beaten. During the Cultural Revolution, they were criticized and struggled against, their homes were ransacked, and their passports were confiscated; the hardships encountered by those who were injured during work have [also] not been resolved. According to the letters that we have received, it seems that these types of situations are quite common in a number of regions. If these practices are real, then they are not in accordance with the policies of the Central Committee. Based on the current Sino-Korean relationship, these issues should be viewed as important and swiftly corrected. The relevant work units should carry out an investigation and render an appropriate solution based on the following views:

1. Based on the great leader Chairman Mao [Zedong’s] instructions on proletarian internationalism and anti-great power chauvinism, policy education should be carried out amongst local cadres and peoples in any region in which Korean nationals live. [The education] should emphasize the friendship which emerged during the common struggle conducted by the peoples of China and [North] Korea and our friendly relations. Korean nationals should [also] be taken care of and treated as friends. If they encounter any problem, they should be treated fairly and reasonably and should not be discriminated against or insulted.

2. Appropriate solutions should be provided for those Korean nationals who have real difficulties. These issues cannot be ignored, lest they [begin to] complain all over the place or petition the Central Committee. Problems which arose during the Cultural Revolution are to be handled swiftly.

3. Korean nationals should not participate in our domestic political campaigns. If a Korean national makes a request for general political study, however, then you may make selective arrangements for them to study at work units or on the streets with the masses. Do not set up independent study organizations for Korean nationals.

4. When a Korean national is [found] violating a government decree, public security organs should handle this [case] in accordance with the standard measures for Korean nationals stipulated by law. If they need to be detained or sentenced, then [this] should be reported for approval. Work units and street masses cannot attack, detain, or secretly detain Korean nationals.

5. Korean nationals are not to be transferred to lower levels for work. If their present work position is inappropriate, then the appropriate adjustments can be made. Accommodations can be made for Korean women who are unwilling to participate in agricultural labor in the mountains or in the countryside. Do not force them [to do labor in these areas].

6. In general, Koreans who illegally crossed the border should be sent back [to Korea]. If there is a special situation, report and request for instructions. In the future, those who illegally cross the border will, in principle, be repatriated in a timely manner.

7. After obtaining an “authorization letter,” Korean nationals who have applied to return to their home country (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) and are not suspects in serious political cases should, according to the stipulations of our agreement [with North Korea], be approved by the provincial (municipal) or autonomous region revolutionary committees.

8. From today onwards, all applications from Korean nationals to go to South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, or other capitalist countries will be denied. Individuals who insist on going [to these places] should be reported to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security for [further] review and instructions.

9. Korean nationals who have applied to receive Chinese citizenship will be reviewed by provincial, municipal, and autonomous region revolutionary committees. The cases will be sent to the Ministry of Public Security, which will then issue the letters of naturalization.

The various points above are to be implemented by provincial (municipal) and autonomous region revolutionary committees according to the local situation among [North] Korean nationals. If there are additional views, please notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security.

19 August 1970