Memo from I. Byakov to the Charge d'Affaires of the Soviet Embassy in the DPRK

OP SECRET

Copy Nº 2

TO THE CHARGÉ D'AFFAIRES OF THE SOVIET EMBASSY IN THE DPRK

to Cde. A. M. PETROV

Memo

According to a report from Adviser to the DPRK MVD Cde. F. I. Veselov the DPRK Cabinet of Ministers is preparing two secret decrees:

1. Concerning the resettlement territory into the interior of the country of local residents from some west coast islands situated near South Korea and partially from the two-kilometer demilitarized zone of liberated regions, and

2. Concerning the declaration of the cities of Pyongyang and Kaesong to be high-security [rezhimnye] cities.

The purpose of resettling local residents from regions bordering South Korea into the interior of the country is to combat espionage.

3. It is intended to resettle:

from the island of [Sunido] (Ongjin District) 153 families, 556 people from the island of Changrindo (Ongjin District) 202 families, 965 people from the island of Ohado (Ongjin District) 62 families, 236 people

from the island of Yonghodo (Ongjin District) 56 families, 253 people

from the island of Kirindo (Ongjin District) 135 families, 597 people

from the island of [Yonmyado] (Chongdan District) 31 families, 70 people

from the demilitarized zone 159 families, 713 people.

Housing and the necessary implements have been prepared on unoccupied land for those being resettled.

The aforementioned islands from which the population will be resettled will not be settled again. Military units will be quartered there which use pastureland for subsidiary plots.

Special colonists will be housed in place of the residents resettled from the demilitarized zone. Inasmuch as the names of the current residents of the demilitarized zone have been reported to the Military Armistice Commission the settlement of new residents will evidently be conducted under the pretext of the purchase of the corresponding holdings by peasants.

The purpose of the declaration of the cities of Pyongyang and Kaesong as high-security cities is to combat an influx into these cities of large numbers of the non-working population, among whom a considerable percentage are politically unreliable and even criminal elements.

Permanent administrative commissions will be created in the cities of Pyongyang and Kaesong consisting of representatives of organs of people's power and public organizations which will examine the personal files about the resettlement or prohibition of undesirable elements living in these cities.

The draft decree provides for a prohibition on the residence in high-security cities of everyone convicted of political offenses and their families for 10 years after the sentence has been served, all common criminals for five years after the sentence has been served, and also a prohibition on residence of some categories of the non-working population.

The decree will be retroactive.

[signature]

First Secretary of the Embassy (I. Byakov)

20 December 1954

Five copies printed

1 - Cde. Molotov

2,3 - Cde. Fedorenko

4 - Cde. Tugarinov

5 - to file

drafted by Byakov

typed by Verina

Nº 701

20 December 1954