KOREAN EMBASSY
SAIGON
KES-P 056

February 21, 1959

Excellency,
In compliance with Your Excellency's instructions, I have the honour to submit this special report on the measures I have taken regarding the temptation of mass expulsion of Koreans in Japan to north puppet regime as follows:
Successively on February 13 and 14, I received two coded cables relating to the so-called repatriation of Korean residents in Japan to north Korea, which read:
(first telegram)
YOU ARE INSTRUCTED TO SOLICIT HOST GOVERNMENT TO
GIVE ITS ACTIVE SUPPORT TO OUR POSITION ON THE PROBLEM OF THE SOCALLED GROUP REPATRIATION OF KOREANS IN JAPAN
TO NORTH KOREA AND TO KEEP PACE WITH US IN DENOUNCING THE JAPANESE CONTEMPLATION FOREIGN MINISTER"
(second telegram:)
AMBASSADOR CHOI PD CONTACT THAI GOVERNMENT CONCERNING
SOCALLED GROUP REPATRIATION OF KOREANS IN JAPAN AND GET SUPPORT FOR OUR CAUSE ON THE ISSUE FOREIGN MINISTER."
On February 17; a third coded cable reached me which read:
MINISTER CHOI DUK SHIN REGARDING THE SOCALLED GROUP REPATRIATION TO NORTH KOREA OF THE KOREAN RESIDENTS IN JAPAN CMA MR YUNYOUNG LIM WAS INSTRUCTED TO GET IN
TOUCH WITH ICRC REPRESENTATIVE IN BANGKOK PD YOU ARE INSTRUCTED TO COOPERATE WITH MR LIM DURING YOU ARE STAY IN BANGKOK IN SOUNDING OUT THE INTENTION OF ICRC WOIMUBU."
Upon receipt of these telegrams I promptly transmitted them to Ambassador Choi in Bangkok.
a/ The first telegram reached me on late on Friday afternoon, February 13. After carefully studying once again the received instructions, I called on Monday morning, February 16, on the Foreign Ministry here and met with Mr. Pham Dang Lam, Secretary General. I explained to him the evil character of the Japanese contemplation. The Secretary General expressed that the deportation of 100,000 persons, chiefly when this deportation is directed to a Communist area, is not a small matter and asked me whether it is true that all these persons are willing to be repatriated to the north and why they wait until now to make known their desire. I had to relate the story from the start and let him know clearly that:
Firstly, the number is far less than the one hundred thousand put forth by the Japanese. Only, Japan is attempting to create the propaganda picture of a mass demand that does not really exist;
secondly, many of the affidavits of desire to go to Communist north have been obtained by bribery, fraud or intimidation. There are of course some of them who want to go to north Korea. But these are but a few, an insignificant minority composed of Communists and Communist-influenced elements. The overwhelming majority are indigent people, because of the discrimination and ill-treatment on the part of the Japanese. They needed money. The Communists gave them some money and asked them to sign on the list. They also promised all sorts of facilities and good jobs they could have in the north.
I added that these residents have been inhumanly exploited by the Japanese who forcibly took them to Japan as forced laborers during the last period of Japanese imperialistic aggression in Asia. Should the Japanese have won the war, this mass deportation would, without doubt, never happened, because the Japanese would then need these unfortunate people as tools for pushing forward their dream of mastering other areas. But now that the wax has been lost for Japan, these residents have become a burden and Japan
is trying by every means to get rid of them, without the least regard for responsibility, humanity or decency.
b/ At 4:30 in the afternoon of Tuesday, February 17,
I was received by Foreign Minister Vu Van Mau. After outlining our side on this issue, I insisted on the same points which I have discussed with his Secretary General. To illustrate the exactness of our views, I brought up a similar case which is still pending between Vietnam and Thailand. There are actually about 50,000 Vietnamese refugees living scatteringly in various provinces of Thailand. These refugees have come to Thailand during the Pacific War or the internal conflict in Vietnam which followed the world war. There are indications that Thailand is considering sending them to Communist north. No solution has been reached yet and the discussion over the matter is still underway.
I further emphasized that the Korean-Japanese normalization talks were disrupted because of the insincerity of the Japanese who, at the last minute, always raised separate problems having no connection whatsoever with the main negotiations such as this so-called repatriation issue.
The Foreign Minister listened attentively to my explanation and seemed to be convinced of the justness of our stand. He said that he has sympathetic concern over our position. Mr. Vu Van Mau seemed to fully understand our attitude and said that the unfairness of the Japanese should be condemned. He added that his country also has experienced the Japanese disloyalty while negotiating on the reparation issue. He revealed that at that time, after long months of hard discussion, both Vietnamese and Japanese have come to an agreement and all documents were ready to be signed. Then, at the very last moment, the Japanese side unexpectedly requested that a commerce treaty and an Immigration convention two issues totally apart from the reparation -- be included in the documents, thus annihilating all the efforts previously displayed. / Before .taking
Before taking leave, I handed him a memorandum previously prepared by myself stating the main points of the issue and asking for all free nations' active support to our cause. The Foreign Minister said he had heard about the issue only from foreign news agencies and he is eagerly awaiting to be informed by his Embassy in Seoul, but so far he has received but very scarce and ill-matched bits of information. He thanked me for having enlightened him on the matter. I attached a copy of the said memorandum to this report for Your Excellency's reference.
c/ On Thursday February 19, I went to the APACL seat in Saigon and had a talk with its Secretary General, Mr. Tran Tam. The latter showed great concern over my visit and said that we must energetically oppose. and actually fight against the Japanese contemplation to send people to Communist slavery. To that purpose, he said that he has issued a statement and distributed it to the other 15 APACL chapters and to all newspapers offices and news agencies in Saigon as well as abroad. An excerpt of Vietnam Press and local press reproducing the APACL statement is attached for Your Excellency's information.
d/ On Thursday, February 19, in the morning, I called on Dr. Nguyen Le Vien, President of the Vietnam Red Cross Society. After explaining to him the motive of my visit I expressed our solicitation for the Vietnam Red Cross' cooperation in denouncing the Japanese evil plot. The President of Vietnam Red Cross manifested his sympathy and said he will convene an administrative board meeting of his society to decide upon the appropriate measures to be taken in such circumstances. He also requested to be informed on the Korean Red Cross ' stand on the issue and I subsequently sent the following cable in code:
VIETNAM RED CROSS PRESIDENT REQUESTS TO BE URGENTLY INFORMED ON KOREAN RED CROSS STAND ON GROUP REPATRIATION OF KOREANS TO NORTH KOREA "
The next day, Friday February 20, late in the afternoon,
I received the fifth coded telegram on the matter reading:
REGARDING QUESTION OF MASS EXPULSION OF KOREANS IN JAPAN CMA YOU ARE INSTRUCTED AS FOLLOWS COLON ITEM ONE PD SOLICIT NATIONAL RED CROSS OF HOST COUNTRY FOR ITS COOPERATION PD, ITEM TWO PD ASK IT TO ISSUE STATEMENTS SUPPORTING OUR CAUSE PD ITEM THREE PD ASK IT TO REQUEST ICRC TO STAY AWAY PD ITEM FOUR PD REPORT RESULTS WOIMUBU "
I immediately transmitted it to Ambassador Choi and at the same time, on 4:30 p.m. today, February 21, I called for the second time on the President of Vietnam Red Cross and urged for cooperation as instructed. Dr. Nguyen Le Vien repeatedly assured me of the sympathy of his society toward the Korean request and said his society will take action as soon as it received ampler information on the Korean Red Cross position. Dr. Nguyen Le Vien said that his society is ready to extend help and would cordially welcome a cabled message directly from its Korean counterpart asking for
/ cooperation and ....cooperation and favourable action. I accordingly dispatched the following cable after returning to the Embassy through our own telecommunication system which was inaugurated today: "RE MASS EXPULSION CMA CONTACT HAS BEEN MADE WITH VIETNAMESE RED CROSS PRESIDENT WHO EXPRESSED UNDERSTANDING AND SYMPATHY OUR STAND CMA REQUESTS HOWEVER CABLE FROM KOREAN RED CROSS PRESIDENT DIRECTLY FOR PURPOSE OF TECHNICALITY PD PROMISES IMMEDIATE ACTION AS REQUESTED UPON RECEIPT SAID CABLE PD”
e/ On Thursday, February 19, I received Your Excellency's instruction in code telegram, which on one hand, I immediately transmitted to Ambassador Choi in Bangkok and on the other hand, cabled to our Foreign Ministry the following telegram:
PURSUANT TO INSTRUCTIONS WOIJUNG 508 CONTACTS HAVE BEEN MADE WITH VIETNAM FOREIGN MINISTER CMA SECRETARY GENERAL FORMIN CMA VIETNAM APACL SECRETARY GENERAL AND VIETNAM RED CROSS PRESIDENT PD SPECIAL REPORT FOLLOWS IN POUCH"
f/ The Japanese temptation of sending people to the Communist north has excited big emotion among the public opinion in Saigon. For several consecutive days, all local newspapers took interest in the issue and gave front-page editorials which obviously were favourable to our side.
On February 20, I convened to the Embassy the correspondents of AP, AFP, and "Le Journal d'Extrtme Orient ", a local most influenced and circulated French language daily, and after sketching to them our attitude over the issue, I handed them
/ a copy of the memorandum...a copy of the memorandum which I had previously provided the Foreign Ministry of Vietnam.
The daily "Cach Mang Quoc Gia " (National Revolution) wrote :
We fully understand the Koreans and we know that a Korean Government can never have a pro-Japanese policy..."
The Daily "Nguoi Viet Tu Do " (Free Vietnamese) wondered why Japan adopted an irreducible attitude toward the repatriation of emigrants to north Korea. This decision will cause the loss of Korean friendship and a rigid attitude of the Free World toward Japan in the future. It said:
The Free World is much concerned about the fate of several Koreans who thus are going to fall into the Communists claws. Does Japan care about the Korean residents' aspirations? Why Japan do not repatriate them in South Korea ?
The maintenance of the Japanese decision will certainly destroy the relations between this country and the Republic of Korea and will considerably diminish the sympathy of the Free World toward Japan."
I attached copies of some of these editorials for Your Excellency's information.

I have the honour to be, Excellency, your obedient servant,

Pyung Sik Son

First Secretary and Consul

His Excellency
Dr. Chung Whan Cho
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Enclosures:
1. Copy of Memorandum on Mass Expulsion of Koreans to north puppet regime.
2. Excerpt from "Le 'Journal d'Extreme Orient " "Le point de vue de Seoul sur le rapatriement des r'esidents cor'eens au Japan ".
3. Excerpt from Vietnam Press : APACL's statement.
4. Vietnamese newspapers' editorials.
5. Other.