No.TS-920288
DATE. 302120
TO. OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT PD FOREIGN MINISTER
(COPY TO MINISTER YIU)
I MET ASIAN AFFAIRS DIRECTOR AT HIS OFFICE BETWEEN 3:05 PM AND THREE FIFTY PM ON JANUARY THIRTIETH TO MAKE A STRONG REPRESENTATION AGAINST FOREIGN MINISTER FUJIYAMAS REPORTED REMARKS ON THE SOCALLED GROUP REPATRIATION MOVEMENT PD GIST OF MY REPRESENTATIONS AND OF ITAGAKIS REPLIES IS AS FOLLOWS COLON ITEM ONE I ASKED FIRST TO BE INFORMED OF THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE PRESS REPORT ON MR FUJIYAMAS REMARKS MADE AT THE UPPER HOUSE ON JANUARY TWENTY NINE TO THE EFFECT THAT THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT WAS STUDYING MEASURES IN THIS REGARD AND WOULD MAKE THE MEASURES PUBLIC SOON DOT DOT DOT AS IT CONSIDERED THE REPATRIATION TO NORTH KOREA OF KOREAN RESIDENTS IN JAPAN WAS A MATTER OF FREEDOM OF RESIDENCE AND A HUMANITARIAN PROBLEM PD AND THEN I TOLD HIM THAT CMA IF THE ABOVE REPORT WAS TRUE CMA THE MISSION CONSIDERED IT A MATTER OF SERIOUS CONCERN AND COULD NOT BUT LODGE A MOST ENERGETIC PROTEST WITH THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT AGAINST THE REMARKS BY FUJIYAMA PD I CONTINUED THAT THE SOCALLED GROUP REPATRATION MOVEMENT WAS NOTHING BUT A MOST MALICIOUS POLITICAL PLOT INITIATED BY THE NORTH KOREAN PUPPET REGIME AND SOME JAPANESE WHO DID NOT WANT TO SEE THE KOREA JAPAN PROBLEMS SETTLED CMA POINTING OUT THAT THIS POLITICAL PLOT UNDER THE GUISE OF QUOTE HUMANITARIANISM UNQUOTE WAS AIMED AT THE DETERIORATION OF RELATIONS BETWEEN KOREA AND JAPAN AND THE COLLAPSE OF THE CURRENT OVERALL TALKS PD STATING THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA WAS THE ONLY LAWFUL GOVERNMENT IN KOREA AND WAS RECONIZED BY THE UNITED NATIONS AS SUCH AND THAT THE NORTHERN PART OF KOREA WAS UNDER AN UNLAWFUL OCCUPATION BY COMMUNIST AGGRESSORS CMA I EMPHASIZED THAT IT WAS THE RIGHT AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA TO PROTECT THOSE KOREAN RESIDENTS IN JAPAN AS THEY WERE NATIONALS OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA PD I ALSO EXPRESSED MY DEEPEST REGRET TO SEE THE MOVEMENT ON THE PART OF JAPANESE SIDE SHOWN IN SUPPORT OF SUCH A MALACIOUS POLITICAL PLOT AT THE TIME WHEN MINISTER YIU WAS IN SEOUL FOR CONSULTATIONS WITH THE GOVERNMENT AND KOREAN DELEGATES WERE WORKING HARD FOR THE PREPARATION OF RESUMING THE OVERALL TALKS PD EYE TOLD HIM THAT WE CAN NOT BUT DOUBT THE SINCERITY ON THE PART OF JAPANESE SIDE IN SETTLEING OUTSTANDING PROBLEM BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES PD
ITEM 2 : ITAGAKI REPLIED THAT IT WAS TRUE THAT MR. FUJIYAMA STATED TO THE EFFECT AS THE QUESTION ON THE "REPATRIATION TO NORTH KOREA " WAS A MATTER OF HUMANITARIAN PROBLEM, HE WAS STUDYING APPROPRIATE MEASURES THEREON AND WISHED TO MAKE THE DECISION ON THE GOVERNMENTAL POLICY IN THIS REGARD SOON PD
HE ADDED THAT AMONG CABINET MEMBERS AND POLITICIANS THERE IS A CONSIDERABLY RAPID MOVEMENT TOWARD THE DIRECTION OF MAKING DECISION ON THE POLICY FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM ACCORDING TO "THE PRINCIPLE OF FREEDOM OF REPATRIATION".
HOWEVER, HE SAID, THERE WERE NO INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE HIGHER OFFICIALS TO WORK OUT PLAN IN THIS REGARD AT PRESENT. HE INDICATED THAT HIGHER OFFICIALS MIGHT BE THINKING OF INVITING THE INTERFERENCE OF ICRC IN THE MATTER AS THE FIRST STEP, REFERING TO CONSISTENT ICRC DESIRE OF HANDLING THE MATTER. IN THIS CONNECTION, I COUNTERED THAT THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR ICRC INTERFERENCE IN THE MATTER ON THE GROUND THAT THE INVOLVED IN THIS REGARD WERE ALL THE NATIONALS OF THE ROK AND THAT THIS SCHEME IS ABSOLUTELY A MOST MALICIOUS PLOT. I STRONGLY TOLD HIM THAT IF ANY KOREANS IN JAPAN WERE TO BE SENT TO "NORTH KOREA " IT WOULD DEFINITELY BRING ABOUT A MOST SERIOUS EFFECT UPON THE EXISTING RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES AS WELL AS THE OVERALL TALKS, IMPLYING THAT THE TALKS MIGHT BE RUPTURED, FOR WHICH THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT SHOULD SOLELY BE RESPONSIBLE. MR. ITAGAKI, TAKING NOTE OF MY STRONG REPRESENTATIONS AS ABOVE, TOLD ME THAT HE WOULD REPORT TO HIS SUPERIORS THEREON IMMEDIATELY.

COUNSELLOR CHOI

공람
1959년 1월 31일
차관
국장