Korea

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25679, 16 December 1948, Page 6

Korea

In the closing hours of its session, the United Nations General Assembly approved by 48 votes to six, Sweden abstaining, the Government of the Republic of Korea. Wisely, the Assembly wasted no time in arguing whether the Government, which was elected at polls conducted under United Nations supervision in southern Korea alone—the Russian occupation authorities having refused to allow elections in the northern zone—should be recognised as the legal government of the whole country. The Assembly could not do otherwise than accept the facts, regrettable as they are, that the Government is imperfectly constituted, that the wider electorate would certainly have returned an assembly differently grouped and different in personnel, and that it has no Authority beyond the American zone of occupation. It has been argued by some American observers that recognition of a Korean Government with restricted sovereignty would be tantamount to recognising the partition of the country. The Assembly has, in effect, rejected this argument by voting that the United Nations Korean Commission should continue its work for another year; and its main task, as defined by the Political Committee, will be the unification of the country. The outlook for unity is not hopeful. The Russian-sponsored “ people’s republic ”, which was set up in North.. Korea as an answer to the elections in the south, is very firmly entrenched, although everything suggests that it is a minority dictatorship. It commands a wellarmed, Russian-trained army now large enough to uphold the Communist authority, as it will be expected to do when the last of the ’ Russian occupation forces move out I in the next few weeks. If there■ was anything unrealistic in the j

Assembly’s approach to the difficult question of Korea it was the resolution recommending that all occupation forces, Russian and American, should be withdrawn “as early as “ practicable ”. The Korean National Assembly, by 88 votes to three, decided last month to ask the United Nations General Assembly to approve American troops remaining in the south, at least until the Government feels strong enough to resist attack. Withdrawal of all forces now would leave the southern part of the country at the mercy of the north.