Warning To North Koreans

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31658, 19 April 1968, Page 13

Warning To North Koreans

(N.Z.P.A.-Keuter—Copyright) HONOLULU, April 18. President Johnson and President Chung Hee Park of South Korea have pledged that their Governments will act swiftly to counter any future aggressive acts by North Korea, and have expressed hopes of an early start to preliminary Vietnam peace talks. A joint communique issued after talks between the two leaders in Honolulu -warned North Korea that further armed attacks against South Korea would be “a most grave threat to peace.” The communique shed no light on the position reached by the United States in her efforts to fix a time and place for preliminary peace talks with Hanoi, but President Johnson repeated that the United States Government would continue to “consult fully with the Republic of Korea and other allies concerning developments and positions to be taken on the allied side at each stage.” The two leaders, who expressed the hope that “serious talks on the substance of peace could begin in the near future,” reaffirmed that the Vietnam allies would continue to press for a settlement based on the seven-power communique issued in Manila after a summit meeting there in 1966. They also reaffirmed the Manila powers Foreign Ministers’ statement in April, 1967. which said that a settlement in Vietnam “must respect the wishes and aspirations of the Vietnamese people.”

President Johnson, who later left by air for his Texas ranch, with a stop-over in California to see the former United States President, General Dwight Eisenhower, said just before his departure that he believed the United States would “continue to play her part in helping to protect and develop the new Asia.” At a reception for President Park given by the Korean Consulate, Mr Johnson also expressed the belief

i that his successor—no matter who —would continue policies reflecting an abiding American interest in Asian free dom and security. The joint communique from the two leaders said that the co-ordination of United States aid to the Korean armed forces and for strengthening counter-infil-tration programmes would be pursued in greater detail at a Defence Ministers' meeting to be held in Washington next month.

The communique drew attention to the concern of both the United States and South Korea about what it described as “the increasingly belligerent and aggressive action of the North Korean Communists during the last 18 months.” Specifically mentioned were the January incidents involving an abortive North Korean raiding party’s attempt to assassinate President Park, and the seizure of the United States intelligence ship, Pueblo. It repeated the United States claim that the ship was captured in international waters. The communique said President Johnson reaffirmed that the United States, under its mutual defence pact, was “ready and determined to render prompt and effective assistance to repel armed attacks against the Republic of Korea.”