18

Zealand on the Restitution Advisory Committee, which assists SCAP in the disposition of unidentified looted properties. During the year further progress has been made in the restoration of New-Zealand-owned properties in Japan. Of direct interest to the Department has been the greatly extended programme of British Commonwealth social and cultural activities in Japan, to which New Zealand has contributed posters, photographs", and other publicity material. Arrangements have also been made for the exchange of scientific technical, and commercial publications between New Zealand and Japanese departments and organizations. The United Kingdom and Australian Missions in Japan have continued to keep the Department informed on major economic and political developments. 3. Korea In its report to the fourth regular session of the General Assembly published in August, 1949, the United Nations Commission on Korea pointed out that its endeavours to achieve the major United Nations objectives for Korea had met with little success. The report observed that the Soviet Union, which had chosen to regard the Commission as an illegal body, had encouraged its satellite beyond the 38th parallel, the so-called People's Republic of Korea, to flout the Commission's authority and to oppose all the Commission's efforts to facilitate the unification of the country. The report concluded that the deterioration of relations between the Government of the Republic, established under United Nations observation in May, 1948, and the regime in the north held a serious danger of armed conflict and of barbarous civil war. The debate in the Assembly on the Commission's report followed very closely the pattern of the discussions in Paris in 1948. The representative of the Republic of Korea asked that the United Nations Commission should continue its work and that, since guerrilla activity was increasing, military observers should be assigned to assist it. Repeating routine propaganda attacks, representatives of the Slav bloc denounced the Korean Republic as a puppet of foreign States and demanded the termination of the Commission, which was, they asserted, merely a tool of the United States. The majority of delegates, however, including the New Zealand representative, rejected these charges, at the same time expressing their desire to see the Commission re-established to give its immediate attention to the maintenance of peace in Korea. In its plenary meeting the Assembly voted by 48 to 6to continue the Commission on Korea. One of its primary functions is to observe and report any developments which may endanger peace in the peninsula. It is also to assist, whenever in its judgment a favourable opportunity arises, in bringing about