Section 7. Situation in the Korean Peninsula
1. General situation
There was no large-scale provocation from North Korea in the Korean Peninsula in the year under review, and with the international trend toward easing tensions as the background, North and South Korea opened a dialogue (talks between the Red Cross societies of both sides) in the latter half of 1971 by taking advantage of the progress made in Sino-American relations following the ping-pong diplomacy. During this period, North Korea planned to make rapid progress in its economic construction and made further efforts to strengthen its relations with the People's Republic of China, while showing a cautious attitude against a direct deal between China and the United States. Meantime, the Republic of Korea assumed a flexible attitude toward the socialist countries and, at the same time, continued tight-rein measures at home.
2. Moves of the Republic of Korea
(1) The Republic of Korea, which had eased restraints on interchange with non-hostile socialist countries since the August 15 declaration made in 1970, called on North Korea in August 1971 to launch a campaign to reunite families separated in the Korean War. North Korea responded to the call and a dialogue began between North and South Korea. However, the subsequent preliminary talks made hardly any progress.
(2) The year under review was "a season of politics" for the Republic of Korea, which saw the Presidential election (April), the National Assembly elections (May) and the President's inauguration (July). The opposition New Democratic Party's unexpectedly good performance in these elections attracted attention.
(3) In the Republic of Korea, a series of untoward incidents occurred one after another in and after August, including the Kwangju settlement riot, the Air Force special unit riot, the KAL Building case and the dismissal of O Chi Song, Minister of Home Affairs. Earlier, the student movement, which had become increasingly active since around April, developed into an anti-establishment movement in October. President Chung Hee Park suppressed the movement by invoking the garrison order (October 15 through November 9). Further, in December, President Park suddenly announced a state of national emergency (December 6) by stressing the threat of North Korea's aggression against the Republic of Korea. It was followed by the promulgation of a national defense special measures law concerning national security (December 27), and the Republic of Korea was thus placed under a state of national emergency.
(4) As for the economic field, the new U.S. economic measures and the flotation of the Japanese yen seriously affected various plans of the Republic of Korea, which had been carrying out measures to correct various kinds of problems caused by the high economic growth in the past few years and which was in the final year of its second five-year economic development program. The people of the Republic of Korea seem to have felt these effects as a factor affecting their livelihood adversely. They also seemingly affected the stability of the social situation in no small measure.
3. Moves of North Korea
(1) North Korea began positive diplomatic activities, viewing such changes in the world situation as Nixon's announcement of his visit to China and the participation of the People's Republic of China in the U.N. as favorable to itself. Especially, it sent six government missions to the Soviet Union, East Europe, Africa, the Near and Middle East, and Asia and Central and South America in February and March 1972, and this attracted attention. It established diplomatic relations with Yugoslavia (September), Sierra Leone (October), Malta (December) and Cameroon (March 1972).
(2) As regards relations among North Korea, China and the Soviet Union, North Korea endeavored to maintain close relations with the Soviet Union on the one hand, and positively conducted interchange with the People's Republic of China on the other. Especially, the conclusion of an agreement with China providing North Korea with military aid gratis in September should be noted. However, it seems that North Korea still firmly maintains its independent policy line. North Korea began to criticize severely the alleged revival of Japanese militarism after the announcement of a Japan-U.S. Joint Communique in November 1969, and it seems that the threat of the revival of Japanese militarism forms the basis for the approach between North Korea and China.
(3) North Korea carried out measures to build up its national defense power and construct its economy simultaneously. In the field of national defense, North Korea is said to have already completed its preparations for the invasion of the Republic of Korea, and the Republic of Korea calls it "the seven-day war" or "20-day war." In the economic field, North Korea made efforts for economic interchange with various socialist countries and also tried actively to approach Japan, in an effort to achieve three major technical reforms during the year under review, which was the initial year of its six-year economic development program.
(4) North Korea viewed President Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China as "a pilgrimage of the defeated" and evaluated it as a great victory for the People's Republic of China and also a victory for the revolutionary peoples of the world, as seen in Premier Kim Il Sung's address to a rally of citizens of Pyongyang to welcome Sihanouk (August 6), in the comment "Nobody fears if a drowned person tries to strike him with a closed fist" (Labor News dated February 20, 1972) and the editorial "Victory is with the people who aim at great achievements of justice" (Labor News dated March 4).