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June 29, 1973

Telegram from Pyongyang, No.061.253, Urgent, SECRET

This document was made possible with support from ROK Ministry of Unification

To the First Direction, Relations

 

On 27 June An Jang-il [An Jang Il], division head within the International Section of the Central Committee of the Korean Workers’ Party briefed the Romanian chargé d'affaires on the third session of the South-North Coordinating Committee, which took place on 12-14 June in Seoul.

 

After presenting the well-known position of the DPRK, which aims at achieving a relaxation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula through disarmament, reducing military forces, creating the five commissions of the Coordinating Committee, and covering political, military, economic, diplomatic and socio-cultural matters, An Jang-il stressed on the causes for which the South Koreans are not accepting the proposals of the North. In this respect, he said, at the secret meetings between the two co-presidents, Lee Hu-rak, the South Korean representative, said that South Korea would have been more receptive to the proposals of the North if the United States and Japan would not have exerted pressure on certain groups, especially on military groups in the South Korean governmental apparatus.

 

There are several strands of thought developing in governmental circles in Seoul, and here Lee Hu-rak referred to the military trend as the most powerful one and the most hostile to unification, then to a centrist trend which is leaning towards contacts with the North (limited to economic and socio-cultural matters) and the opposition, comprising progressive and patriotic forces, which are keen on a rapid achievement of unification.

 

An Jang-il described the situation in South Korea as unstable, which is why Seoul is trying to slow down the process of unification, formulating proposals to revise the agreements reached in July 1972 and the agreements which led to the creation of the South-North Coordinating Committee.

 

The [North Korean] interlocutor mentioned that the third session in Seoul ended without achieving any concrete results, that there are new and great difficulties ahead in the field of North-South contacts, and that the duration of the process of unification is much longer than initially envisaged.

 

Furthermore, An Jang-il said that currently South Korea launched an operation meant to enshrine the division of Korea by pushing towards the simultaneous accession of the two Koreas to the United Nations. “We fear,” he said, “that this South Korean plan will gain support from Third World countries, from those who do not know or who have a simplistic view of the solution for the Korean problem.”

 

An Jang-il said that the propaganda agencies in the DPRK would launch an operation to unmask the intentions of the South Koreans and to explain Pyongyang’s position in light of comrade Kim Il Sung’s statement dated 23 June.

 

Signed: Aurelian Lazar

 

수신: 제1관계국

 

6월 27일, 조선로동당 중앙위원회 외무부 부장 안장일은 루마니아 공사와 만나 6월 12-14일 서울에서 열린 남북조절위원회 제3차 회담에 대하여 보고했다.

 

군비 축소, 군사력 감축, 정치, 군사, 경제, 외교 및 사회문화 주제를 다룰 조절위원회 5개 세부위원회 개설로 한반도 긴장완화를 추구하고자 하는 조선민주주의인민공화국의 잘 알려진 입장을 밝힌 다음, 안장일은 남한이 북측의 제안을 받아들이지 않는 원인에 대하여 강조했다. 그의 말에 따르면 남한 대표 이후락과의 비밀 회담에서 남한 대표[이후락]는, 만약 미국과 일본이 남한 정부의 군사단체 등, 특정 단체에 압력을 가하지 않는다면 남측은 북측의 제안에 보다 호의적일 것이라고 언급했다고 한다.

 

서울 정부 내에 몇 개의 의견을 가진 단체들이 생겨나고 있는데, 이후락은 북측과의 (경제, 사회문화적 주제에 극한된)접촉에 호의적인 중도파와 진보 및 애국적 세력으로 즉각적인 통일을 추구하는 반대파와 비교할 때, 군사단체가 가장 강력하며 통일에 가장 적대적인 것으로 지목했다.

 

안장일은 남한의 상황이 불안정하며 그렇기 때문에 서울이 통일 [추진] 절차를 늦추고 1972년 7월 합의되어 남북조절위원회의 개설에 이르게 한 협약을 수정하고자 제안한 것이라고 설명했다.

 

[북조선] 소식통은 서울에서의 제3차 회담은 뚜렷한 결과 없이 종결되었으며 북-남 접촉에는 새로운 난관이 많이 기다리고 있다고 말했으며, 통일에 이르는 절차는 초기 예상보다 훨씬 오래 걸릴 것으로 예상된다고 이야기했다.

 

또한 안장일은 현재 남한이 유엔에 두 개의 조선을 동시 가입시켜 조선의 영원한 분단을 야기하려는 계획을 시작했다고 말했다. 그는 우리는 남측의 계획이 조선 문제를 잘 모르거나 그것이 단순히 해결될 것이라는 관점을 가지고 있는 제3세계 국가로부터 호응을 얻게 될까 우려한다고 말했다.

 

안장일은 조선민주주의인민공화국의 선전부가, 남조선인들의 의도를 드러내고 6월 23일 발표된 김일성 동지의 성명에 따라 평양의 입장을 밝히는 작전을 개시할 것이라고 말했다.

 

 

서명: Aurelian Lazăr

 

North Korean officials blame pressure from Japan and the US as reasons why South Korean representatives are not receptive to the North's proposals in the North-South Coordination Committee meetings. The official believes that Seoul is attempting to slow down negotiations with Pyongyang because South Korea is unstable. Pyongyang worries that Seoul's plan for joint accession to the US will enshrine the division on the peninsula.


Document Information

Source

Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Archives, Matter 220, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea, Secret, MFA, Folder no. 1515, First Directorate – Relations, Regarding Relations between North and South Korea and the Position of Various States on this Topic, January 16 – July 30, 1973. Obtained and translated for NKIDP by Eliza Gheorghe.

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Original Uploaded Date

2012-05-17

Type

Telegram

Language

Record ID

114069

Original Classification

Secret

Donors

ROK Ministry of Unification and Leon Levy Foundation