501.BB Korea/12–2348: Telegram
The Special Representative in Korea (Muccio) to the Secretary of State
305. Remytel 297, December 20.1 Following text further press statement issued by Korean Foreign Minister December 22.
“During the press interview on the 18th instant, my conversation has been misquoted in part and I regret to say that it gave out wrong impressions at home and abroad. What I emphasized was the necessity of enforcing the established authority of this government regardless of locality. Virtue of the United Nations recognition, the Republican Govt of Korea acquires the right to proclaim its authority over the whole Peninsula of Korea, including the islets which formerly belonged to this country.
Refusal to recognize this constitutes treason and therefore the Govt of the Republic of Korea has every right to enforce its law and prestige by every means it has under its command.
[Page 1344]In the press report I was misquoted as having said something about ‘civil war’ and in another report it said something about using ‘armed forces’ against the people in the northern territory. These are far from being true. We have no intention of starting anything until the United Nations Commission on Korea makes judicial decision on the question, of the unification of Korea, for which this government will provide every facility to fulfill the promised mission as conveniently as possible.
I may add that every Korean citizen living in the north must come within the jurisdiction of this government and no outside force of circumstance can dispute the sovereign right of the Republic of Korea”.
- Not printed; it reported Foreign Minister Chang’s press interview of December 18.↩