CDKW00463 - South Korea Pushes for Legitimacy

In this interview with South Korean Dr. Myo Mook Lee on 16 December 1951, the South Korean position was thoroughly outlined. It references a press release from 14 December which stated that “The United Nations objectives in Korea have been to punish the aggressors and to unify and reconstruct Korea. Any settlement short of implementing these aims will not be acceptable to the Koreans.” This position was much stronger than the Canadian interpretation of the UN Declaration, which entailed defending the South Koreans but certainly not with the intent “to punish the aggressors.” The hardline position presented by the South Koreans, indicating that they would not be amenable to a settlement where North Korea continued to exist, presented a stumbling block to future armistice talks. At the same time, the South Koreans were prodding every noncommunist state in the UN to back their application for membership—a question which remained complicated due to ongoing negotiations over where the Korean borders would be drawn on the peninsula.