A professor at Pohang University of Science and Technology has produced a Chinese diplomatic document that indicates the Soviets considered Gando to be North Korean territory.
Professor Park Seon-yeong held a press conference today in which he revealed the July 10, 1948 document, which was apparently sent by the PRC’s 2nd defense ministry. The document warned the Soviet authorities on the Liaodong Peninsula (the Soviets occupied the very beautiful Liaodong port of Dalian until 1954) were gradually invading China’s nine northeastern provinces based on policy set forth by Moscow. It said the Soviet authorities were trying to give the areas around Jilin province’s Yanji, Mudanjiang and Mulin to North Korea.
The document said the areas listed were already occupied by North Korean regular forces, and that the local administrations were run by Koreans.
Particularly noteworthy is the document refers to an up-till-now unknown deal known as the Pyongyang Agreement. The document says the accord, signed between North Korea and the Soviet Union in February 1948, demarcated three ethnic Korean administrative districts in the Chinese northeast, including the Gando region, as part of North Korea.
That is to say, through the agreement, the Soviets recognized the three districts as being North Korean territory.
The document came with a map. According to Prof. Park, the map clearly shows that West Gando, situated on the opposite side of the Yalu River, and East and North Gando on the other side of the Tumen River were included in the regions to be recognized as North Korean territory. The professor pointed out the areas roughly coincide with old Western maps of Korea.
The only difference, he said, was that according to the document, Gando included not only the currently the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, but also Mudanjiang and Mulin.
Prof. Park said determining the significance of the Pyongyang Agreement, concluded between North Korea and the Soviets at the exclusion of China, and its correlation with discussions between the North Korean and Chinese communist parties over the Gando issue would make for significant research.
10 Comments
A wedge issue? Who would have ever thought the Soviets would try something like that? (sarcasm)
Professor Lankov,
As the resident Korea expert and Ivan, it is incumbant for you to weigh in on this!
Plus, if there were any party more an authority on international law, it would have to have been the Soviet Union! If the Soviets said it, it must have been true.
Isn’t that a bit like the U.S. telling Guatemela it can have the Yucatan Peninsula?
Interesting post! Of course, one wonders what it really meant in the context of its time. In 1948 the PLA had moved from guerrilla war to a conventional campaign, but the outcome was hardly guaranteed. Theoretically, the U.S. could have intervened on the side of the Nationalists, perhaps defeating Mao. Had they done so, Soviet recognition of Kando as an integral part of a North korean client state makes sense. It would have further cemented the K-I-S regime to them, and with entire corps of ethnic Koreans in PLA ranks, perhaps have provided a refuge/future base of operations for these and other PLA units. Anyway, it will be interesting to see what Soviet intentions rally were.
It’s fine to document the history and claims but there isn’t a hope in hell that the Chinese will ever give back the region to Korea, no matter how much documentation they can come up with. Historically it’s nice to know, but the Chinese are the ones calling the shots.
Mind you, if the info at least wakes up a few of the blind in SK who think that a return to the Chinese umbrella will be wonderful for Korea, then keep digging.
Stupid Korean Bangzis are still doing this kind of ‘research’ to claim Chinese land. One thing is for sure, you will never get it. I hope all Gaoli Bangzis get mad and cut their fingers off. F**king Korean dickheads.
Have a nice life, Xi.
i wonder is xi is one of the illiterate chinese that comprise 50% of their nation.
i wonder if chinese americans like xi are also 50% illiterate when it comes to reading chinese, like their brethren back home. 土門江 and 豆滿江 aren’t the same, xi. what i don’t understand is how chinese deplore the sins of japanese in the early part of the century, yet defend them when it comes to gando.