The State Construction and Foreigners of the North Korea Area in the 1940s

• In Event: Traditional and New Security Issues in Korea

Abstract

A large number of North Korean archives were captured by the U.S. Army during the Korean War(1950-1953) and are now kept in the National Archives and Records Administration(NARA). These documents are classified as and evaluated the most important data available outside North Korea on political, economic, social, and military issues in North Korea from 1945 to 1950. This collection contains materials such as administrative and personal documents, books, political and propaganda related to science, agriculture, literature, economics, geography, politics, and propaganda, North Korea-Russia trade, and North Korean military.
Among the documents named ‘Record Group(RG) 242’, there are a Foreigner Register Table that were investigated and upgraded before and after the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea(1948). North Korea, which refused to hold simultaneous general elections in the two Koreas under the supervision of the United Nations, prepared for the establishment of a communist socialist state through the help of the Soviet Union and needed to utilize the system of state governance and administrative system created during the Government-General of Korea(1910-1945). The Foreigner Register Table is a kind of census data that investigated foreigners in North Korea based on the format and investigation method of a temporary residence register documents created by the Governor-General of Korea to manage foreigners.
The Foreigner Register Table consists of the following items, 1)Location, 2)Date of Survey, 3)In Oder, 4)Former Name, 5)Present name, 6)Name of spouse, 7)Present Job, 8)Address of origin, 9)Nationality, 10)Current residence, 11)Ethnics, 12)Level of education, 13)Social Background, 14)Social Status, 15)Present occupation, 16)Religion, 17)Speciality skills, 18)Former occupation(Before Aug. 15th. 1945), 19)Former occupation(After Aug. 15th. 1945), 20)Name of householder and relationship(Before migration), 21)Property, 22)Occupation of head of household, 23)Real estate, 24)Number of family member, 25)Other assets, 26)Affiliated organizations and parties, 27)Enrollment place and date, 28)Responsible duties and position, 29)Current relationship of affiliated organizations, 30)Purpose of migration and year, month, date, 31)Moving after migration, 32)Amount held at the time of immigration and current, 33)Number of visits to home country after immigration, 34)Personal wishes to the authorities.
The survey table, which was created as part of the census, recorded the individual's composition, origin, and economic situation in great detail, which seems to be aimed at examining how much foreigners conform and fit into the system in the construction of a socialist country. In addition, it is noteworthy that the administrative authorities were asking foreigners about their wishes before and after the founding of the country. What I would like to examine in this study is the origin and influence of civilian exchanges, migration, and immigration in the current diplomatic and political relationship between China and North Korea. In fact, the 60s of the People's Republic of China and the 90s of North Korea were the most serious socio-economic crises in China and North Korea, and much of it could be overcome by private-to-private economic assistance, including cross-border family and relatives.
I would also like to examine what variables affected migration and immigration through items such as the reason and timing of the survey subject's entry into Korea, the degree of asset retention, family size, and residence in China. The goal is quantitative research through data construction and organization. In addition, I would like to compare the survey items and styles appearing in this data with other census data in terms of governance of the people and investigation and management of foreigners in modern countries in the 20th century.

Author

• Donggue Lee, Ajou University