155. Letter From President Pak to President Johnson1
Dear Mr. President:
I received an advance copy of your letter of February 32 through Ambassador Porter yesterday and I thank you sincerely for your keeping me informed of your views through your Ambassador here.
The recent seizure by the north Korea of the USS Pueblo and the infiltration of the armed Communist raiders into Seoul have demonstrated to the world anew the aggressiveness and lawlessness of the Communists. These acts have also arisen a serious problem to our prestige and a grave threat to our security.
I would like to take this opportunity to extend once again my expressions of sincere sympathy to Your Excellency, the people of the United States and the families of the crew of the Pueblo.
Also, I would like to express my great admiration and deep respect for your perseverance shown in seeking diplomatic solution to the problem and for your resolute determination as evident in your outright action taken in the movements of the United States forces.
I am very grateful that you are urgently considering measures to strengthen the defense capabilities of the Republic of Korea.
Mr. President,
In the wake of these incidents, we have made our views known to each other through Ambassador Porter.
And I quite agree with you that our two countries, at these difficult hours, should stand in closer unity and deal with the situation with concerted might. The traditional friendship between our two countries and the unchangeable, particular relations between our two peoples should bid us to do so.
What we should do first will be to have the vessel and the crew back and to seek a guarantee that the north Koreans cease their aggressive acts against the Republic of Korea.
[Page 330]These, if devoid of one of the two, will not be complete in attaining our common goal.
How long our efforts for peaceful and diplomatic settlement should be kept going will, as you have pointed out, be our problem.
However, I sincerely hope that you understand my conviction that the problems should be solved by all means before the public opinions of the world which have stood with us may cool down.
It has been fifteen years since the Armistice Agreement was concluded and during this span of time, the north Koreans have constantly threatened us, their violation of the Agreement totalling some 5,000 cases. The threat has become even more serious during the past sixteen months, culminating in the aggressive intrusion into Seoul on January 21.
I should mention that in dealing with the Communists, indefinite efforts for peaceful solution will only bring advantages to them rather than to us. I can say through our own experiences that the Communists should be taught a lesson that any aggressive action cannot escape due punitive action.
If we had taken any punitive action whenever the north Koreans violated the Armistice Agreement in the past, we could have forestalled the situation which has ensued on these breaches.
In other words, I think the situation which we are facing today has resulted from our inaction to meet effectively the violation of the Agreement by the north Koreans.
To the north Koreans, therefore, we should show our resolute stand and determination that they cannot commit an aggressive act free of punishment. It should be remembered this alone will provide a corrective measure for the habitual aggressiveness of the north Koreans.
I have already made my views known to you on the secret negotiations between the United States and north Korea through Ambassador Porter and I am not repeating them here.
Please accept, Your Excellency, my best wishes for a full measure of success in your endeavors.
With my kindest personal regards,
Sincerely,
- Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Head of State Correspondence, Korea, Park Correspondence, Vol. I. Secret. The source text, which is on Pak’s letterhead, is a translation. Porter acquired an advance copy of this letter, which he transmitted to the Department in telegram 3976 from Seoul, February 5. Rostow forwarded the telegram to the President with a note commenting on the “great courtesy” contained in Pak’s reply and pointing out that the letter made “a strong plea for retaliatory action against North Korean incursions into South Korea.” (Ibid., Country File, Korea—Pueblo Incident—Cactus II, Cactus Seoul Cables, January 29 to February 9, 1968)↩
- See Document 151.↩
- Printed from a copy that indicates Pak signed the original.↩