Editorial Note
In October 1950, the United Nations decided that the civil administration of territory north of the 38th Parallel won on the battlefield would be placed under the control of the United Nations Command until the question of Korean unification was resolved. As long as fighting raged in Korea, the question of civil administration of the area was not a pressing one. With the armistice, however, a line of demarcation was established which cut across the 38th Parallel and placed approximately 2,300 square miles of territory from the center of the Parallel to the east coast of the Korean peninsula under the control of the United Nations Command.
As early as February 1953, the Republic of Korea requested that the United Nations Command promote resettlement of this zone so as to relieve the refugee problem which faced South Korea. It was not until March 1954 that the United Nations Command began an extensive resettlement program in the area which resulted in raising the population to 130,000. Beginning in August 1953, the Republic of Korea requested that it be given jurisdiction over territory north of the 38th Parallel under United Nations Command control. These requests continued through June 1954. In July of 1954, the United Nations Command agreed that the complexity of civil administration of the zone was beyond the resources of the military authorities and on August 9, 1954, [Page 1866] UNCURK adopted a resolution recommending transfer of administration of the area to the Republic of Korea. On August 12, 1954, the South Korean Government was so informed. (UNCURK Report, 1954, United Nations document A/2711, pages 4–7)