PROCLAIMED A REPUBLIC

Chronicle (Levin), 17 February 1948, Page 5

PROCLAIMED A REPUBLIC

(N.Z.P.A.-

—Reuter.

SOVIET HAND SEEN IN NEW DEVELOPMENT IN NORTHERN K0REA

. Covyright)

Received Tuesday, 10.35 a.m. SEOUL, February 16. Soviet-occupied Korea today proclaimed itself the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea," says the United Press correspondent.

The North Korean authorities at Pyongyang announced in a.broadcast that . the new Republic would eventually embrace the American occupie'd zone. The announcement added that the North Korean land reform would be extended throughout Korea, a'nd that all resources and foreign trade would be under State supervision. The braadcast disclose'd that the Republic already had an Army, flag and a constitution. The chairman of the North Korean People's Committee, M. Kim Sung, who made the broadcast, claimed that the Army was not created "to stage mternecine strife as eertain r6actionaries had maliciously ' publicised." It would, however, move in to check in advance "any attempts on the part of

1 the reactionaries to divi'de and ki'll the people." i He a'dd'ed1 that the North Korean • flag would have a red • star in the , centre, with the crossed hammers "^and crossed sickies helow. American Reaction A high American official told a Press conference that the United | States had ample evidence of an | army of 200 000' in North Korea, j with Russian materials, medium j tanks and light aircraft. He added ; that the Republic was obviously a I Russian Puppet Government, and [ that it had been formed in de~ j fiance of the Moscow Agreement on : Korea, which provided that the ! United States and Russian should ; work together to ereate an independeht Korea.