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보/고/서

ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 617　19 August 1950

FIELD REPORT (ADVATIS - FEAF LN TEAM NO. 0115)　9 August 1950

(Ref to ATIS Rpt No. 365)

4th Div, 5th Regt, 1st Bn, 3rd Co, 2nd Plt, 2nd Sqd. Source and 500 other conscripts from HYESAN-KUN received physical examination at HYESAN-KUN. (HAMGYON-NAMDO, near Manchurian border), entrained at HYESAN 7 Jul 50, arrived after continuous days and night train ride, at PYONGYANG on 9 Jul and reported to a school building there and received army clothing and rifles (only 2/3 of man received rifles). That same afternoon source’s group and another group of about 400 men from some unk place entrained at PYONGYANG and arrived KYONGSONG on 11th or 12th Jul (Group traveled in freight cars). At the food of a mountain called “NANJAN” that evening a group of 250 including source was separated from the others and was told that they were to go to the 4th Div. Source’s group of 250 men traveled by truck by night to PYONGTAEK, hiding in the mountains by day, and hiding their trucks, camouflaged with tree branches in the woods. Arrived at PYONGTAEK 15 Jul and assigned to 5th Regt, 4th Div.

4th Div: LI GUN MU, Maj Gen

Code Names:

4th Div: 485th Unit

5th Regt: 482nd Unit

Most of the men in 5th Regt were comparatively inexperienced troops - most of them were men who had come into Regt in Mar 50. (Source asked them when they had some in.) Source heard after passing through TAEJON that replacements had again come into 5th Regt (number unk).

5th Regt left PYONGTAEK evening of 15th Jul 50 and marched to point 4 km N of HYOPCHON via KONGJU, TAEJON, KUMSAN, CHANGGYE-RI, ANUI, KOCHANG, arriving 29 Jul at the above point.

5th Regt fought a battle just before entering TAEJON, grew panicky and retreated 3 miles, other Regts captured TAEJON. Source heard from other soldiers that about 40 men were killed in the Regt. Regt had run as soon as battle stared. The Regt was next attacked (this time by artillery) at a village called KWANBI (about 6 or 7 km E of KOCHANG). Regt suffered about 30 dead and 20 wounded there. Only about 600 men with 7 HMG and PPsh Tommy Gun and 1 LMG per Sqd came to point 4 km N of HYOPCHON.

5th Regt was subjected to its first air attack at ANUI about 26 or 27 of July. Source saw 1 officer and 5 or 6 men killed by strafing there.

16 and 18th Regt came with the 5th Regt as far as KOCHONG. 18th Regt went 5th Regt as far as KWANBI. Source does not know where the 16th and 18th Regts went after that. Source saw about 4 120 mm Guns (Barrel about 2 m long) and 7 45 mm M1941 AT Guns in a mulberry grove (mulberry trees provide good cover because they have many leaves) below a point about halfway between ANUI and KOCHONG about 26th or 27th July 50. Source became separated from other during air-attacks on 1 Aug 50 in the mountains near KWANBI and was captured.

1. Food was not plentiful in Sources village. Farmers had to pay tax in kind as follows:

25% of crops from rice paddies.

23% of all crops from dry farmland.

Quotas for delivery from each plot of land was fixed on the basis of actual, measured harvest from an average “Tsubo” of land. This tax in kind actually came to about 40% of the crops because the better part of the plot of land was always used in calculating the tax. Some farmers said the tax amounted to 50% of the crops.

Although farmers would not complain in the presence of others, many of them (percentage unk) were dissatisfied about the tax in kind - they were afraid of the police. Privately, some farmers said all they could sat was gruel despite the fact that they were farmers - farmers with small holdings were eating gruel at one out 3 meals.

2. Men to go into the N Korean Army were selected as follows: Each “MYON” received a quota for recruits; MYON Officials allocated the quota among villages and village called a meeting of all men 18 to 35 yrs of age and village muster selected the men. The men selected had to go regardless of circumstances at home - They were told that their families would be taken care of. Those that refused to go were arrested and sentenced to jail.

Out of 23 to 24 young men of military age in Source’s village all but 10 men, all over 30 years of age, had been taken into the army by 15 July 1950.

3. Three political parties in N KOREA: “NOTONG-TAN” (Communist), “MINJU-TANG” (Democratic) and “CHON U-TANG” (Friends of Heaven).The MINJU-TANG was made up mostly of rich people and well educated persons and was active in towns and cities; it was not present in many of the villages.

The CHO’U-TANG was made up mostly of Christians and young people under 20 years of age who were not admitted by the Communist Party. Anyone over 16 was allowed in CHON’U-TANG. When the head of a family became a member of this party all members of his family 16 yrs or over in age were automatically admitted into membership of this party.

In Source’s village, there were 20 Communist Party members; no one was a member of the MINJU-TANG; the CHON’U-TANG had the largest membership.

In Source’s village 3 out of 5 elected village officials were members of the Communist Party, 1 was nonpartisan and 1 was a member of the CHON’U-TANG.

Source estimated that the average ratio of Communist members among elected officials in a MYON or village was 13 Communists and 2 from MUNJU-TNAk and CHON’U-TANG. None but Communist were given responsible positions.

Non-Communist candidates were allowed to make election speeches but none of them spoke against communism or the government.

Source saw about 50 American and about 30 S Korean PsW being marched off in TAEJON - PsW did not have their hands bound. Source heard from one of the guards that they were to be taken to a PW camp in KYONGSONG, that they were given 3 meals a day and cigarettes and that they were taught singing and given political training there.

Source heard from a propaganda official from his MYON about Dec 1948, that all the factory machinery that RUSSIA had removed at the end of the World War II had been returned and that all the factories in N KOREA were in production. The propaganda official also said that the fertilizer that came to Source’s village came from the fertilizer plat at PONGU near HAMHUNG; he told the villagers to use all the fertilizer they needed. Fertilizer was in plentiful supply in Source’s village.