ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 4386
FIELD REPORT (ADVATIS FWD, 0003) 3 November 1950
| PW NAME: | YU, Si Jong (劉時鍾) (유시종) |
| RANK: | Pvt (戰士) |
| AGE: | 29 |
| DUTY: | Signal Corpsman |
| UNIT: | 226th Signal Unit |
| EDUCATION: | Primary School 6 yr |
| OCCUPATION: | Office Worker |
| PLACE OF CAPTURE: | INCH’ON |
| DATE OF CAPTURE: | 16 Sep 50 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH: | HAMGYONG NAMDO, YONGHUNG-GUN, OKKI-MYON, KUMAN-NI #510 (咸鏡南道 永興郡 憶岐面 九灣里 五一0) |
| HOME ADDRESS: | HAMGYONG PUKTO, MUSAN-GUN, YONSA-MYON, TANGDONG-NI (咸鏡南道 茂山郡 延私面 唐洞里) |
| INTERROGATOR: | Cpl HAMASU (ATIS) |
Information obtained considered reliable. Informant cooperative, but lacked details on the PETROPAVLOVSK Area, due to limited time there.
Observation - Apr-Oct 49
As late as Oct 1949, there was no railroad in KAMCHATKA. In transporting of clothes or food supply, ships were most commonly used. These supplies were exchanged for fish. For transporting of mail etc, airplanes were used. Trucks (mostly US made) were used to carry goods that were brought in by ship. They were also used to carry laborers to fighting ports. In one labor camp (fisherman) there were approximately 15,000 laborers (including Russians, Japanese, Koreans, and Russian women).
There were electric lights in most regions of KAMCHATKA, the source of electric power derived from batteries. A telephone line was strung on poles from one working area to another.
Dirt road reached into almost all sections of KAMCHATKA. PW believes there were about 3 radio stations in the Port City of PETROPAVLOVSK.
In one labor camp (fisherman) there were approximately 15,000 men and about two thirds were Russian men & women laborers who were sent from the west in recent years. The remaining one third were composed of Korean and Japanese laborers, majority being Koreans. There were about 20 labor camps in PETROPAVLOVSK. PW states that most of the technicians and supervisors were Japanese since they were the only people who had skill in these projects. KITOKA (?) was one of the fishermen’s camps that was located in the district of PETROPAVLOVSK. PETROPAVLOVSK was a huge military port chiefly accommodating warships.
Educational standard of these people was very low, some Russians, PW states could hardly write their name. Most of them never attended school in their life. Religion was never heard of by the Russians residing in that area.
There was one hospital in a working area (現場) with two doctors and 4 nurses in it. Preventive inoculation shots were given to the laborers about three times a year. PW never heard of epidemics in this area. Food was ample, and living conditions were good; and there was no cases of malnutrition.
PW heard from laborers working at the port that, this PETROPAVLOVSK port could accommodate more than a thousand ships. PW didn’t believe at first, however the last time he saw this harbor he saw approximately 250 warships (type unknown), about 150 commercial ships (both Russian and former Japanese) and about 100 fishing boats (various sizes). This was in Oct 1949.
PW and about 2,000 other Koreans departed PETROPAVLOVSK Harbor on a former Japanese port ship (Russian crew 50) on 28 Oct 49, and crossed the SOYA KAIKYO (LA PEROUSE STRAIT) passed by VLADIVOSTOK and arrived at CHONGJIN KOREA about 45 days later.
PETROPAVLOVSK was a natural harbor, there were no shore facilities. PW only knows of some winches and cranes that were used to load and unload goods from ships. There were no piers or other installations. The harbor was just right to easily load and unload good, the banks of the harbor measured approximately 6 m above the surface of the pater all around.
For the Commanding Officer:
GERARD
Sketch of PETROPAVLOVSK Harbor
