THE NORTH KOREAN REACTION TO THE COLD WAR
OPERATION JILLI PROPAGANDA LEAFLETS

Leaflet 41

The 8 July 1968 issue described a 28-year-old female civilian who defected to South Korea in August 1967. She talked about the leaflet in the form of a 1 won banknote. She said that many children carried this leaflet with them, thinking it was a genuine North Korean one won note. Some children tried to buy candy at the cooperative farm store and the storekeeper scolded them severely, warning them that the leaflet was not money, but a South Korean leaflet on which poison was applied.

A former North Korea officer said about the banknote leaflet that it was so hard to distinguish from real North Korean money that it was occasionally used to purchase goods at stores.

A second defector said:

I saw the one won note safe conduct certificate at the Pantu Museum in Kaesong. I notice that some of the other visitors around me in the museum were also staring at it for some time, amazed at the nearly complete similarity between the one-won note on the leaflet and the real North Korean one-won note.

A third comment was:

I heard that a one-won note leaflet with a defector certificate on one side was receiving considerable attention from the public. On June 18th, I saw a warning about this leaflet posted on the bulletin board of the Social Safety Detachment. The warning read, "South Korea has spread leaflets similar to North Korean money in the Kaesong area. As a result, there seems a possibility of economic disorder. Those having leaflets in their possession are warned to report them without delay. Persons submitting leaflets will be rewarded with merchandize equivalent to the value of the money leaflets.

It was said that people who had reported these leaflets were rewarded with tobacco. About two days later, I heard that approximately thirty of the leaflets were found in a Kaesong department store when the store cashier totaled the day's receipts. I also heard that a Social Safety man used one of the leaflets to purchase cosmetics at the Cooperative Farm Store in order to determine whether the clerk would check the currency. When the saleswoman took the leaflet without checking it closely, the Social Safety man reprimanded her severely.

A fourth defector said:

I saw the North Korean one WON note leaflet at a meeting of the RI (lowest administrative division ranking below a township in the United States) cooperative farm Party Committee when a Social Safety officer showed a few copies of it to some members of the Committee and told them to gather up all such seditious leaflets, especially from children. I later found out that one of the copies of this leaflet had been turned in by a salesgirl serving at the RI cooperative farm store who received it as payment for a notebook sold to a child. The salesgirl was severely scolded for being late in reporting the leaflet.

Author’s Note: It is true that the front of the leaflet is close to the actual North Korean bank note, but all you had to do was turn it over and the entire back was covered with a South Korean flag and propaganda. It cannot be called a counterfeit. It is actually a propaganda parody of the banknote. 500,000 copies of this leaflet were dropped. The surrender message on the back of the banknote leaflet is:

To Soldiers of the People’s Army

This Republic of Korea safe conduct certificate [actually “certificate of security”] provides you with an opportunity for a new life. Bear in mind that your present toil will never change until the Communist regime collapses. Why should you give up your happiness? Please cross over to the South without hesitation. When you come to South Korea, this certificate will guarantee your personal safety when shown to any Republic of Korea or United Nations Command serviceman. We will warmly welcome you. You will be rewarded with money, employment, housing and freedom. Your safety is guaranteed with or without this leaflet.

(Signed) KIM Yong Bae, General, Republic of Korea Army, Chief of Staff

North Korean Actions when Leaflets were found

When South Korean leaflets first began to drop, high party officials launched a false propaganda campaign against them, claiming that the photographs shown in some leaflets had been taken in Japan or the United States merely for propaganda purposes. However, the propaganda had little effect on the North Korean people because they could see street and store signs written in the Hangul Korean alphabet and the women were wearing traditional Korean clothes on the streets. The North Koreans replied that the signs were fakes made just for the photographs. They pointed out that superior North Korean homes were prefabricated, while buildings in the south were made by piling one brick on top of another. With such a slow method, how could Seoul ever become a modern city? They said that all the people on the leaflets were good-looking and wore modern clothes so they must be movie actors. The North Korean Party officials soon realized that the people did not believe their counterpropaganda, and they became quiet.

Communist authorities were faced with a monumental task of denying people access to the leaflets after each leaflet drop. By using leaflets with unique aerodynamics, every individual leaflet mission covered several thousand square miles. The efforts made by authorities to police the leaflets are some indications that these authorities felt the leaflets would have some adverse effect on the people.

At absolute minimum, the introduction of massive quantities of leaflets forced the authorities to mobilize groups of people to police them up, taking them away from more productive endeavors or using up their own "free time" in a manner not of their own choosing. The following comments concerning specific incidents of police of leaflets in North Korea were made by former members of the target audience shortly after their departure from North Korea.

Defector 1 - "All available residents of the city were mobilized to remove the leaflets. Personnel of the Social Safety Bureau (police) became very upset when they discovered that village children were among the crowd picking up the fallen leaflets. Upon discovering this, the police mobilized their own force to pick up the leaflets and hurriedly removed the children from the area. It was my opinion that this was done because the Social Safety Bureau feared that children were highly impressionable and that they were more apt to talk openly about what they had seen. The Social Safety Bureau personnel were so upset because the residents had seen the leaflets that they called a special meeting of the area residents in the evening and discussed the leaflet problem at great length.

Defector 2 - "Many people were mobilized to police the leaflets, including about 60 men from my unit who were organized into four teams, each consisting of 15 men. These teams conducted the police in four different directions. I, myself, was assigned as officer in charge of one of the teams. All members of the Social Safety Detachment area, as well as many villagers, were also mobilized for this work. However, because of the terrain, the teams did not search the upper areas of the mountain. The policing details were confined to roadsides, village areas, and farms. Leaflets picked up by members of my team were all turned over to me. I instructed my men neither to read the leaflets nor to tear them up. Despite my instructions, I noticed many of my men examining the leaflets out of curiosity and looking surprised at seeing the photographs appearing on the leaflets. All details, including my team, were picked up approximately an armful of leaflets each. Had the search been extended over a larger area, a larger number of leaflets would have been found. All leaflets picked up by the detail were turned over to the political department of the base. Other leaflets picked up by the Social Safety Bureau members and by villagers were reported to the Social Safety Bureau of the city.

Defector 3 - "Sometime around 1700 hours in mid-September (of the first year), the students of the Kaesong City Agri-cultural Cadre Training School were required to gather on the school grounds. At this gathering, the chairman of the school's Socialist Labor Youth League, a teacher, informed the students that a large quantity of South Korean leaflets had been dropped in the Kaesong area and the Kaesong City Social Safety Bureau (police) had requested that students be mobilized to police the leaflets. The students were further informed that the policing of the leaflets would be supervised by members of the Social Safety Bureau Defense Unit. Led by the Defense Unit, the students went to the Kaesong Railroad Station square around 1720 hours, where students from the Kaesong Sajik Middle School and Kaesong City Party School had already gathered. At this square, the students were organized into groups of five and six, each led by a Defense Unit member.

The policing began at about 1800 hours near an orchard in the area and lasted approximately one hour. During this period, students collected a total of seven leaflets, some in the peach trees and some under the peach trees. Some students collected more than 10 leaflets, and some collected none. When the students picked up a leaflet, they gave it to the Defense Unit man. I did not hear the students discussing the contents of the leaflets, but I did hear them comment about the high quality of the paper used for the leaflets. [NOTE: An interesting, but not surprising, widespread reaction to leaflets has been the "high quality" paper used. The most common paper weight used is 16- or 40-pound bond. This paper is one grade lighter than normal bond typing paper. To a predominately rural target group and even urban dwellers exposed mostly to a low-grade pulp or newsprint type paper, the use of a high-quality bond paper to carry messages of economic, political and social progress and prosperity has drawn a favorable reaction.] After completing the police call, the students gathered in the Kaesong Railroad Station square again, around 7:30 p.m. At this gathering, I saw an officer of the Defense Unit holding three bundles of the leaflets that were picked up. He expressed his thanks to the students and then gave a talk which was intended to discredit the various leaflets found by the students."

The dictatorship in North Korea was eventually forced to answer the questions posed by the Jilli leaflets, and later began to copy their size, style and use of color in their own leaflets sent to the South. When Jilli leaflets depicted the Ulsan industrial complex, North Korea prepared a similar leaflet showing their own heavy industry. When Jilli leaflets spoke of the colleges and universities in the South, similar leaflets showing educational institutions like Kim Il-sung University were prepared by the North. The two nations dueled on subjects like railroads, with both pointing out their railroad transportation systems, but the Jilli leaflets also reminded the readers that in the South everyone was free to use the trains to go anywhere. Both sides produced leaflets showing the goods in their department stores.

Dave Underhill told me about the North Korean reaction to the Jilli leaflets. He said:

We had a Captain in Korea on temporary duty at the time, and I asked him to stop by 8th Army G-2 (Intelligence) and see if we were getting any reaction out of North Korea. He walked in, and was totally ignored as chaos reigned in the office. He waited a while and then said in a loud voice: “Are you guys getting any reaction out of North Korea?” He said you could have heard a pin drop. North Korea was on full military alert, and was moving troops. He left them content with the knowledge that the North Korean government was reacting to our leaflet drops and the movement was not an independent action on their own.

Jilli leaflet 120

The President Park Chung-hee leaflet was developed in Korea with the assistance of the Republic of Korea Army PSYOP staff. It was a New Year's greeting to the North printed under contract by Korean printers. In what might have been a case of sabotage (or just an error) Park’s signature line looked like the Korean word for “Rat.” The printer, as might be expected, was immediately arrested. The North Koreans had never seen a picture of Park. When their leaders depicted the president they used a caricature which was always highly uncomplimentary and associated him with all things evil. Project Jilli decided that the North Korean people should see an unbiased photograph of the southern leader and make their own decision about his honesty and integrity.

There is a long message on the back:

A Message to Our Countrymen

My dear fellow countrymen!

On this New Year’s Day, together with all the people of the nation, I bless all of you in the North. Last year domestically, our country in the South finished the first five year economic development project successfully bringing new prosperity to the nation. At the same time we opened a new Pacific era by convening many international conferences including the Asia-Pacific ministerial level meeting.

This is the fruit of our effort to pave the way for the national unification which has been the burning desire of the people in the South.

Our dear countrymen!

The people of the South, which is becoming a proud and blessed country, are preparing to liberate you from communist oppression in order to bring a second liberation to you. I ask you to overcome all hardships and press on with perseverance for unification and freedom.

God bless you.

President Park Chung-hee
1967

Dave Underhill mentions a comment by a North Korean defector:

I had never seen a picture of President Park. I was anxious to see how the President looked. I learned from this leaflet that President Park was an intelligent and educated-looking person. I was impressed with the quality of paper used for the leaflet, and the clarity of the picture and printing.

Dave told me that not a single photograph of the President of the Republic of Korea had appeared in any North Korean publication. A highly uncomplimentary caricature of the President was always used which generally associated him with all things evil. Two examples were: An octopus with tentacles grasping the fruits of labor of the working people; a shark slicing through the waters slashing at various freedoms of the people. From the very beginning, North Korean propaganda had never mentioned the President without including a term of vituperation, which was used as if it were part of his name.

The response to the Park leaflet was so favorable that he decided to exploit the President and his wife, a former beauty queen. Later Jilli leaflets showed the President and his wife traveling abroad and being welcomed by various countries.

Kim Il-sung tried to have President Park assassinated several times. The 7th PSYOP Group kept notes on one of the assassination attempts. They state that on 13 January 1968, 31 members of the 124th Guerrilla Unit were ordered by Lieutenant General Kim Chung Tae to go to Seoul and cut off the head of President Park. They were honored to be given that mission and to liberate the desperate South Koreans who had invaded their country in 1950, lived in poverty, were regularly raped, beaten and murdered by the South Korean Army and the Americans, and were starving, having no jobs, food, clothing or electricity in their homes. By 17 January they were in Kaesong, where they were briefed by Colonel Lee Jae Hyung. They were told their route into South Korea, local guides who had cut the wires in advance, and divided into 6-man teams. They all received uniforms of the 26th ROK division as a disguise. Each man had a machine gun, a pistol, 300 rounds of ammunition and eight grenades. The final touch was a razor-sharp nine-inch dagger with which to cut off Park’s head. Their indoctrination caused them to make a major mistake. They ran into some woodcutters, but because they had been taught that the people in the South loved them as liberators and hated their own government, they let them live. The woodcutters immediately contacted the police. The teams split up and used different routes to Park’s “Blue House,” and were to meet for the attack at 2200. They ran into Army units that had been alerted of their presence and during the running gunfight that carried on all through the night, the guerrillas killed 26 ROK soldiers, Two American soldiers, two policemen, and eight civilians. 28 guerrillas were either killed in the battle or committed suicide by grenade to avoid capture as they had been told to do. Two disappeared into the woods and their bodies were never found. One guerrilla was captured, Lieutenant Kim Shim-jo who gave himself up claiming that after seeing well-dressed and well-fed South Koreans, their clothes, homes, shops and automobiles he realized that he had been lied to by Kim Il-sung. Lieutenant Kim later made propaganda broadcasts for the South pushing for the peaceful reunification of Korea.

Leaflet 144

Another item in the 8 July issue was in regard to the leaflet showing President Park and his wife on official visits to foreign countries. The people marveled at the fact that Park took his wife along and they said that it was correct for him to treat his wife as an equal and have her meet foreign dignitaries. They discussed the fact that other dignitaries took their wives along on trips and some female workers complained that their husbands never took them out even when he just went to visit his relatives or perhaps to some form of recreation. Some workers stated that they had never seen Kim Il-sung take his wife on any trips in the country or abroad and wondered why not.

Note: A comment by a 7th PSYOP officer at the end of this statement says:

Kim Il-sung now takes his wife with him and her picture now appears regularly in North Korean papers, probably as a reaction to this leaflet program.

The front of this leaflet depicts Park in West Germany and Malaysia. The back of the leaflet depicts Park in Thailand and Taiwan. The text on the front is:

SOUTH KOREA’S DIPLOMACY, BASED ON FREEDOM, JUSTICE AND PROSPERITY

It has set a firm foundation for international trade, technology, cooperation and cultural advancement.

In 1964, President Park visited West Germany and agreed upon economic cooperation and strengthening the alliance between the two countries. Both countries Presidents and First Ladies attended a West German musical festival.

When President Park Jung-hee visited Malaysia in 1966, he was escorted by the nation’s King.

Leaflet 145

This leaflet also depicted President Park so the North Koreans were sure to be interested in it. The front depicts President Park and his wife in Thailand. The text is:

THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA, AS THE CHIEF OF A FOREIGN STATE, RECEIVED THE GREATEST WELCOME IN THE HISTORY OF THAILAND

PEOPLES OF THE WORLD WANT PEACE AND PROSPERITY

The photograph captions are:

President Park receives Thailand’s highest medal from King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

President and Mrs. Park greet the nobility of Thailand at their reception.

Intelligence knew that the Republic of Korea had relationships with 75 nations while North Korea had relations with only 31. Communist propaganda claimed that the Republic of Korea’s foreign policy was only a puppet of the "U.S. Imperialism’s aggressive schemes." This leaflet was designed to show the North Koreans how the South had a much more dynamic relationship with the nations of the world than their own country did.

A panel of North Korean defectors was shown this leaflet and said:

This leaflet provide the people with an excellent opportunity to see what President Park actually look like; President Park is pictured in North Korean cartoons as an ugly dictator in uniform wearing black sunglasses. It will help the people realize the lies of the North Korean regime, and that South Korea is making a positive advance in international relationships and is enhancing its international prestige.

North Korean Agents liked South Korean Pop Songs

While in training, the spies listened to South Korean radio stations on Japanese transistor radios. They preferred to listen to pop music. They knew all the latest songs and the names of the singers. There were 25 agents in training at one base (all former criminals) and when they heard the South Korean pop songs they became sentimental. The songs sounded good and were easy for them to learn whereas the North Korean songs were stiff, used march tunes and were hard to learn. The South Korean songs were related to people’s daily lives while the North Korean songs had fighting themes which were not very interesting. The songs from the South reflected an enjoyment of daily life and were without political propaganda.

Leaflet 149

A third 8 July comment was on the celebration held by a South Korean couple. Many of the North Koreans stated that they would love to have such a celebration just once in their life. The political officers told the people that the girls dancing and the old couple holding their 60th birthday celebration were enemies of the people. The old couple was landlords or capitalists and the young girls were hired to dance at the celebration. The defector stated that not many of the women believed the Communist cadre.

A second comment by a former North Korean officer said the leaflet made a good impression to the elderly people of North Korea and showed the respect of the older people in the South. Such a party in the north was unthinkable because the work was so hard and the pay so poor that nobody had the time or money to put such an affair together.

A third comment was that in North Korea such a birthday party was out of the question since livelihood was difficult under the suppression of North Korean authorities. Although some old folks longed for South Korea, almost none of them thought of defecting because of their physical frailty and concerns for their family’s safety.

The North Korean propagandists stated that the South Koreans were poor and starving and there was no way such a party could happen. The text on the front and back is:

Korean Customs

In a free society beautiful and fine customs are preserved and bettered.
The girls of South Korea enjoy a folk dance on Thanksgiving Day.
Elder Choi is celebrating his 60th birthday jubilee.

The back shows a young child at a celebration and asks:

Brothers in the North!

Are you allowed to enjoy the celebration of a first birthday, a wedding, or a 60th birthday jubilee like your brothers in the South?

We know very well that it is a fact that you cannot take part in the various celebrations like in the old days because you are without funds. Even if you had a modicum of savings to celebrate, you are not allowed to do so and you are not allowed to invite the people. In the South, no party or authority can meddle with your privacy.

BEER AS A PROPAGANDA THEME

     

Leaflet 178

This leaflet is all about beer. South Korea’s "OB Beer" won a gold medal in 1966 for the world’s best beer. They brag about that win. The leaflet has three photographs on the front and back showing the beer being made, beer machinery and barrels, people drinking the beer, and of course, the beer medal. The text on front is:

OUR COUNTRY’S BEER IS RATED NUMBER 1 IN THE WORLD

Kegs are filled with beer piped through the system.

The "OB Beer" was presented with a Letter of Award and a gold medal.

The "OB Beer" of the Republic of Korea won the coveted first place gold award at the 1966 International Food Quality Contest held in Brussels, Belgium. The Republic of Korea is the first country in Asia to win the award.

In South Korea, breweries including Chosun and Oriental breweries have modern facilities to produce large quantities of tasty beverages not only for the people of South Korea, but also as their contribution to the promotion of overseas export activity.

South Korean laborers are shown enjoying their beer at a local beer hall.

The text on the back of the leaflet is:

A scene of a brewery company’s laboratory. As a means of protecting the health of the people, all beer produced in the Republic of Korea is thoroughly examined and tested prior to the distribution to stores and restaurants for sale to the public.

Modern machinery is involved in the bottling and crating operation. Carefulness, caution, and strict inspection guarantee successful production of beer.

One defector was surprised to hear they made beer in the south: "I was surprised to learn from the leaflet on beer production that South Korea's OB beer had won a gold award as the world's best beer in an international contest. Since many North Korean people admitted South Korea's progress in light industries, this leaflet would be credible to North Koreans. In North Korea, beer was sold at restaurants and stores but was scarce. The only bottled beer available in North Korea was "Pyongyang Beer," which cost 1 won 55 chon in North Korean currency per bottle (NOTE: Several hours wages). "Pyongyang Beer" was also available for sale at stores where it was sold by the doi (a measure of volume); the price of beer sold by the doi was 1 won 10 chon per liter. To buy a doi of beer, one had to wait for one's turn in a line. Sold by the doi had a poor taste." 

Defectors Select the Most Unpleasant Aspect of Life in North Korea

People were oppressed mentally and physically by excessive and incessant assignments from Communist authorities, assignments beyond the people’s capacity. Too heavily burdened by the main jobs and other additional activities assigned by the Party, the administrative organs, and other social circles, people had no leisure time of their own. You could be called at any time for “Social Labor.” This was cleaning streets, paving roads, construction, and harvesting during the farming season. Such activities could last from one to two weeks.

North Korea needs protein. Things were so bad in 1970 that Kim Il-sung ordered the Korean people to go fishing every chance they get. Kim then demanded more salt and pails to preserve the fish on their way to the market. In addition, everyone should be able to keep five chickens. North Korea apparently had about 10% of the meat, fish and vegetables it needs to give every citizen a healthy diet.

Leaflet 170

The issue of 9 July 1968 featured a 37-year-old Social Safety Captain who defected in August 1967 and remembered reading a leaflet in regard to a former North Korean agent marrying a South Korean woman. He said that leaflet created a great deal of envy among the North Korean people, especially the women, because they had never seen or been part of a wedding like the one depicted on the leaflet. The wedding scene made a lot of the women grieve over their own lives because they could not hold weddings as lovely as the South Korean women.

A 27-year-old former North Korean Captain who defected in August 1967 said about this leaflet:

This leaflet created strong envy among North Korean people, especially among young women, because they had neither seen nor held a wedding as shown on the leaflet since the Korean Liberation. Moreover, the leaflet showing the wedding made a lot of North Korean young women grieve over their own lives because they could not hold weddings as gorgeously as South Korean women.

The North Korean propagandists said regarding the wedding leaflet:

Such a wedding is a sheer impossibility for the apprehended North Korean agents as well as common people in the South Korean society.

S-15 civilian employee William 'Bill' Vaughan told me about the Korean weddings:

My wife & I lived in Embassy Housing on Yongsan South Post, 1996 to 1997. Our duplex was next to the (former) golf course, which had been turned into a city park. We were on a knoll, so we could see the daily activities in the park. We were amazed at all the wedding photo shoots. The brides were spectacularly dressed in colorful wedding dresses. We later learned that most of the wedding dresses were rented, perhaps from the photographers. It was most impressive. Pastel-colored dresses were popular during our time in Korea. I know fashions change, but we were fascinated by all the colors. Some were traditional white, but the majority were every color in the rainbow.

Party Interference with Marriage

Party members must check with their higher officials to get permission to marry. The Party screens the prospective spouses’ family background, and if it is found to be unfavorable, the Party official discourages the marriage.

North Korean propaganda occasionally seems to be saying two different things at once. For instance, in 1970 the government demanded that North Korean homes be neat and large, there be more restaurants and catering facilities, better consumer goods and more food. At the same time, they asked for austerity, frugality, and economization. Then they claimed there was plenty of food, clothing and shelter due to socialist superiority. The situation got so bad at one point that the government decided to industrialize the making of kimchi, a spicy cabbage dish loved by all Koreans. Kim Il-sung wanted all city residents to be able to get their kimchi.

Leaflet 5-65

A North Korean spy who came to South Korea in December 1967 and later turned himself in said about the textile leaflet: "The leaflet on the textile industry in South Korea was very impressive to me, and I believed that it would have been useful to other North Koreans because the leaflet theme indirectly exploited North Korean vulnerability, the lack of cloth and clothing. The text of the leaflet, however, was not concrete. The annual output of cloth in South Korea should have been indicated in the text. Such words as "In South Korea, everyone can freely purchase a suit for such and such a price in North Korean currency" should have been given so that the target audience might know how cheap cloth and clothing were in South Korea. Recently, in North Korea, a cloth made of the chemical fiber "Nitron" went on sale at stores but was so expensive (65 North Korean won per meter, or about one month's wages for a higher-than-average worker) and so rare that average people could hardly afford to buy it. Nylon materials were also expensive in North Korea. A nylon shirt cost 30 to 40 won. Usually, nylon shirts were out of stock at stores, so those who could afford to buy one had to make a purchase through a friendly storekeeper by paying installments in advance of receipt of the merchandise."

Did the leaflets work?

Defector 1 - "My decision to defect was made in May (of the second year) after my wife and mother died of sickness and I received a strict warning from the labor party committee which stated that I was considered disobeyed to the party due to my excessive absenteeism from political lectures and cell meetings. I was also told to make up a deficit of corn discovered missing from the Cooperative Farm Warehouse. On August 25, determined to defect, I visited my aunt's home located near the DMZ where I thought I would have a favorable chance to cross the DMZ. While in the vicinity of my aunt's home, I saw South Korean leaflets for the first time. I was favorably impressed by the leaflets, particularly those with scenes of streets in Seoul. The leaflets convinced me that I, too, could lead a happy life in such an environment and that I, therefore, should defect.

"Around 1930 hours, the next day, I left my aunt's home and proceeded south, determined to defect to South Korea. When I arrived close to the DMZ, I found three different leaflets spread out at approximately 4-meter intervals along a path. I picked them up and, identifying them as South Korean leaflets, put them in my pocket, and kept them until I came to South Korea." 

Defector 2 - A former North Korean Navy lieutenant who defected 16 months after the leaflet program started stated: "I saw many leaflets on numerous occasions, and I often heard of other leaflet drops while living in North Korea. There were frequent leaflet drops where I lived, particularly since mid-May (of the second year). The Social Safety Bureau authorities in the area were troubled by the growing need for forming police-up measures to counter leaflet drops. As leaflet drops increased, the People's Pan (a group of houses) meetings were held more frequently to discuss this subject. The major topics discussed at these meetings were police-up measures and the possible influence of leaflet themes on the local population. I saw leaflets on many occasions, but I can't recall them all."

Defector 3 - I saw hundreds of copies of leaflets of more than 70 different types from about June (of the second year) until early November (of the fifth year) shortly before I defected to South Korea. During this period, I was on guard duty as an NCO in the North Korean Army just above the central part of the DMZ. On most occasions I was able to read completely the captions and texts of leaflets I found. Once I had to crumple up some leaflets and put them into a stove because I heard someone approaching."

Customs and Habits

The North Koreans like to chew but they don't have any chewing gum. The closest thing to it is a chewy candy they occasionally used which is made from vanilla and sugar which they call Kum (gum). North Korean Kum does not contain chicle, the chief ingredient of chewing gum.

The Intelligence Notes has vast files on North Korean foods; lists of what they like to eat and how to cook it and lists of what they don’t like. A farm worker who defected reported that the North Koreans would not eat dogs, snakes, frogs, crows, cats, rats and horses. However, dog meat was popular among some of the youth so they might eat in in secret during the summer because they thought it had a cooling effect on the body. The people also believed that Kim Il-sung loved dog meat. North Korea banned the people from making certain luxury foods or drinks from rice. The people would quietly break the law by occasionally making Takju (rice wine) or dansul (a sweet drink made from fermented rice) in the privacy of their homes.

North Koreans like tattoos and it is common for friends of the same sex to have the inside of their left arms tattooed to show lasting friendship. The Communists did not like the tattoos and regularly criticized those people that had them at team meetings, farmer's association meetings, and other group meetings. Tattooing was criticized as nepotism, putting personal relationships above those owed to society and the State, because such tattoos were a symbol of brotherhood or personal relationships.People having tattoos were asked to remove them; some were able to do so, others were not.

Ulsan Oil Refinery

Numerous leaflets mention this giant oil refinery so we have selected one that shows an excellent picture of it. The 7 June issue has a statement from a 36-year-old male who was a crewman on a North Korean spy boat and captured in April 1967. He said: “I accept the credibility of the leaflet. He knew about the existence of the refinery from North Korean radio broadcasts which asserted that it was being operated with foreign capital.

A 10 June 1968 issue features a 22-year-old North Korean private who defected in May 1967. He said that the leaflet was the chief topic of conversation among drivers in his unit who were instructed to be very careful with gasoline use because supplies were running short. Drivers received 165 grams of gasoline for every kilometer they drove. They were so desperate for oil that they were squeezing old oil rags. In 1965 the First Army Group announced with pride that 1.5 tons of oil had been salvaged from old rags that year alone. He added: “As far as I know there are no oil refineries in North Korea and all our oil comes from foreign countries including the Soviet Union. The text on the front and back of this leaflet is:

The symbol of Korea’s modern industrialization: the Ulsan oil refinery.

It is the ideal size for a refinery, 1,860,000 square meters and it produces 5,600 kiloliters of various types of oils every day.

The other side of the leaflet depicts and names of and various forms of transportation and oil products. The text is:

Liquid gas; oil for cars; oil for jets, cooking oil; oil for ships and oil for busses and trains.

Since establishment in 1963 in Gyeng-Sang-Nam-Do, the refinery has imported crude oil from foreign countries and has produced various kinds of oil and gas. Even today, new discoveries of crude oil are found and the cost is inexpensive but the expense of processing it is not. By construction the refinery in Ulsan, Korea is self-sufficient in its oil consumption, transportation and industry and exports the surplus.

Numerous defectors mentioned this leaflet:

1. I read the text repeatedly and became convinced that the claims about the Ulsan Refinery made in the leaflet were true and I further reasoned that if this was an indication of South Korea’s industrial potential, then South Korea must certainly possess a firm foundation for a self-supporting economy.

2. I accepted the leaflet on the Ulsan Oil Refinery as being true because I had some knowledge of the existence of an industrial Complex at Ulsan City in South Korea. I obtained this knowledge from a North Korean cartoon attacking the construction of an industrial center in the city. This was part of the Communist Party’s effort to counter the effects of the Ulsan Oil Refinery. I had read this in the monthly North Korean publication “Soldiers Literary Arts.” The cartoon contained in the publications stated in part, “People in Ulsan City come from every corner of South Korea to get a job. Upon arrival in the city, they are disappointed to find that they are unable to find work because of the limited places of employment there for them.” This leaflet convinced me that, unlike in North Korea where heavy industries were still a priority, South Korea was developing those industries directly necessary for the people’s daily life.

3.The leaflet on the oil refinery was dropped at an opportune time on my unit, and as a result created considerable favorable reaction to South Korea. The leaflet became the chief topic of talk among the drivers in my unit who were being strongly instructed to economize gasoline because the gasoline supply for military vehicles were running short. In my unit the drivers issued gasoline at the rate of no more than 165 grams for every one kilometer. At the time a campaign for economizing oil and gasoline will being stressed throughout the North Korean military establishment, and then the First Army Group authorities announced that because of the campaign, the quantity of oil obtained by squeezing it out of oil-stained rags for a year had reached nearly 1.5 tons in that Army Group. As far as I know, there is no oil refinery available in North Korea and oil is imported from foreign countries, including Soviet Russia.

Anti-Communist Groups in North Korea

There is at least one mention of a group of 21 men that formed an anti-Communist movement motivated by the leaflets in 1965. The group consisted of sons of past landlords, capitalists, religionists, those that favored the South in the Korean War, and others that were out of favor in the Communist regime. The group was eventually found and arrested in November 1967. They felt they were denied advancement in life under Communism and stated that their resolve was stimulated by leaflets and radio broadcasts from the South. 

Leaflet 179

Although the North Korean population is aware of the large island off their coast called Cheju-do, they believe it is barren, uninhabited and the scene of past atrocities. In order to increase hatred of the South, the people are told that: there had been uprisings on the island and the South Koreans had massacred the people; The Island was abandoned and underdeveloped; and the few people that remained were impoverished and had been branded as insurgents and were closely watched. This leaflet was meant to show that in fact, the island was modern and thriving. This leaflet was developed in August 1966 to show the development of Cheju-do Island. Some of the general text on the leaflet is:

CHEJU-DO, the largest island of Korea, has become an outstanding INDUSTRIAL AND LIVESTOCK-RAISING AREA AS WELL AS TOURIST SITE