FARMERS COMPLAIN NORTH KOREAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT VIOLATES PRIVATE OWNERSHIP RIGHTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700180129-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 6, 2011
• Sequence Number: 129
• Publication Date: May 7, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700180129-8 ~
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
IN FORMA'iION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY Korea
DATE OF
SUBJECT Political; Economic - Agriculture INFORMATION 1953
land
HOW ownership
DATE DIST. 7 ~y 19511
THIS IS UNEVALUATf_D INFORMATION
FARMERS COMPLAIN NORTH KOREAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT
VIOLATES PRIVATE OWNERSRIp RZGATS
Farmers' Complaint
P~ letter written by two North Korean farmers, Kim Youg-kun and Chang Song-
np~ong, of Hamhung City, Hamgyong-namdo, and published in the MinJu Choson, offi-
cial organ of the cabinet of the Democratic People's Republic of Korec, on 18 Ten-
u~'Y 1953, made the following complaint.
"In 1951, the Hamhung Peop.le's Conuaittee repossessed 300 p'yong one p'yong
equals 36 square fee of land and 35 fruit trees from Farmer Chang Song-myong.
In February iy53, the Ramhung People's Committee repossessed 400 p'yong of land
and 60 fruit trees from Kim Yong-kun. The Hemhung people's Committee gave the
land and fruit trees it took away from us to a railrood maintenance group to
cultivate as a part-time farming project.
"We believe that ve have the ownership rights to our lend and fruit trees,
and that the action of the Hamhung People's Committee is unjust."
The Min,ju Choson, commenting on the farmers' complaint, said:
"By repossessing the land and fruit trees from Farmers Kim Yong-kun and
Chang Song-s~yong, the Hamhuag people's Committee has infringed upon the rights of
these farmers and violated the state law.
"The central government took a practical step to protect the lend ownership
of farmers by issuing Cabinet Instruction No 2 on Land Administration on 7 ,Tannery
1950. Article 8 of this instructior. given belov~forbids violation of lend
ownership rights. The local people's comu3ttee is not authorized to repossess
or transfer the title of privately owned lend. Repossession or transfer of the
title of land is authorized only in case oP national need."
CLASSIFICATION
NAW NSke
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700180129-8
PUBLISHED Daily newspaper
WHERE
DATE
LANGUAGE
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700180129-8 ~
~ardinF. Land Reform
According to Article 8 of the Cabinet Instruction Ro 2, as published in
N~H~ IConRbo (Cabinet Gazette) 26 January 1950, the land diatri'~uted under
the Hoe hrtr`Korean Land Reform Lav and the North Korean Land Reclamation Inv
cannot be confiscated by the government without due process of lav. Article
ob says that is case the government plans.to use privately owned land, it must
fain the consent of the owner.
According to the Choson ldi uui Tnm{n on Honbo (Constitution of
the 1)eemocrati^. People's~Republlc oP Korea , Section 1 Article 8
ship of land and of ^ther real and personal ' , Private ovaer-
tion 2, Article 10, however, states in part thate"thiesstatercancm~obi~zeav~ Sec-
properties to implement national economic plans." Private
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700180129-8