SOUTH KOREAN UNITS ASSIST IN RELEASE OF 29,000 PRISONERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91T01172R000200310034-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 15, 2005
• Sequence Number: 34
• Publication Date: June 19, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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OCI NO. 4492 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
COPY NO. ~` OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
19 June 1953
SOUTH KOREAN UNITS ASSIST IN RELEASE OF 29,000 PRISONERS
The American embassy reports that only about 5,000 of the
34,004 anti-Communist Korean prisoners still remain in the UNC
camps, The camp authorities had no advance warning of the break,
although they had. foreseen the possibility of a mass break-out
for the past several weeks, The orders for the release were
given by General Won Yong-tok, provost marshal general, and
South Korean security forces at the camps generally assisted in
the escape.
The POW Command on the eve of the break still believed the
South Korean units would follow the orders of the American camp
commanders, according to the embassy, Although the Korean units
are now considered "unreliable," they will be retained in their
present duties.
Comment: Press reports indicate that the security units
were remove from the command of army chief of staff Paek Sun-
yop last week and placed under General Won, a loyal "political??
general, thus assuring President Rhee that his orders would be
carried out without prior consultation with UNC authorities.
General Won's direction of the national police security functions
assured cooperation from the police, who reportedly had collected
clothing in advance for the escapees and made prior arrangements
to billet them. Both President Rhee and General Won have pub-
licly directed South Korean authorities to assist and harbor
the prisoners,
State Department review completed
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