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{
    "localId": "205716342",
    "label": "Report to the President: China - Korea, Submitted by Lieutenant General Alfred C. Wedemeyer",
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    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/205716342"
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    "id": "205716342",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/205716342",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Report to the President: China - Korea, Submitted by Lieutenant General Alfred C. Wedemeyer",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/205716342",
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        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
        "Subject Files"
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    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/205716342",
    "naId": 205716342,
    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "logicalDate": "1947-09-01",
            "month": 9,
            "year": 1947
        }
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    "recordType": "description",
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{
    "seq": 92,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750237/750237-14-092.jpg",
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    "ocrText": "TOP SECRET\nthe use of large inflationary payments to the farmers. Highly inflationary factors such\nas the exhaustion of raw material stocks, cumulative breakdowns in public services and\ntransportation, and the cutting of power supply from the North, might occur simultane-\nously. The Korean economic outlook is, therefore, more grave than in China or Japan,\nwhere governmental fiscal policies as well as low production, are the main causes of infla-\ntion. Korea, lacking raw materials and skilled labor, is not in a position to be saved from a\ndisastrous and chaotic hyper-inflation by the efforts of its own people combined with\ncorrect policy decisions. A breakdown could be forestalled only by external provision of\nlarge amounts of consumers' goods and transportation equipment.\nAgriculture and Fisheries\nAgriculture-Over three-quarters of the total population of South Korea are farmers.\nThe total area of land under cultivation in 1946 was 6,033,000 acres, or about 21/2 acres\nper farm household. Approximately 15 per cent of agricultural land was formerly owned\nby Japanese, but title thereto remains with the Military Government and will eventually\npass to Koreans. In the projected land reforms an additional 60 per cent of land, which is\ntenant-operated, would be involved. The Military Government has not proceeded with\nland reform even with regard to Japanese-held land, in the view that such reform should\nnot precede establishment of an interim Korean Government.\nAfter V-J Day the influx of over two and a half million Koreans from Japan, China\nand North Korea into South Korea, coupled with almost complete lack of commercial\nfertilizers as well as severe floods, resulted in a severe food shortage. Farmers have been\nreluctant to double-crop soils already depleted because of a lack of fertilizer, and have\npreferred to conserve land for rice, the best money crop. In 1946 the average planted\nacreage was only 79 per cent of the 1935-39 average, and production of grains and pulses\nwas only 71 per cent.\nIn the past, about 36 per cent of the population and 36 per cent of the food produc-\ntion of Korea were located north of the 38° North parallel. However, post-war popula-\ntion movements, plus the availability of more commercial fertilizers in North Korea\n(where almost all of Korea's large chemical plants are located), has changed this situa-\ntion. Only about 30 per cent of Korea's population is now north of the 38° North parallel,\nbut that area accounts for around 38 per cent of food production.\nRice is the principal Korean crop, and it has consistently represented more than half\nthe total value of agricultural production. During the 1930's the rice crop averaged about\n100,000,000 bushels annually. Forty per cent or more was exported each year to Japan,\naccounting generally for about one third of the total gross value of exports. This was by\nno means voluntary on the part of the Korean people. In line with Japanese policy, farm\ntenancy increased from less than 40 per cent in 1910 to more than 75 per cent in 1945.\nThis facilitated grain collections, for landlords usually received their rentals in rice, and\nthese averaged about 60 per cent of the crop. Consequently, although Koreans preferred\nrice to other grains, their per capita consumption was forced down from 3.62 bushels in\n1915-1919 to 2.02 bushels in 1939-1945, a decline of 44 per cent. This deficiency was\n91\nTOP SECRET\nARCHIVES AMD F\nRECORDS\nSERVICE\""
}