The Pawns

Over a period of nearly five years, ever-increasing numbers (latest count: 952) of Japanese fishermen have languished in South Korean President Syngman Rhee's jails across the Tsushima Strait, pawns in a diplomatic stalemate created entirely by Rhee's longstanding hatred of Japan. "Korea has only three enemies." cried Rhee recently: "Japan, Russia and China."

Syngman Rhee has never made peace with Japan, has demanded, among other reparations. "40 years back pay" for Korean workers exploited by Japanese companies during Japan's long occupation. In 1952 Rhee arbitrarily set up the so-called "Rhee line" which extended Korean sovereignty a minimum 60 miles offshore, began arresting any Japanese fishermen caught violating it.

Japan retaliated by arresting some 1,720 Koreans, most of them illegal immigrants, others habitual criminals and longtime residents of Japan. In this atmosphere, talks between Japan and Korea have inevitably been difficult. Four years ago in Tokyo the Korean delegation walked out in a huff when a Japanese spokesman ventured that Japan's occupation of Korea was not entirely bad, that Korea had benefited to the extent of railroads, power systems and public buildings.

But last week the tortured road to a detente of some sort seemed finally open again. Japan had dropped its demands for compensation for properties Korea had seized after liberation. Rhee had apparently concluded that he had extracted all the concessions he was going to get. The U.S. had warned him that it could not support him in "unreasonable" claims against Japan. Furthermore, with U.S. aid to Korea scheduled for a cut this year, Rhee needs money, and Japan hinted that reparations might take the form of economic aid. As a starter, Japanese and Korean diplomats met in Tokyo to initial an agreement for the return of their respective prisoners. True to form, the Koreans deliberately kept the Japanese Foreign Minister waiting for nearly twelve hours before they showed up to sign.

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