전후 북한에서의 소련계 숙청과 국적 문제(1954~1958)

Abstract

This study examines the background of the nationality transfer for the Soviet Koreans dispatched to North Korea and the process of the anti – Soviet fraction campaign in 1955 – 1958. After the Korean War, Soviet Koreans and local Koreans felt heterogeneity due to social, economic and cultural differences. In particular, the fact that many Soviet Koreans who hold important positions in the Party, the Cabinet, and the Army has Soviet citizenship was the main cause for making negative public opinion about them. Since 1950, North Korea had raised an issue of nationality transfer, but many of them refused it. They generally considered the Soviet Union as their fatherland and thought they had come to North Korea to carry out “an internationalist duty to help Korea in accordance with the will of the Soviet Party and the government”. In August 1955, Kim Il Sung officially raised the issue of the nationality transfer of Soviet Koreans to the Soviet Union. In December, a full – scale anti – Soviet fraction campaigns was launched. Kim Il Sung criticized the work of the Soviet faction in the field of literary art at the KWP CC Plenum in December 1955, at the Expanded Presidium in December 1955, and at the Presidium in January 1956. The political environment intimidated the Soviet Koreans who in turn became more passive in the change of nationality. In 1958, the North Korean government signed the “Agreement on the Control of Citizenship of Dual Citizens” with the Soviet government and secured full control over the Soviet Koreans in the North Korea, but most Soviet Koreans had already left North Korea. In conclusion, the essential difference of view of fatherland between the Soviet Koreans and the local Koreans explains tension in the process of dealing with the nationality problem and the subsequent anti – Soviet fraction campaigns. In the process, the reason why the Soviet Koreans did not choose to stay in North Korea should be pointed out by the North Korean authorities’ the anti – Soviet faction campaign to secure control over them, as well as their anti – Soviet Korean atmosphere among the local Koreans.