Sytuacja wojenna w Korei Północnej oraz działalność Ambasady RP w Pjongjangu w raportach ambasadora Juliusza Burgin (1950–1951)
The War Situation in North Korea and the Activities of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pyongyang in the Reports of Ambassador Juliusz Burgin (1950–1951)

Summary/Abstract: In the early 1950s, Korea became another “hot spot” of the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, while pushing the world to the verge of a new international military conflict. The outbreak of the war in the Korean Peninsula (1950–1953) was a matter of time. Both leaders of the communist Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) – Kim Il Sung and Rhee Syngman – president of the democratic Republic of Korea (South Korea) endeavoured to unite the country by force, sometimes even against the interests of their powerful political “carers”. The war, which lasted over three years, killed or injured over 6 million people, of which citizens of North Korea accounted for 1 million, while the territory of the entire Peninsula fell into complete ruin. Juliusz Burgin, the former ambassador in the People’s Republic of China, was nominated as the first Polish ambassador in North Korea in September 1950. During his tenure, Burgin made only two business trips to North Korea, while residing permanently in Beijing. The business trips gave rise to two comprehensive reports to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs of January and of May 1951, which contain a good deal of information on both the war situation on the Korean Peninsula, behind-the scenes of the talks on the inclusion of Poland in the international aid programme for North Korea and a detailed description of the working conditions of the Polish diplomatic mission.

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