Show South Korean Soldiers People Are ire Loyally Backing hacking Fight for Freedom There has been a natural tendency on the the part of American war reporters in Korea to play up the operations of American Ameri Ameri- can army units there and ignore the fighting fighting fighting fight fight- ing being done by forces of the republic of South Korea That is of course under under- The folks back home are a lot lotmore lotmore lotmore more inter interested sted in what our own boys are doing than they are in what South Korean troops are doing Nevertheless this has led to a somewhat somewhat somewhat some some- what distorted picture of the Korean affair We Ve tend to have the impression that the South Koreans arc doing little littleto to defend their own country country and and that they are arc in fact act rather apathetic about the whole United Nations effort to halt the invading forces from rom north of the parallel A newspaperman who returned recently recently recently re re- from the far east cast told of a talk he had with an American officer who had been with the South Korean troops The officer felt the American people should know that the South Koreans have been holding more than a third of the defense perimeter in the southeast southeast and and that they have been doing a good job there After the initial disorganization of the South Korean defending forces when they were attacked by the far better equipped North Koreans th F Fa y have given riven givena a good account of themselves There arenow are arenow arenow now five South Korean divisions in action and new recruits are constantly being trained to expand the South Korean military military military mili mili- tary establishment Perhaps more significant is the fact that the South Koreans have almost without without without with with- I out exception been loyal to the cause of freedom and democracy It is said there have been no defections from the South Korean army at any time and andery very ery few surrenders Arthur C. C Bunce head of the Marshall Marshall Marshall Mar Mar- shall plan mission in Korea returned to Washington recently and reported that there had been not one act of sabotage in South Korean territory He said the people have ha been per cent loyal and that they enthusiastically support the thc war against communism He said he got one report in Korea that the people in Seoul the capital city which fell to the Communists early in the war actually welcomed bomb attacks on the city because because because be be- cause they knew it meant their possible liberation This last incidentally appears to be substantiated by a United Press story from the Seoul invasion front A correspondent correspondent correspondent corre corre- told of a marine attack on the banks of the Han river eight miles below Seoul and wrote Loyal South Korean villagers waving flags and clapping their hands helped the marines ferret out Communist soldiers from hiding places in houses and rice paddies In these uncertain times when the attitude of the Asiatic peoples toward the United States is so often questioned it is good to have such reports of native opposition to the sir siren siren n song of We Ve would indeed be fighting a vain fight if the people of Korea or of other Asiatic countries really preferred communism communism communism com com- to freedom |