뉴스레터

"The aforesaid three great powers, mindful of the enslavement of the people of Korea, are determined that in due course Korea shall become free and independent."

This is part of the text of the Cairo Declaration announced on December 1, 1943. The Cairo Declaration represents the agreements reached by heads of the three states-the U.S., the U.K., and China-at a conference held in Cairo, Egypt from November 23 to 26, 1943. And it contains a text that says Korea shall become free and independent once Japan falls. In other words, the Cairo Declaration, by which the Allies guaranteed Korea's independence, determined the destiny of the Korean people. It was essentially 'the gateway to the independence of the Republic of Korea.

There is a controversy over why the Cairo Declaration addressed "the matter of Korea's independence." This question was raised in 2013 when the media highlighted the Cairo Declaration on its 70th anniversary, saying things like, "It was an idea of Roosevelt and Hopkins," "Jiang Jieshi has never officially mentioned the matter of Koreas," or "The Cairo Declaration is a result of Syngamn Rhee's diplomatic efforts." In other words, the media highlighted the roles of the U.S. and Syngman Rhee while completely denying the traditional explanation: "Premier Kim Gu and other key figures of the provisional government of the Republic of Korea visited Jiang Jiesh and asked him to argue for the independence of Korea."

Chinese Records on the Cairo Conference

Observing the controversy, I set about looking for records relating to the Cairo Conference. As a result, I newly discovered many Chinese records, including the Journal of the Cairo Conference prepared by Wang Chonghui (王寵惠), who attended the Conference as the secretary of Jiang Jieshi. These records detail the entire process of the Cairo Conference.

The Cairo Conference was initiated by the U.S. in June 1943 as President Franklin Roosevelt proposed a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Jiang Jieshi. Ultimately, it was decided that Roosevelt, Churchill, and Jiang Jieshi would gather for a conference in Cairo, Egypt in November. Before the conference, China prepared its own proposals. The Military Commission and the National Defense Commission each prepared a proposal and reported it to Jiang Jiesh. And both proposals contained the "matter of Korea's independence." The Military Commission's proposal suggested that "China, the U.S., the U.K., and the Soviet Union should immediately announce a declaration by which they would collectively or individually approve of, or guarantee, the independence of Korea after the war." It also presented an analysis of the pros and cons for China should it make the proposal first.

China decided to propose Korea's independence at the Cairo Conference. At 11 a.m. on November 23, the Cairo Conference began with the first official session attended by the three heads of state. In that evening, Jiang Jieshi and his wife Song Meiling (宋美齡) visited Roosevelt, and they had dinner for four hours. Hopkins, the aide of Roosevelt, was also present. At the dinner, Jiang Jieshi proposed the restitution of Chinese territories, including Manchuria, Taiwan, and Peng Hu Dao (澎湖島). He also proposed to make Korea a free and independent state once Japan fell. Roosevelt agreed, and ordered Hopkins to write down the details of his discussion with Jiang Jieshi.

Wang Chunghui reviewed Hopkins' draft and reported it to Jiang Jieshi at 4 p.m. on November 24. Jiang Jieshi noticed that Peng Hu Dao had been mistakenly noted as Ogasawara Island (小笠原島), and asked to correct the error. And he approved of the rest.

The Cairo Declaration Guarantees Korea's Independence

At 3:30 p.m. on November 26, 2014, Wang Chunghui, Hopkins, and Cadogan the British PUS for Foreign Affairs gathered together. The British delegate demanded revising the text "Korea shall become free and independent" to read "Korea shall be liberated from Japanese rule." And he suggested that if this demand could not be accepted, the matter of Korea should be left out altogether. Wang Chunghui dismissed these demands as "nonsense," on the grounds that Korea was where Japan's invasion policy had begun. But Cadogan insisted on leaving out the matter of Korea, on the grounds that there was no decision made by the British Cabinet regarding Korea, and that there would be opposition from the Soviet Union. Roosevelt asked Harriman, the U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, who was in Cairo, for his opinion. Harriman replied, "The Soviet Union has nothing to do with this, and there is no need to consult with the Soviet Union."

Wang Chunghui, Hopkins, and Cadogan read aloud the prepared declaration to the group of Roosevelt, Churchill, Jiang Jieshi, and Song Meiling. Upon hearing it, Roosevelt agreed to the declaration as it was, for there was no need, he said, to consider the Soviet Union's opinion. The three leaders also concurred. This completed the Cairo Declaration that guaranteed Korea's freedom and independence.

Kim Gu Leads Korea to Independence through Aid and other Assistance Provided by Jiang Jieshi

These historical facts show that China played a big role in arguing through the independence of Korea at the Cairo Conference. Then a question remains: Why did China come to argue for Korea's freedom and independence? The answer lies in the already revealed record of a meeting that took place on July 26, 1943 between Jiang Jieshi and the key figures of the provisional government of Korea, including Premier Kim Gu, Foreign Affairs Manager Cho So-ang, Publicity Manager Kim Kyu-shik, Independence Army commander-in-chief Lee Cheong-cheon, the second in command Kim Won-bong, and interpreter Ahn Won-saeng.

In 1942, the U.S. and the U.K. started to discuss international joint control, and the provisional government of Korea started campaigning against it by early 1943. On February 1, Foreign Affairs Manager Cho So-ang issued a statement opposing international joint control. On May 10, all the Korean organizations that were active in Chung-ching (重慶) gathered together in the Convention of Koreans in China and began opposing movement.

Around this time, the news that Jiang Jieshi would meet with Roosevelt spread to the key figures of the provisional government of Korea, who visited and asked Jiang Jieshi that China should not be seduced by international joint control but support the independence of Korea. And Jiang Jieshi promised them to strive for supporting the independence of Korea. And he kept his word by arguing for the freedom and independence of Korea at the Cairo Conference. In other words, that the Cairo Declaration came to address the matter of Korea's independence was a result of the efforts of Kim Gu and other key figures of the provisional government of Korea who committed to achieving the independence of their country.