NEWS OF THE WEEK
Northward in Korea
Regrettable though the necessity is on many grounds, the advance of the United Nations forces in Korea beyond the 38th Parallel is inevitable in view of the decision of the North Koreans to ignore General MacArthur's demand for a surrender on reasonable terms. The situation has been handled promptly at Lake Success, and the British plan, adopted by 48 v.otes to the usual five, for the creation of a single united sovereign State of Korea, represents as practical a procedure as is possible in the circumstances. That Korea is sufficiently advanced politically to establish and maintain a democratic parliamentary constitution may be a doubtful proposition, but it is hard to suggest any alternative. A United .Nations commission did, after all, testify that the South Korean elections in 1948 were fairly and democrat- ically conducted and what was possible in the south should not be impossible, though it may be more difficult, in the north. An election might conceivably lead to the return of a Communist majority, though the population of South Korea is much larger than that of the North ; in any case that is a risk that must be run. The political dangers of a protracted campaign in North Korea are obvious, but it is clearly im- possible for the United Nations forces to halt on what is now the meaningless 38th Parallel and leave the North Koreans time to reorganise and re-equip themselves beyond it. The hope must be that wisdom will yet prevail in the north.
