Romanian and US Archival Sources on Romanian Support

to DPRK during the Korean War and after

Radu Tudorancea

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Archival sources
3. The Romanian support offered to DPRK
4. The North Korean Children in People’s Republic of Romania
5. The Romanian Medical Expeditionary Missions in DPRK
6. Conclusions

Keywords: Archival Sources on Korean War, DPRK-PPR, Cold War, Communist

Support, North Korean Children în Europe, Fraternal Support

1. Introduction
People’s Republic of Romania reacted to the outbreak of the Korean War 1 and
its developments in perfect tuning with the group of ,,fraternal countries”, presided by the
USSR. The first Romanian reaction concerning the situation in Korea consisted in a
Communiqué issued on June 26, similar to the Soviet one, in which Communist
authorities in Bucharest placed full responsibility for the Korean War on the South Korean
regime, blaming Seoul for the outbreak of the hostilities and invasion 2. A more elaborated
Romanian reaction was triggered by the US Government Note, issued on July 7th, 1950,
in which the Romanian officials were informed that the President of the USA has ordered
a naval blockade of the Korean coast (June 27, 1950) 3. Romania replied by sending a
diplomatic note to the American Legation in Bucharest, on July 12, 1950, stating that
American military intervention was a direct aggression against the Korean People, while
the Security Council Resolution was considered illegal, given the absence of the USSR 4.

1
In extenso, on Romania's support offered to DPRK, see Radu Tudorancea, Ipostazele ajutorului frățesc. RPR
și războiul din Coreea (Hypostases of the fraternal support. People's Republic of Romania and the Korean
War (1950-1953) Eikon Publishing House, Bucharest, 2014.
2
The Communiqué, issued on June 26th, 1950, was broadcast by Radio Bucharest on the same day, at 6: 30
PM. See the issue in Eugen Denize, Cezar Mâță, România comunistă. Statul și Propaganda (Communist
Romania. The State and the Propaganda), Cetatea de Scaun Publishing House, Targoviste, 2005.
3
Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania-AMAE, Fund SUA (USA), Issue 20/224, The Note
no. 1009, issued by the US Legation in Bucharest, on July 7th, 1950, unnumbered pages.
4
AMAE, Fund SUA (USA), The Report entitled Relations between People s Republic of Romania and the
USA in 1950. The stance of the Romanian Government regarding the Note no. 1009, of the US Legation in
Bucharest (Section Înfierarea agresiunii imperialiștilor americani în Coreea, unnumbered pages.

1
Following the same path, the Romanian Government had also forwarded a protest note, on
August 29th, 1950, both to Security Council of the UN, and the Secretary General, in
which the ,,American invasion and all the barbarian acts committed by the US army in
Korea” were considered war crimes5.
2. Archival Sources
The most relevant archival sources dealing with the issue of the Korean War and the
stance taken by People's Republic of Romania, regarding the conflict in the Korean
Peninsula are those hosted by the Romanian National Archives, the Archives of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Archive of the Romanian Red Cross Society. First of
all, it should be mentioned that în Romania, as in many other former Communist
countries, the relevant files and dossiers concerning the sensitive issues of the Cold War
have become available after the fall of Communist regime. The main documents have
been declassified mostly during the first decade after the fall of Communism, although the
per se access of the researchers and historians to archival documents was not that easy,
especially in the first years of the 90's.
As mentioned earlier, among the main Romanian archives that are keeping files
and documents related to the Korean War and/or dealing with the Romanian Support to
DPRK, the Romanian National Archives are probably the most important, because the
documents that are kept here relate to the various political decisions taken by the
Communist leadership of Romania during the years of the Korean War (particularly the
so-called External Relations Section), the accomodation and education of North Korean
children on Romanian soil and so on. On the other hand, Archives of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Romania are equally important due to the fact that one can find here
documents referring to the correspondence between Romanian Communist authorities and
the North Korean regime, during the Korean war and after, as well as other relevant
documents concerning the People's Republic of Romania-URSS and PRR- People's
Republic of China bilateral relations, during the Korean conflict and after. The funds and
dossiers that are relevant for the research include mainly those dealing with the political
issues (Issue 20 /220).
No less important is the Archive of the Romanian Red Cross Society, particularly
because these archives are keeping the main files and dossiers concerning the 7 Romanian
Medical Missions, totalling 220 doctors and nurses, that were deployed on Korean soil,
during the Korean war and the first years after the war. Several dossiers located in the
above mentioned Red Cross Archive are dealing with the reports and data issued by the
heads of the Romanian Medical Missions sent to DPRK, during their activity in DPRK, all
of them revealing important information on the field conditions, the co-operation with the
5
Ibidem.

2
North Korean authorities, their medical activity on Korean soil, war information and so
on.
Apart from the Romanian Archives, a special mention must be made referring to
the US National Archives, namely National Archives and Records Adminstration-NARA,
located în Washington DC, USA. The documents hosted by the above mentioned archives
include mainly intelligence information gathered from different European Communist
states during the Korean War, but also various information referring to the effective help
and support oferred by Romania and other Communist countries to the Pyongyang regime,
during the Korean War and the years after the war.
3. The Romanian support offered to DPRK
When it comes to per se Romanian support, offered to North Korea, we should mainly
refer to four issues, namely: The Financial Support& Fund Raising campaigns, The
North-Korean Children in People’s Republic of Romania, The Romanian Medical
Expeditionary Missions in Korea and last but not least, the Propaganda.
A first dimension of the support consisted in preparing and sending various
products, which were needed for North Korean war effort. For instance, only in 1953,
People’s Republic of Romania had sent to DPRK 3500 tons of gasoline, 1500 tons of oil,
200 tons of canned meat, 500 tons of cigarettes, and also cereals, medicines 6. All these
products were funded from the state budget 7, and were delivered in various amounts,
during the entire Korean War, and even after the war. In many cases, the North Koreans
themselves were requesting specific products or items from Romania 8.
Apart from the support offered from the state budget, the Party had organized
various fund raising campaigns (the first one being organized in January 1951) in order to
rally the Romanian population and collect money and products for the so-called ,,victims
of American aggression in Korea” 9. In order to organize such kind of campaigns, the
entire political mechanism of the Party was involved. For instance, during the fund raising
event of January 1951, in Bucharest, more than 2300 teams have been involved, totalling
4500 agitators10. All over Romania, more than 19 400 teams consisting of 50 000 agitators

6
AMAE, Fund Korea, The Note of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, issued on February 21, 1953,
destined to the Romanian Ambassador to Pyongyang, Nichifor Stan, unnumbered pages.
7
The term used by the Communist authorities was either ,,help” (ajutor), or ,,credit”.
8
AMAE, Fund Korea, The Note of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, issued on February 21, 1953,
destined to the Romanian Ambassador to Pyongyang, Nichifor Stan, unnumbered pages. For instance, the
North Koreans were even requesting ,,lab utensils”(utilaje de laborator) and other items, which could not be
delivered by the People s Republic of Romania, due to the fact that those specific items were not produced in
Romania, being imported from GDR.
9
The article ,,From our hearts, let’s help the brave Korean People”(Să ajutăm din toată inima bravul popor
coreean), in ,,Scânteia” (The Spark), Series III, Year XX, No. 1942, January 18, 1951, p. 1.
10
Ibidem. Very soon, the example set by Bucharest was followed by other cities and even villages of
Romania. ,,Apelul”(The Call) was stressing that all the teams were leaded by a ,,man in charge”(Responsabil
împuternicit), and the donations were registered in catalogues, being used special receipts or/and ,,stamped

3
were involved in convincing the population to support North Korean War effort. In order
to do so, hundreds of thousands of posters have been printed, together with many other
appeals, flyers and cartoons11.
Apart from the fund raising, organized with the help of Permanent Committee of
the Peace Defense of the PRR and the UTM (Uniunea Tineretului Muncitor-Union of the
Working Youth) and the Red Cross, the members of the teams were told to accept
especially clothes, shoes, non-perishable food such as rice, bean, flour, sugar, cereals, and
so on12. According to official sources, at the end of the fund raising campaign of
November 1951, over 600 000 items of clothes were collected, such as coats, suits, hats,
gloves13. There were also mentioned over 1600 tons of cereals, and also sugar and canned
meat and vegetables14. For the donations in money, a special bank account was created,
called CEC 300, The Fund for Helping the Korean People 15. The results were quite
impressive, and could be attributed, to a certain extent, to Romanian propaganda, although
most likely the support offered by Romanian citizen to North Koreans had more to do
with humanitarian reasons, than with political or ideological issues.
The fund raising campaigns were conducted in all big cities, but also in the
countryside, and even within the Romanian diplomatic missions in Europe and overseas.
For instance, the entire personnel of the Romanian Embassy in Sofia, together with
Romanian students from Bulgaria, have organized a fund raising campaign, the money
being used for buying various products and items for helping the Korean people 16. There
were also cases in which various Romanian institutions and organizations helped the
North Koreans by sending products, food and medicines. The most frequent case was the
one regarding the Red Cross of Romania, which was usually sending the help through rail
road. That was the case of a shipment sent in September 1951, consisting in several train
wagons totaling 8 tons of medicines and medical equipment and also a few vehicles; the

forms”.
11
Article ,,Hundreds of thousands of citizens involved in helping the Korean People”(Sute de mii de cetățeni
antrenați în acțiunea de ajutorare a poporului coreean) în ,,Scânteia, The Spark, Series III, Year XX, No. 1943,
January 19, 1951, pp. 1-2.
12
National Archives of Romania (ANIC), Fund Central Committee of the Romanian Workers Party, Foreign
Relation Section, File no. 41/1951, pp. 1-2. The document entitled Înștiințare privind hotărârea Secretariatului
CC al PMR legată de acțiunea de strângerea de ajutoare pentru poporul coreean, dated October 6, 1951.
13
The article was published in Scânteia (The Spark), Year XXI, N0. 2216, Sunday, December 9, 1951.
14
Ibidem.
15
National Archives of Romania, (ANIC), Fund Central Committee of the Romanian Workers Party, Foreign
Relation Section, File no. 41/1951, pp. 1-2. The document entitled Înștiințare privind hotărârea
Secretariatului CC al PMR legată de acțiunea de strângerea de ajutoare pentru poporul coreean, dated
October 6, 1951, p. 5.
16
AMAE, Fund Korea 1951, The Note of the Romanian Embassy in Sofia, issued on November 27, 1951,
destined to Ana Pauker, Minister of Foreign Affairs, unnumbered pages. The staff of the Embassy were asking
that all purchased items be sent to the Special Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge with
collecting the ,,gifts for the Korean people”.

4
report is mentioning a Ziss lorry and a Willis 17. All funds were transferred to Soviet
Union, following a specific procedure. More exactly, first they were converted from
Romanian currency (leu) to Russian ruble, and then transferred from Romanian Central
Bank to a Russian Bank, namely The State Bank of The Soviet Union, the Pan-Korean
Committee for Peace Defense. For instance, only for the first six months of 1951, a
significant amount of money had been raised for North Korea. Thus, precisely on June
25th, 1951, one year after the so-called ,,barbarian aggression against Korean people”,
People’s Republic of Romania had transferred to the State Bank of the Soviet Union more
than 50 million lei, converted in rubles (approx.1 400 000 rubles) 18. However, there where
cases in which the money arrived with difficulty to the North Koreans, mainly due to the
Soviet authorities which delayed or misplaced the money19.
Funds were also being raised be selling stamps, envelopes and various postal
services, during most of the period of the Korean War. For instance, that was the case with
the postal envelopes which circulated during the years of the Korean War, in Romania or
abroad, having the sentence ,,By defending North Korea we are defending peace”(in
Romanian language, ,,Ajutand poporul coreean, apăram pacea”)20.
The Romanian efforts were appreciated by the North-Korean side, mostly through
diplomatic notes sent by the Government of the DPRK and/or the North Korean Embassy
in Bucharest21. It is important to mention that the Romanian support, consisting in money
and various products for the North Korean camp had been offered even after the signing
of the Panmunjom Armistice. According to an archival document, regarding a North
Korean diplomatic tour conducted into Soviet Union and other East European countries,
on June-July 1956, North Korea had obtained a significant amount of money from all

17
AMAE, Fund Korea, 1952, File 216/1952, Note of the Central Committee of the Red Cross of the PRR, to
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRR, September 8th, 1951, concerning the sending of a shipment of products to
the Korean people, unnumbered pages. The Red Cross officials were asking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to
keep in touch with the Romanian Embassy in China, so that once with the arrival of the mentioned shipment in
Andun, ,,the appropriate decisions be taken, for the future transportation (on Korean soil).
18
The sum, in rublas, was 1, 310 616. AMAE, Fund Korea 1951, The Note of the People s Republic of
Romania Permanent Committee of the Peace Defense, June 26th, 1951, destined to Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, signed Pavel Dan, unnumbered pages.
19
AMAE, Fund USSR/ 1951, Ciphered Telegrams, Telegram no. 623, sent by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, on February 10, 1951, destined to PRR Embassy in Moscow, signed Toma.
20
NARA (National Archives and Records Administration), Romania 1950-1954, Box 3963, The Note issued
on February 5, 1951, by Braham Nash Corporation, destined to US Department of State, referring to a letter
from Romania(PRR), with a slogan inserted (stamped) on the envelope (,,In helping the Korean people, we are
defending the Peace”). Not surprisingly, taken into consideration the new context, the authorities in Bucharest
were informing the mentioned private company that ,,they have nothing to sell to us”, whereas ,,up to two
months ago they kept offering all sorts of feed ingredients and fertilizers”.
21
AMAE, Fund Korea/1952, The diplomatic note of the Embassy of the DPRK in Bucharest, issued on July
17th, 1952, destined to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRR, unnumbered pages. The Korean authorities
were thankful for the items sent by PRR to the North Korean victims of the war (,, sinistrații coreeni de
război”).

5
Communist states22. Thus, Soviet Union was offering 470 million rubles, GDR was
offering Diesel engines worth 54 million rubles, Romania - a friendly help of 25 million
rubles, Hungary- 15 million rubles and Czechoslovakia was to send various products
worth 50 million rubles23).
4. The North Korean Children in People’s Republic of Romania
A particular dimension of the per-se support offered by the People’s Republic of
Romania (PRR) to DPRK was the accommodation and education în Romania, of
thousands of North Korean children. Many North Korean children were sent to
Communist countries, such as Soviet Union, China and, of course, Eastern European
countries, including People’s Republic of Romania. For instance, according to an
interview offered by a Romanian teacher of that time, Georgeta Mircioiu, up to 3000
North Korean orphans were taught at special schools in Romania, (mostly in the city of
Siret, northern Moldova). Of course, these figures are debatable. For instance, according
to a US Intelligence Report on Rumania, a local Romanian source was transmitting that in
February 1953, Romania was hosting more than 1000 children, aged 3 to 7 years old, from
Korea and China24. (On the other hand, according to an American Intelligence Report on
Romania, North Korean and Chinese children were reported in other Satellite countries,
such as Hungary-200 Korean children at the Kim Ir Sen School in Budapest, while a few
hundred of Chinese and Korean children were reported studying in Prague University, and
others (10 to 15 years of age), were studying in Czech elementary schools” 25). The only
Romanian official document referring to the entire number of North Korean children
located in Ro)mania was issued by the Central Committee of the Red Cross, in March
1955. According to the above mentioned document, Romania had, ,,under its supervision”
in 1955, 1735 North Korean children, more exactly 349 North Korean studying in
technical and theoretical high-schools (,,școli medii tehnice și teoretice”) and 1386 North
Korean children studying in ,,elementary schools” (I-VII classes), in two centers

22
AMAE, Fund Korea 1956, Issue 20/220, The Report of the Romanian Embassy in Pyongyang, issued on 20
November 1956, signed by the Ambassador A.T. Jianu, which includes the document ,,On the activity of the
Government Delegation which visited the friendly countries and some of the immediate tasks of our party”.
(Darea de seamă asupra activității Delegației guvernamentale care a vizitat țările prietene și unele sarcini
immediate ale partidului nostru”), presented by Kim Il Sung during the Plenum of Central Committee of the
Workers Party of DPRK, August 30-31, 1956.
23
Ibidem.
24
NARA, Romania 1950-1954, Box 3965, The Report no. 1303, issued by the US Legation in Vienna, on
January 28th, 1953, signed by Walter Dowling. The Report was based on information from intercepted letters
written from Romania to Austria, during the months of December 1952 and January 1953. There was a special
section, named ,,Oriental children in Romania”.
25
NARA, Romania 1950-1954, Box 3965, The Report nr. 1450, from US Embassy in Vienna, issued on
February 24, 1953, containing the USFA Intelligence Report no. 189, on Romania (containing information
regarding the Oriental children in Romania.

6
(,,colonii”), in Târgoviște (530 children, ,,Kim Ir Sen” School) and Siret (856 children) 26.
However, the figures were referring only to children aged 6 to 17 years, without
mentioning the children younger than 6 years old, nor the group of children that have
reached the age of College, becoming students in Romanian colleges. So, it is likely that
the real number of North Korean children was more than 2000, but certainly lower than
3000. The so-called ,,recruitment” of the North Korean children had been made by the
Embassy of the People’s Republic of Romania in Pyongyang, in cooperation with the
North Korean authorities, the main goal being that of recruiting children, mostly orphans,
from all the North Korean regions27. The action was initiated by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Romania and the Embassy of Romania (PPR) in Pyongyang, on August 14,
1952. North Korean authorities have popularized the action in local and central
newspapers, and the operation started, although with difficulty, mainly due to war
confrontation, which led to the evacuation of important segments of civil North Korean
population28. In some cases, Romanian citizens have adopted North Korean children, and
among the first to do so were the members of the third Romanian Expeditionary Medical
Mission in Korea29. In order to do that, they had to obtain a sort of written approval from
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, from Romanian Government and also from
North Korean authorities30.
The first decision concerning the arrival of the North Korean children was taken
by the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Romanian Workers Party, several
entities being involved in elaborating an Action Plan for accommodating the children
(namely General Confederation of Work, Agitation and Propaganda Section of the Central
Committee of the RWP)31. The arrival of the Korean children was complicating an
existing situation, regarding the accommodation, due to the lack of appropriate space, as
Romania was already accommodating several groups of Greek children (due to the Greek
Civil war) and the appropriate resorts and hotels made available were not so many 32.

26
ANIC, Fund Central Committee of the RCP, Section Propaganda and Agitation, File no. 33/1955, The
Analysis no. 476 (,,Referat”) issued on March 28 th, 1955, from the Headquarters of the Red Cross in
Bucharest, pp. 1-2.
27
AMAE, Fund Korea 1952, Issue 20-220, The Report of the Romanian Embassy in Pyongyang issued on
October 21, 1952, signed by Ambassador P. Babuci, unnumbered pages.
28
Ibidem.
29
ANIC, Fund CC of PCR, External Relations Section, File 8/1953, The note issued on March 31, 1953, p. 3.
30
Ibidem. On the document it was hand written, with a pencil, ,,de acord”(agreed), and the signatures of L.
Chisinevschi, Gheorghe Apostol and Miron Constantinescu. Another sentence was written with a red
pencil: ,,Tov. Gh. Dej e de acord”(Comrade Gh. Dej agrees…).
31
ANIC, Fund CC of the PCR, External Relations Section, File I/ 1952, The analysis regarding the
accommodation of the Korean children which will be brought in PRR, following the Decision of the
Secretariat of the Central Committee of the RWP, sent to the Central Committee of the RWP on April 2, 1952,
signed by L. Chisinevschi, Leonte Rautu and Simion Babenco, p. 18.
32
Ibidem. A few hundred Greek children were being hosted on Romanian soil during the Greek Civil War.

7
Since a great number of hotels from the Prahova Valley were already destined to Greek
children, another location was taken into consideration, namely Tușnad, a resort in the
mountains whose hotels and villas seemed appropriate33.
The first groups of North Korean children have arrived in Romania in autumn
1952. According to a report issued by Romanian Embassy in Moscow, on October 2 and
October 5, 1952, two groups of Korean children have crossed Moscow, the first one
consisting in 70 children and the second one consisting in 23 children, whose destination
was People’s Republic of Romania 34. The North Korean children were of various origin
and age, some of them were orphans, while others still have families in North Korea,
being sent to Romania because the living conditions were considered better. The language
of instruction was Korean, and the children were mainly taught Romanian, Russian,
mathematics and fine arts.
Later on, a special Romanian Commission dedicated to Korean children was
formed, with members of the Permanent Committee for Peace Defense, Red Cross,
Central Committee of the Romanian Workers Party. The first financial issues regarding
the accommodation of the North Koreans were to be covered from the ,,Fondul de
Ajutorare a Poporului Corean” (The Fund for the Helping of Korean People)35. In case
more funds were needed for the accommodation, the Commission was considering a
further financing from the Red Cross additional budget36. For a ,,complete solution” of the
problem, Romanian authorities were looking to build new facilities (the so-
called ,,pavilioane”) in various areas of the country, especially designed for the
accommodation of the North Korean children37.
Over the next years, significant funds were offered, from the state budget, to the
Central Committee of the Red Cross, for covering the expenses related to the
accommodation and education of North Korean children in Romania. For instance, only
for 1953, Romanian authorities have spent 10 500 000 lei for this purpose only 38. It
should be mentioned that, starting with April 1952, the former Commission whose
33
Ibidem. However, the drawback was considered the fact that ,,thousands of Romanian workers would have
been deprived of their summer and winter vacations” in the above mentioned resort.
34
AMAE, Fund USSR, Issue 20/220, The Report of the Embassy of PRR in Moscow, issued on October 9,
1952, un-numbered pages. The same document was mentioning also two other groups of North Korean
children, which crossed Moscow, on their way to other Communist countries, namely Bulgaria and
Czechoslovakia.
35
ANIC, Fund CC of the PCR, External Relations Section, File I/1952, Decision no. 354/1952, issued on
April, 8, 1952, entitled Regarding the accomodation of the Korean children that will come to People s
Republic of Romania (,,Cu privire la găzduirea copiilor coreeni care vor veni în RPR”), p. 16. Among the
members of the Commission we should mention Liuba Chisinevschi (General Confederation of Work), Elena
Răceanu (UFDR-Union of Democratic Women of Romania), Gheorghe Florescu (UTM-Union of the Working
Youth), Dr. C. Dimitriu (Permanent Committee of Peace Defense), Victor Atomulesei (The Red Cross).
36
Ibidem.
37
Ibidem. In order to build the facilities, funds were being provided from mass organizations or from the state
budget.

8
mission was to accommodate the North Korean children in People’s Republic of Romania
had been dissolved, its responsibility being transferred to the Red Cross. That meant that
all properties, buildings and other assets, together with all personnel and financial back-up
destined to the North Korean children were now transferred to the Red Cross39.
Among the proposals forwarded by the Red Cross was that of closing the two
existing centers for North Korean children (elementary schools) in Siret and Targoviste. It
was believed that all North Korean children would better learn Romanian language in
mixed schools and classes, together with Romanian students 40. The Red Cross proposal
was detailed in a previous document (March 1955) after consultations between the Chargé
d’Affaires ad-interim of the North Korean Embassy in Bucharest and the Romanian
Ministry of Education41. After solving the first issues regarding the accommodation and
the improving of the health condition (most of the children have arrived in Romania with
illness and psychologically affected by the war), the main concern of Romanian
authorities was their education42.
During the year 1955/1956, new decisions were taken regarding the North Korean
children; more exactly, the Romanian authorities have organized admission exams for
those who have graduated from the VIIIth grade (14 years old), and those who passed the
exams were directed to schools located in six cities of Romania, namely Bucharest, Iași,
Craiova, Pitesti, Sibiu and Brasov 43. During the 1955/1956 scholarly year, there were 362
North Korean children studying in ,,școli medii”(high-schools), in various cities of
Romania, namely Bucharest (113 students), Iași (135 students), Pitești (11 students),
Craiova (17 students), Brasov [city named ,,Stalin”, during those years]-(14 students),
Sibiu (72 students)44. In Bucharest, for instance, out of the 113 North Korean students, 25
of them were studying in a textile school (Scoala Medie Textila) located on Cerna Street,
38
ANIC, Fund CC of PCR, External Relations Section, File 11/1953, ,,The Decision of the Secretariat of the
CC of PMR no. 108, ,,On the issue of the accommodation of the Korean children”(Cu privire la găzduirea și
întreținerea copiilor coreeni”), issued on February 23, 1953, signed E.M., p. 1.
39
Ibidem.
40
The proposal initiated by the Red Cross was considered ,,appropriate”(,,justă”) by the Romanian authorities.
ANIC, Fund Central Committee of the RCP, Propaganda and Agitation Section, File no. 33/1955, The Note
(,,Informare”) of April 28th, 1955, p. 19. The above mentioned document contains also a hand written
sentence, namely ,,[….] In the present, the Red Cross has another plan”(,,[…]În prezent, Crucea Rosie are un
alt plan”).
41
ANIC, Fund Central Committee of the RCP, Section Propaganda and Agitation, File no. 33/1955, The
Analysis no. 476 (,,Referat”) issued on March 28 th, 1955, from the Headquarters of the Red Cross in
Bucharest, pp. 1-2.
42
Ibidem. At the beginning, their education was conducted in special schools, destined exclusively to North
Korean children.
43
ANIC, Fund Central Committee of the RCP, Section Propaganda and Agitation, File no. 33/1955, The Note
issued on September 21, 1955, by the Ministry of Education, Science and Education Department, to the
Section of Science and Culture of the Central Committee of the Romanian Workers Party, p. 17.
44
Ibidem, p.18. The above mentioned document is referring also to the Greek children/students existing in
Romania during the same period of time.

9
while other North Korean students were studying also at an agricultural school in
Bucharest (Scoala Medie Tehnica de Colectari), and most of the schools had at least a few
North Korean students, which usually ate and slept in separate quarters, apart from the
Romanian students45. Moreover, Romanian authorities even offered a villa which served
as a clubhouse for North Koreans, located in Bucharest, on Bosca Street, while a
clubhouse, located on Dacia Boulevard, was offered to the Chinese students in
Bucharest46. As known, by 1960, most of the North Korean children from Romania have
returned to North Korea, except for those who were adopted by Romanian families.
5. The Romanian Medical Expeditionary Missions in DPRK
A significant aspect of Romanian involvement in the Korean War is related to the
activity of the seven Romanian Medical Expeditionary Missions consisting of more than
220 doctors and nurses. These field-hospitals have been deployed in Korea, between 1951
to 1957, in various places, but mainly in Pyongyang, Nampho and other close areas, such
as Yong So Mion and Tong Ha Mion. The membership of the Medical Missions was
assured on ,,voluntary” basis, but in many cases, the members (Romanian doctors and
nurses) were recruited by the leaders of the ,,Cadre”(Personnel) Department of the
Romanian Workers Party (PMR), from the UWY(Union of the Working Youth-UTM, in
Romanian). The so-called ,,appropriate” persons have been selected 47, asked and
convinced to accept such duties, conducted abroad. The first Romanian Expeditionary
Mission activated in Korea from April to December 1951, while the last one, the 7 th one,
was deployed on Korean peninsula from July 1956 to September 1957 48.Even the US
Legation in Bucharest was monitoring the Romanian Medical missions deployed in North
Korea, noticing the steady and continuous requisitioning of doctors for war duty, a proof
that Korean war was putting ,,an appreciable extra load on the already undermanned
corps of doctors in the entire Soviet orbit”49.
All seven Romanian Medical Missions have functioned under strict regulations,
being placed under the authority of Romanian Embassy in Pyongyang and under Korean
45
NARA, Romania, RG 59, 1950-1954, Box 3965, The Report no. 2200, from HICOG Frankfurt, issued on
February 15, 1954, (entitled ,,Interrogation of Romanian Defector DS-588), signed by Charles G. Stefan, p.5.
According to the source (the Romanian defector), often the Romanian students were ,,a little bit jealous” of
them for their relative freedom from financial worries.
46
Ibidem.
47
For instance, that was the case of nurse Rosu Maria Ignat, born in a family of workers and member of the
UTM(UWY). The Red Cross Archive, File 6265, The Report (Referat) issued on February 20, 1954,
concerning Comrade Rosu Maria, nurse.
48
After the signing of the Armistice, the activity of the Romanian Medical Expeditionary Missions in North
Korea, although it continued until 1957, consisted mainly in scientific and didactic tasks. See, for instance
The Report (Referat) issued on October 1957, regarding the activity of the 7 th Medical Mission in Korea,
referring to the three dimensions of activity of the Mission, namely: ,,prophylactic, didactic and scientific”.
(Red Cross Archive, File 6263, The Report issued on October 15, 1957, p.1, signed by Dr. Octavian Belea).
49
NARA, Romania, RG 59, 1950-1954, Box 3965, The Report no. 243(Political Items from the Romanian
Scene), from US Legation in Bucharest, issued on February 19, 1953, p. 2, signed by David E.Mark, Second
Secretary of the US Legation.

10
Military command50. The Hospitals had a military Commander, an Administration Officer,
a Political Officer and the communication with the Korean authorities was conducted with
the help of two translators, who were classified as speaking Korean, English, Romanian
and German51. According to a ,,Statute” of the Romanian Medical Missions, compulsory
for all the members of the Missions, any decision, organizational or political, was taken
within the group only by the Political Commander, who could consult with other members
of the group52. It was also mentioned that ,,any criticism, although possible, was allowed
only within the meetings of the Party (Romanian Workers Party) members” 53. The
members of the Missions were advised to show ,,tact, patience and understanding towards
the local population and to stay out of troubles”54.
The Romanian Medical Missions were needed especially for the treatment of
wounded soldiers, being active mainly in three medical sections, dealing with difficult
cases, such as surgeries or infectious diseases 55. For instance, the fourth Romanian
Medical Mission only, which activated in North Korea, first in a military hospital located
close to Pyongyang (July 1953-October 1953), and then, after the signing of the armistice,
in Nampho (October 1953-May 1954), had performed more than 2500 surgeries and 83
000 medical examinations, while the fifth Medical Expeditionary Mission (Nampho, May,
1954-July, 1955), had performed around 3000 surgeries and 244 000 medical exams56.
As expected, Romanian Medical Missions had to face very harsh conditions on
Korean soil, and the relations with the Korean authorities have not been always very
cordial. For instance, the head of the Second Medical Mission in Korea was mentioning,
in a special report, the difficulties faced in relation with the Korean Commander of the
hospital, blaming him for lack of discipline, and negligence 57. The most significant
difficulty faced by Romanian doctors and nurses was the lack of medical equipment and
poor work conditions. Due to the difficult work conditions experienced by the Medical
Mission in Korea, authorities in Bucharest have decided to send significant quantities of
medical equipment and medicines, in order to be used by the Romanian Missions both

50
ANIC, Fund Central Committee of the RCP (PCR), External Relations Section, File 3/1952, The Report nr.
II of the Romanian Medical Mission, issued on January 5, 1952, destined to the Central Committee of the Red
Cross of PRR, p. 6.
51
Ibidem. It was made very clear that the Romanian Medical Mission ,,was not acting independently”, so the
communication with the North Korean officials and implicitly the presence of the translators were very
important.
52
Ibidem.
53
Ibidem. It was completely forbidden any ,,destructive criticism or gossip”.
54
Ibidem. Also, is was mentioned that any un-appropriate behavior that ,,would jeopardize the prestige of the
team” was not tolerated.
55
Ibidem, p. 7.
56
The Red Cross Archive of Romania, File 6261, 1955, The Report (,,Referat”) regarding the activity of the
Fourth and Fifth Medical Missions in North Korea, unsigned, pp. 1-2.
57
The Red Cross Archive, File 6265, 1952, The Report on the activity of the Romanian Second Medical
Mission in Korea, p. 4, signed C. Zoltan.

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during the surgeries and for preventing the epidemics 58. Towards the end of the war,
People’s Republic of Romania had also sent to Korea an anti-epidemical team, with
vaccines and medicines for fighting ,,the bacteriological weapons”. Moreover, the
Cantacuzino Institute in Bucharest was requested to prepare anti-Cholera vaccine, anti-
typhoid and smallpox - vaccines, for the Korean front59.
Elena Zeleniuc was one of the members of the first Romanian Medical Mission
deployed in DPRK, between April to December 1951, arriving in North Korea from
Moscow, by train, (the Trans-Siberian), after crossing Soviet Union and China. After
returning home, she remembered the horrible experiences from the Korean front, the poor
conditions existing in the camp, the hundreds of wounded soldiers and most of all, the
North Korean orphans. (The orphans were all calling her omoni, the Korean word for
mother, a heartbreaking experience for the Romanian nurse 60.) During the mission, the
Romanian hospital has treated patients, namely wounded soldiers, from both sides, North
Koreans, South Koreans, Chinese, and even Russians. But all doctors and nurses were told
that they should not mention to anyone (not even to their relatives at home) about the
Russian patients. More exactly, they were told: ,,officially, they are not here, they are not
involved in this war”. However, the source also remembers that during the evenings, the
Russian soldiers were singing a particular Russian song, called ,,Do sfidanie,
mama”(Goodbye, mother)61, that made them cry.
The members of the Romanian Medical Missions had to face also the psychological
factor related to living and working in an unfriendly environment, under the enemy
bombardments, 14 000 kilometers away from their loved ones 62. The whole group of the
First Romanian Medical Mission had even been invited to meet Kim Il Sung, and they
were all decorated by the North Korean Leader. Later, some of the Romanian nurses even
received the Florence Nightingale Medal of Honor63, a distinction offered by the
International Committee of the Red Cross.
When it comes to Romanian propaganda regarding the Korean War, the main
feature was that the two camps were depicted in terms of a blunt dichotomy, that of a
58
ANIC, Fund Central Committee of the RCP, External Relations Section, File 1/1952, The Decision no.
441/1952, of CC of RCP regarding the medical equipment to be sent to DPRK, April 25th, 1952, p. 29.
59
ANIC, Fund Central Committee of the RCP, External Relations Section, File 1/1952, ,,The Decision
(Hotărârea) of the CC of the RCP issued on March 14, 1952, regarding the sending of help to the Korean
people for combating the effects of the bacteriological weapons, used by the Imperialistic aggressors”, p. 15.
60
In extenso, the article ,,De la parasuta la coc”, published in ,,Jurnalul National”, on November 4th, 2009.
61
Ibidem. Do sfidanie, mama is a song about Russian men going to war and saying goodbye to their
loved ones, mother, father, brothers.
62
The Red Cross Archive of Romania, File 6265, 1952, The Report on the activity of the Romanian Second
Medical Mission in Korea, p. 4, signed C. Zoltan. The existing poor postal service was also a factor that
affected the personnel of the Medical Missions.
63
That was the case with Elena Zeleniuc. See the article ,,De la parasuta la coc”, published in ,,Jurnalul
National”, on November 4th, 2009.

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continuous confrontation between the Good, represented by the so called ,,Peace loving
nations”, namely Soviet Union and the other People’s Democracies, and the Evil,
represented by the Western coalition and especially by the United States of America.
Conclusion
The quintessence of People's Republic of Romania's official stand concerning the
Korean war consisted in placing itself within the ,,peace loving camp”, namely the Soviet
Bloc, together with the other People's Democracies, in dichotomy with the ,,enemies of
peace”, represented by the so-called ,,Western imperialists”, led by the United States. The
fraternal assistance offered by Romanian authorities included, apart from diplomatic
support, funds and goods allotted from the State budget, fund raising campaigns and
collection of goods from the population, sheltering or adoption of orphans or wounded
Korean children, as well as sending medical support through the Medical Expeditionary
Missions to DPRK.
In conclusion, we may say that People’s Republic of Romania did play a
significant role, during the Korean War. The ,,fraternal support”, although not military,
was a significant one, both in terms of official reactions and especially in terms of per se
support, namely financial, medical, humanitarian and propagandistic support, during the
war, but also after the signing of the armistice.

References/Sources:
Arhivele Naționale Istorice Centrale (National Archives of Romania – ANIC), Fund CC
of the RCP/External Relations Section (1950, 1951, 1952, 1953); Fund CC of the RCP/
Propaganda Section (1950-1953)
Arhiva Ministerului Afacerilor Externe al României (Archives of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Romania – AMAE), Fund Korea (DPRK), Vol. 1950-1954; Fund
USSR (1950-1953); Fund China 1949-1953).
Arhiva Societății Naționale de Cruce Roșie a României (Archives of the Romanian
Red Cross), The Korean War/Romanian Medical Missions in the DPRK, Special Reports
(1951-1957)
National Archives and Records Administration of the USA, Washington DC,
NARA, Romania 1950-1954; RG 84 Romania 1944-1964 (1959-1961)

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 Abstract

Romanian and US Archival Sources on Romanian Support to DPRK

during the Korean War and after

Radu Tudorancea
Researcher, Nicolae Iorga Institute of History
radutud2002@yahoo.com

As revealed by the present paper, based on Romanian and US

archival sources, People's Republic of Romania (PRR) had offered significant
support to the DPRK, during the Korean War. The so-called fraternal assistance
offered by the People's Republic of Romania to Pyongyang included not only
diplomatic support, but also funds and goods allotted from the State budget,
fund-raising campaigns and collection of goods from the population, the
sheltering or adoption of orphans and wounded Korean children, as well as the
deployment of Medical Expeditionary, in order to treat the victims of the war
and assist the hospitals of DPRK. The various dimensions of the Romanian
support for the DPRK were an expression of the official stance assumed by the
Romanian Communist regime of that time, having as background the Soviet
line. As a member of the so-called peace-loving camp, Romania (PRR), as well
as other Communist states, focused on supporting the DPRK, by displaying a
sort of fraternal attitude towards a younger brother under threat, namely the
DPRK.

Keywords: Archival Sources on Korean War, DPRK-PPR, Cold War, North Korean Children
in Europe, Fraternal Support .

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