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Korea/US Issues
VFP-Korea Peace CampaignCall for a Peace Treaty NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO END THE KOREAN WAR On July 27, 1953 the United States signed an Armistice agreement to temporarily halt the Korean War, which claimed 4 million lives and divided 10 million families. All foreign troops were to leave Korea and a permanent peace treaty negotiated. Yet, despite the wishes of the Korean people in both the South and North for peace and reconciliation, no peace treaty has been signed and war could erupt at any moment. The United States, which authored the division of Korea, still has 28,500 troops in South Korea, and holds the key to peace. President Obama has declared that "When we fail to pursue peace it stays beyond our grasp forever." We have to hold him to a new vision for peace and hope in Korea. On Monday July 27- 1. Call the White House at 202-456-1111 and tell President Obama to end the Korean War, set up diplomatic relations and secure a peace treaty in Korea 2. Leave a comment at www.whitehouse.gov 3. Contact Secretary of State Clinton at 202 647 4000 4. Contact Sen. John Kerry, Chair of Senate Foreign Relations at 202 224 2742 5. Go to www.endthekoreanwar.org and sign on to the Petition to End the War Fore more info —www.endthekoreanwar.org Tom Sturtervant, a member of VFP-KPC project, attended this conference. 2009 SEOUL INT'L CONFERENCE JOINT DECLARATION AGAINST MISSILE DEFENSE AND ARMS RACE PSPD (2009/04/21) writes that from April 16th to 18th, 2009 Seoul International Conference against Asia Pacific Missile Defense and Arms Race was held with 50 foreign activists. At the conference, a joint declaration was passed to stop formation of missile defense and arms race in order to protect peace in the Korean peninsula, East Asia, and the international society. They promised to work to make a new peace mechanism for preventing confrontation and peaceful coexistence, and to inform the public of the shortcomings of missile defense and arms race and confrontation caused by it. We were told that we were there to defend democracy and freedom, but ended up defending the fascist regime in SK. Massacres of Prisoners in the Busan and Gyeongnam Regions Verified on February 2, 2009 The Truth & Reconciliation Commission (SK) found that from July to September 1950, military police, members of the CIC (Counter-Intelligence-Corps), local police, and prison officers massacred at least 3,400 prisoners who were detained at prisons in Busan, Masan and Junju. 576 victims were identified. This is the first time the government officially recognized the prison massacres after the outbreak of the Korean War. Although those regions were safe from the North Korean forces, the South Korean authority arbitrarily massacred thousands of prisoners and detained civilians. From July 26 to September 25, 1950, the CIC, military police, local police and prison officers massacred at least 1,500 prisoners, including members of the Bodo League, at Busan Prison and the surrounding area. 148 victims were identified by the Commission. From July 5 to September, at least 717 prisoners were massacred at Masan Prison and the surrounding area. 358 victims were identified. From the mid to late July 1950, at least 1,200 prisoners were massacred at Jinju Prison and the surrounding area. 70 victims were identified. Some of the convicted prisoners received less than three-year prison sentences. Despite this, these same prisoners would later receive the death penalty from an ad hoc military court. By executing prisoners already convicted and sentenced, the South Korean authority violated the principle of the prohibition against double jeopardy. The Commissioner defined such massacres as criminal activities and recommended that the government apologize to the victims’ families, provide support for memorial work, officially publish reports regarding the massacres, and promote human rights education. (www.jinsil.go.kr/english) This is a national tour by the ROK Truth & Reconciliation Commission. Please try to attend this important event, if you live nearby the following universities. John Kim VFP-Korea Peace Campaign ---------------------------------------------------- The Work of the South Korean Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Uncovering the Hidden Story of the Korean War by Kim Dong-Chun, the Standing Commissioner, South Korean Truth and Reconciliation Commission Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Human Rights and Peace Center, Sungkonghoe University NY: Columbia University March 24, 2009, 4-6:30 pm School of International Affairs, #918 Boston: Boston College March 26, 2009, 12:00-2:00 pm Held in the Heights Room. http://www.bc.edu/centers/humanrights/events.html Chicago: Association for Asian Studies Friday, March 27, 10:45-12:45, Michigan A, Level 2 http://www.aasianst.org/absts/2009abst/Korea/k-48.htm Los Angeles: UCLA Tuesday, March 31, 2009, 2:00-3:30 PM 10383 Bunche Hall http://www.international.ucla.edu/korea/events/showevent.asp?eventid=7258 SF: UC Berkely April 1, 5-7 pm Heller Lounge, Multicultural Center, MLK Building U.S. NAVAL FORCES ARRIVE IN BUSAN FOR ANNUAL DEFENSE EXERCISE Arirang News (2009/03/12) reported that as the 12-day ROK-U.S. joint defense exercise called Key Resolve/Foal Eagle continues, a key U.S. naval force arrived at the ROK Fleet Command in Busan on Wednesday morning. The Carrier Strike Group Three is led by the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis of the U.S. Navy 3rd Fleet. The carrier will dock in Busan for five days before heading toward the East Sea to take part in the Foal Eagle part of the joint exercise. The two nations' navies will test interoperability among vessels with a focus on fine-tuning the security of communications. The combined navies could perform drills with other allies during the exercise. Andersen Air Force Base is in Guam. A major US-S. Korea joint military exercise in Korea is raising new military tensions in the area. STEALTH BOMBERS COULD FORM PART OF JOINT EXERCISE Chosun Ilbo (2009/03/05) reported that B-2 stealth bombers and F-22 stealth fighters of the U.S. could be deployed in a joint exercise with ROK troops amid signs that DPRK is preparing to launch a long-range missile. The Key Resolve/Foal Eagle exercise will be staged from March 9 to 20. On Feb. 25, the U.S. deployed four B-2 stealth bombers at Andersen Air Force Base, the U.S.'s key strategic base in the Asian and Pacific region. B-2s and F-22s are stealth aircraft that cannot be detected by radar. They would be tasked to attack major strategic targets in DPRK or intercept DPRK fighters in case of war on the Korean Peninsula. CONTAMINATION FOUND AROUND U.S. BASES Korea Herald (Kim So-hyun, Seoul, 2009/02/23) reported that Seoul City said Sunday it had found more than 16,000 square meters of area to be contaminated by oil leaked from four U.S. military bases in the capital. "Rainwater seems to be spreading the underground contamination," a city official said. The city has so far spent 2.1 billion won for the cleanup near U.S. army camps since 2001 and plans to spend another 425 million won this year. A major US-S. Korean military exercise is set to start in Korea on March 5, involving some 26,000 US troops, similar ROK troops, and a US nuclear carrier. This is certainly going to raise further tensions on the Korean Peninsula. N. KOREA WARNS S. KOREA, U.S., SEOUL Yonhap News (2009/02/18) reported that the DPRK blasted a planned ROK-US war drill as a "war preparation maneuver" and warned the two countries will pay an "expensive price" for the annual training exercise. "The war preparation maneuver by the United States and the South Korean government that will bring in the wind of fire of war to the Korean Peninsula will be forced to pay an expensive price as it is against peace and against the era," the Korean Central News Agency said. Very positive comment for engage ment with DPRK. U.S. NEEDS MORE DIRECT TALKS WITH DPRK, EX-OFFICIAL SAYS Bloomberg (Dune Lawrence, (2009/02/09) reported that the U.S. should increase bilateral negotiations with DPRK, with the six-nation talks on nuclear disarmament serving as "a useful supplement," former U.S. diplomat Stephen Bosworth said after visiting Pyongyang. Kim Jong-Il's regime is waiting for President Barack Obama's administration to make its first move, said Bosworth, part of a seven-person private delegation that left the DPRK yesterday. The U.S. needs to handle relations "in a more straightforward manner," he said in Beijing today. N. KOREA VOWS TO RETAIN NUCLEAR WEAPONS UNTIL U.S. REMOVES 'NUCLEAR THREAT' Yonhap (Seoul, 2009/02/02) reported that the DPRK vowed Monday to hold onto its nuclear weapons until the United States removes "nuclear threats" against it. "As long as there is no nuclear dismantlement in the South to clear nuclear threats from the United States, dismantlement to remove our nuclear arms won't be materialized," a spokesman for the DPRK's General Chief of Staff said in an interview carried by the Korean Central News Agency. This is an encouraging statement. James Laney is former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea (during the Clinton Administration) who helped resolve the 1994 nuclear crisis with North Korea. His other ties to Korea include service in army counter-intelligence in Korea and later as a missionary to Korea (he is also an ordained minister). He is also former president of Emory University. As an advocate of engagement policy with North Korea, Laney has long called for the U.S. to engage in direct talks with North Korea. In his recent speech in Seoul (12/16/08) on the President-elect Barack Obama's North Korea policy, Laney suggested sending a special envoy to North Korea, such as former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former North Korea Policy Coordinator William Perry and former Senator Sam Nunn. His speech was marked with the call for a peace treaty to end the Korean War truce: "... One item should be at the top of the agenda, however, in order to remove all unnecessary obstacles to progress, that is the establishment of a peace treaty to replace the truce that has been in place since 1953. One of the things that have bedeviled all talks until now is the unresolved status of the Korean War. A peace treaty would provide a baseline for relationships, eliminating the question of the other's legitimacy and its right to exist. Absent such a peace treaty, every dispute presents afresh the question of the other side's legitimacy. Only with a treaty in place will both sides be relieved of the political demand to see each move as conferring approval or not. After more than a half century, it is time for us to come to terms with existence simply as a fact, and not see it as a concession. Further, a treaty would reduce the uncertainties about future policy which inevitably accompany changes in administration, in either South Korea or the US, since it is based upon ratification by the respective legislatures..." ROK REMAINS 5TH BIGGEST BUYER OF U.S. DEFENSE GOODS: REPORT Korea Herald (2008/12/23) reported that ROK was the fifth biggest client of U.S. defense goods on a government-to-government contact basis in 2007, Yonhap News Agency reported citing a congressional report. ROK purchased $1 billion worth of defense products from the U.S. last year, according to a Congressional Research Service report, "U.S. Arms Sales: Agreements with and Deliveries to Major clients 2000-2007," released on Nov. 26. ROK follows Israel ($1.4 billion), Poland ($1.3 billion), Egypt ($1.2 billion) and Saudi Arabia ($1 billion), the report said. S. KOREAN, U.S. MARINES HOLD MAJOR LANDING EXERCISE The Korean Herald (2008/11/06 19:00:00 GMT+0) reported that thousands of U.S. and ROK Marines staged a major joint landing exercise, backed by scores of vessels and aircraft, reported AFP. The drill in the southeastern port of Pohang involved 6,000 ROK Marines and 2,000 US Marines from Okinawa in Japan, military officials said. Also taking part were 27 naval ships, about 30 helicopters and 70 amphibious landing vehicles from both nations. DPRK has condemned the exercise as preparations for an invasion of the state. ROK has said the drill is aimed at enhancing the command capabilities of US-ROK combined forces. Other past articles |
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