We Must Stop Military Action That Leads to War
On October 27, the South Korean Committee for Implementing the 6.15 Joint Declaration and the Peace Campaign to End the Korean War, held an emergency press conference on the crisis on the Korean Peninsula in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul, where the following statement was issued.
Today, we are standing here in a sense of crisis. The word "war" feels closer than ever. As south Korea, the United States, and north Korea conduct military exercises every day, military tensions are rising like never before. Neither the Panmunjom Declaration nor the Singapore Joint Statement have been properly implemented, and even the September 19 military agreement is in jeopardy. Accidents have also occurred amid the tensions. Missiles that landed in Gangneung [Republic of Korea (ROK)] during military training [by the U.S. and ROK on October 5] left residents trembling overnight.
The previously reduced ROK-U.S. combined military exercise was held again on a large scale in August, and strategic assets of the U.S. military such as nuclear-powered aircraft carriers were deployed and a joint military exercise between south Korea, the United States and Japan was also carried out. As a result, the North's response is also getting tougher. Following the actual training manoeuvre for the south Korean military's outdoor training, the Patriotic Training and the ROK-U.S. Combined War Reinforcement Exercise, from October 31, 250 air force units, including the F-35A fighters of the ROK and USFK and F-35B fighters of the U.S. Forces in Japan, will be deployed towards north Korea. A large-scale ROK-U.S. joint air exercise Vigilant Storm, which will simulate strikes on hundreds of strategic bases in north Korea is expected. This training could be the start of a bigger crisis.
These dangerous demonstrations of force that are said to ensure the safety of all life living on this earth are being repeated, but there is no way out. If things go on like this, an unexpected armed conflict could happen due to a moment's mistake, and war could become a reality. If the military crisis and unstable situation continue, it will have a great impact on society and the economy as a whole. It is difficult to predict what kind of danger the crisis on the Korean Peninsula will lead to in the midst of the chaotic international order diagnosed as the "New Cold War" and the intensifying arms race. The most urgent thing right now is to end the current tensions.
All military actions that will intensify military tensions on the Korean Peninsula must be stopped immediately. In particular, the plan for the upcoming large-scale joint military exercise between south Korea and the United States should be canceled. Despite the inter-Korean agreement reached in 2018 and the cessation of nuclear and missile tests by the north, south Korea and the United States have not stopped military training, increased armaments, and sanctions. After the failed DPRK-U.S. Hanoi Summit, negotiations were eventually halted. Non-fulfillment of promises and failure of negotiations have created the crisis we have today. It must be soberly recognized that hostile policies and armed protests will only deepen the vicious circle and will never be the solution. Realistic measures are needed to ease military tensions and shift to a dialogue phase.
War doesn't happen all of a sudden. We strongly demand that military actions that lead to war be stopped. We reaffirm the fact that there is no other way than to stop hostilities and return to the spirit of Panmunjom and Singapore. If we stop now, we can turn a crisis into an opportunity. Let's not give up hope for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Signed by 704 religious and civil society organizations.
(Tongil News. Translated from the original Korean by TML.)
This article was published in
Volume 52 Number 40 - November 2, 2022
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmld2022/Articles/D520405.HTM
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