Briefs on the Anti-US anti-war struggle in south Korea

 

10.7-10-The Student Joint Measure Committee of the for Checking the Troop Dispatch to Iraqi and Realizing Peace on the Korean Peninsula organized the first voting among the students of the 37 universities on the issue of the additional troop dispatch to Iraq.

Seventy seven percent of the students participated in the ballot rejected the troop dispatch.

The student committee decided to hold the ballot among one million students by the end of October and conduct a demonstration on a regional scale.

10.14-The 49th anti-US solidarity rally was held under the co-auspices of the People's Action to Revise the Unequal ¡°SOFA¡± between south Korea and the US, ¡°Those Opening Peace and Reunification¡± and the Headquarters of the Movement for Returning the Yongsan US Military Bases, in the Open Civic Garden near the US Embassy in Seoul.

-The central practice team of the Democratic Labor Party held a press conference before the US Embassy in regard to the growing US pressure of troop dispatch.

It published a protest message titled ¡°The US, stop the request of the troop dispatch to the aggressive war¡±.

-Some 30 Catholic organizations involving the ¡°Korean Catholic Priest¡¯s Council for Justice¡±, the ¡°Catholic Human Rights Committee¡± and the Catholic Youth for Peace, formed the ¡°Catholic Solidarity to Oppose the Troop Dispatch to Iraq¡± in the Myongdong Cathedral in Seoul.

10.16-The chairman of the national reunification committee of the Seoul Area Federation of University Student Councils issued a struggle appeal to dynamically conduct the movement to maintain peace against the US and war.

-Twenty six organizations including ¡°Those Opening Peace and Reunification¡±, the Civic Solidarity for Peace and Reunification, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the National Coalition of the Poor and the south Korean Confederation of the Women¡¯s Organizations and other personages from different strata, held a press conference in Seoul on the occasion of issuing the ¡°declaration of the different personages opposing the increase of the defense budget and the troop dispatch to Iraq¡±.

10.18-The south Korean authorities decided to dispatch additional troops to Iraq yielding to the US request, different circles repulsed it promptly and violently.

The People's Emergent Action to Oppose the Additional Troop Dispatch to Iraq, grouping 351 civic organizations involving the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and the Citizens¡¯ Coalition for Economic Justice, held an exigent press conference in front of Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office) to urge the government to revoke at once the decision taken submitting to the US pressure.

They waged the signature campaign to reject the troop dispatch in Seoul, Busan, Daejon and other places, and in the evening a drive to oppose the troop dispatch among the citizens by staging the candlelight demo in solidarity with Hanchongryon before the Gate Gwanghwa, Seoul.

-Under the co-sponsorship of the People's Emergent Action to Oppose the Additional Troop Dispatch to Iraq and All-People's Measure Committee for the Schoolgirls Killed by the US Armored Vehicle, a rally to denounce the government decision to send additional troops to Iraq, was observed in front of the Gate Gwanghwa, Seoul, in connection with the 327th candlelight rally.

After the rally, the students occupied the Chongno intersection chanting such slogans ¡°We reject the troop dispatch! We oppose the US!¡±, ¡°Let us check the slaughtering dispatch at the risk of our lives!¡± and marched until the Maroni Park in the university street waving the candlelight.

-The spokesperson for the ¡°National People's Solidarity¡± issued a statement entitled ¡°We bitterly denounce the decision to send the troops to Iraq¡±.

-The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions published a statement to denounce the government decision of additional troop dispatch to Iraq.

-The South Headquarters of Beomchonghakryon issued a statement titled ¡°The government, repeal immediately the traitorous decision of troop dispatch and apologize before the people¡±.

-The All-People's Measure Committee for the Schoolgirls Killed by the US Armored Vehicle issued a statement to denounce the government decision of additional troop dispatch.

-The Reunification Solidarity for Realizing the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration and Peace on the Korean Peninsula published a statement titled ¡°the government, revoke the decision of troop dispatch to Iraq at once¡±.

10.19-The People's Emergent Action to Oppose the Additional Troop Dispatch to Iraq held a press conference at the Open Civic Garden in the Gate Gwanghwa, Seoul, to condemn the government decision of troop dispatch as ¡°a destructive act to democracy and a treachery to the people's trust¡±.

It stressed that it will respond to the MPs favorable for the additional troop dispatch with more active struggle including the defeating drive in the general elections next year.

-The students of the ¡°National Solidarity of the Student Struggle¡± staged a surprise demo chanting such slogan ¡°Repeal the decision of troop dispatch participating in the US Iraq war, an aggressive war¡±.

-Politicians of the Democratic Labor Party and the New United Party opposed the government decision of additional troop dispatch to Iraq.

The DLP spokesman issued a commentary to demand the government ¡°to make public the process of the decision making¡±.

Ten-odd members affiliated to the ¡°Anti-war Peace Assemblymen¡¯s Group¡± held a press conference to express their opposition to the additional troop dispatch.

Im Jong-sok, assemblyman from the New United Party, began a hunger-strike from the day to oppose the government decision of additional troop dispatch to Iraq.

He asserted that he would resign from the parliament immediately in case the motion of the dispatch was passed at the parliament.

-The chairman of the Federation of University Student Councils in the Eastern Seoul region issued a statement entitled ¡°Revoke immediately the decision of troop dispatch to Iraq forced by the US pressure¡±.

-The National Council of the Women Students¡¯ Representatives published a statement to denounce the government decision of additional troop dispatch to Iraq.

-Hanchognryon spokesperson made public a commentary titled ¡°Don¡¯t send troops¡±.

-Students under the preparatory committee of the ¡°National Solidarity of the Student Struggle¡± conducted a surprise demo in front of Cheong Wa Dae to oppose the decision of additional troop dispatch to Iraq.

They distributed leaflets carrying a statement in the name of ¡°the students demanding the revocation of the decision of the troop dispatch¡±.

The statement stressed, ¡°we declare we continue the struggle until the decision of the dispatch was revoked¡± and ¡°the government, repeal the decision of troop dispatch to the slaughtering war, aggressive war¡±.

10.20-The Seoul Area Federation of University Student Councils issued a statement to reject the troop dispatch to Iraq.

-The South Headquarters of Beomchonghakryon declared a sit-in strike to maintain peace against the US and war protesting against the government decision of troop dispatch, in Myongdong, Seoul.

-The regional standing committee of Federation of University Student Councils in the Eastern Seoul region issued a struggle appeal for the period of the campaign to maintain peace against the US and war.

10.21-The ¡°Those Opening Peace and Reunification¡± and the Council for Independence, Democracy and Reunification, held a press conference in front of the US 8th Army Command in Seoul to declare the nullification of the memorandum of the agreement to transfer the Yongsan Garrison, manipulated by the US pressure.

-The Reunification Solidarity held a press conference in front of the US Embassy to demand the conclusion of a non-aggression treaty between north Korea and the US.

-The spokesman for the Solidarity for Implementing the South-North Joint Declaration published a statement titled ¡°Abandon the ignominious cooperation of war¡±.

10.22-The Women¡¯s Committee of the Reunification Solidarity held a rally at the Seoul Station Plaza to observe ¡°the day of women to oppose the troop dispatch to Iraq¡±.

-The Law Students of Korea and Hanyang Universities staged a demo near Cheong Wa Dae(presidential office) as part of ¡°the campaign through relay to check the troop dispatch¡±.

10.23- The Youth and Students Committee comprising 25 organizations including ¡°the Korean Council of the Youth Organizations¡±, held a press conference to oppose the additional troop dispatch to Iraq in front of the US Embassy in Seoul.

The Seoul Area Federation of University Student Councils rushed headlong into an indefinite hunger strike from the day led by the council of the chairmen.

10.24-The People's Emergency Action to Oppose the Additional Troop Dispatch to Iraq staged a rally in the university street to call for the revocation of the decision of the troop dispatch with participation of more than 5,000 people and conducted a demo to the Tabgol Park.

The Lawyers for Democratic Society held a press conference followed by a rally.

10.25-Some 300 students under Hanchongryon launched a sit-in strike demanding the repeal of the decision of the troop dispatch to Iraq.

-The 334th candlelight rally to revise the SOFA, denounce the US that is forcing south Korea to dispatch troops and revoke the humiliating decision of the troop dispatch, was observed before the Gate Gwanghwa, Seoul.

10.26-The South Headquarters of Beomchonghakryon issued a statement titled ¡°The US should know straight that there is no alternative other than the abandonment of the hostile policy toward north Korea¡±.

10.27-The All-People Measure Committee for the Schoolgirls Killed by the US Armored Vehicle published a statement to denounce the suppression of the government against those who participated in the struggle to oppose the troop dispatch.

10.31-The chairwoman of the Strike Group for Anti-US Anti-war Peace of Beomchonghakryon issued an appeal to the youth and students.