The Stars and Stripes burning in south Korea

March 18 marks the 27^th anniversary that the south Korean students set fire to the US cultural service in Busan at the time when the south Koreans vigorously intensify the struggle to frustrate the vicious maneuvers of the US and the Lee Myung-bak regime under the banner of independence against the US.

Marking the day, the south Koreans from all social standings are full of a determination to put an end to 60-odd-year military occupation and domination over south Korea by the US. They vow to regain dignity and sovereignty of the nation and prevent the war crisis prevalent on the Korean Peninsula to open up the path of independent reunification.

Looking back the past, the south Korean students occupied the US cultural service in Busan, a center of propagating pro-US sycophancy and the US ideology and culture, to set fire to it on March 18, 1982. They sharply denounced the aggressive nature of the US, scattering leaflets written “US, get out!” and “Denounce the US neo-colonialism!”

The students’ struggle were a pent-up anger against the US which wire-pulled the Gwangju popular uprising to turn the city into a bloodbath. It was the righteous struggle in which they demonstrated their unflinching will not to tolerate the US colonial rule any more and opened a new turning point by dealing a serious blow to the US and pro-US followers.

With the struggle, the south Koreans’ consciousness against the US got higher and south Korea turned into the country prevalent with the anti-US sentiment by the intensive struggle against the US across south Korea.

The south Koreans have expedited the struggle against the US such as the south Korea-US war rehearsals against north Korea, troop concentration, check on the relocation and expansion of the US military bases in south Korea and the withdrawal of the US troops from south Korea. They also have struggled to terminate the US colonial rule and realize democracy in south Korea and national reunification.

However, the desires of the student and the people have not yet been achieved.

Now the US is inflicting disgrace and misfortunes upon the Korean nation, evading the responsibility of turning Gwangju into a bloodbath.

The US, which is strongly against the independent reunification of Korea, eggs the warlike Lee Myung-bak regime to provoke a nuclear war against north Korea. The US has introduced various kinds of tactical and strategic nukes and other war hardware into south Korea and its surroundings and started a large-scale war rehearsals against north Korea.

Meanwhile, the Lee regime, drives the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of a war, trumpeting about the triangular military alliance and preemptive strike against north Korea.

The present situation requires the south Koreans to accelerate the struggle against the US and Lee Myung-bak as the students showed unyielding spirit of setting fire to the US cultural service in Busan.       

The US is a cancer of peace on the Korean Peninsula and a stumbling block to independent reunification. 

The south Koreans from all walks of life should wage a nationwide struggle against the US colonial rule under the banner of independence against the US and extensively accelerate the struggle for peace against war and withdrawal of the US forces from south Korea.

In addition, they should vigorously wage the struggle against the Lee Myung-bak regime that pursues the pro-US sycophancy and confrontational policy toward north Korea, running counter to demands of the Korean nation.