Briefs on the anti-US anti-war struggles in south Korea

12.12-The permanent chairman Yang Un-sik of the US regional Headquarters of Beomminryon, rendered support to the hunger strike to check the troop dispatch to Iraq, staged by the presidium members of the South Headquarters of Beomminryon.

-The chairmen of the General Student Councils of universities in Seoul called a press conference to oppose the authorities’ moves to send additional troops to Iraq.

-The Busan People’s Solidarity issued a statement titled “We actively support the indefinite hunger strike of the presidium members of the South Headquarters of Beomminryon” against the troop dispatch to Iraq.

12.13- The South Headquarters of Beomminryon issued the struggle directive to all its members in regard to the anti-US patriotic hunger strike of the presidium members to check the troop dispatch.

-The Gwangju Jeonnam Area Federation of University Student Councils held a rally for anti-US anti-war peace and death-defying check of the troop dispatch to Iraq.

-The Gwangju Jeonnam Area Student Measure Committee against the Troop Dispatch to Iraq issued a statement against the plots to pass the “motion on the troop dispatch” in the National Assembly.

12.14-The People’s Action against the Troop Dispatch issued an urgent statement against the government authorities and the representatives of the parties who agreed on the execution of additional 3,000 troop dispatch to Iraq.

The statement deplored that they showed on their own accord by the agreement that this land was reduced into one of the US states, deprived of the sovereignty, and stressed that it would exert every effort to revoke the decision on the troop dispatch.

-The People’s Action against the Troop Dispatch held a press conference in front of Cheong Wa Dae (Presidential office) to denounce the authorities’ move to send additional troops to Iraq.

12.15-The Reunification Solidarity issued a statement titled “Let us check the decision of the troop dispatch by the people’s efforts”.

-Hanchongryon issued a statement against the pass of the decision of the troop dispatch at the parliament.

-The chairman of the Reunification Committee of Hanchongryon issued a statement to call for a struggle against the authorities’ decision on the additional troop dispatch to Iraq.

12.16-Members of the civic organizations and students under Seochongryon held a rally in Youido, Seoul, to support the anti-US patriotic hunger strike of the presidium members of Beomminryon to check the troop dispatch.

-The People’s Action for the Revision of the South Korea-US SOFA, Those Opening Peace and Reunification and the Movement Headquarters to Return the US Yongsan Garrison held the 51^st anti-US solidarity rally in front of the US Embassy.

-The students of Seochongryon held an one-man demo in front of the office of the president of the Grand National Party(GNP), against the pass of the motion of the troop dispatch in the parliament.

12.17-The South Headquarters of Beomminryon held in front of the Gate Gwanghwa, a cultural festival for the anti-US patriotic hunger strikers.

12.18-Several organizations staged the struggle against the decision on the additional troop dispatch to Iraq.

The People’s Action against the Troop Dispatch, together with the presidium members of the South Headquarters of Beomminryon who were on hunger strike, held a rally in front of the Gukmin Bank.

They declared that the people together with the peace-loving peoples of the world strongly demand the withdrawal of the US troops from Iraq and will never tolerate the dispatch of the south Korean troops to Iraq.

-Several organizations involving the Reunification Solidarity and the Reunification Plaza joined in the hunger strike of the presidium members of the South Headquarters of Beomminryon to check the troop dispatch to Iraq.

-Newly elected chairmen of the General Student Councils of 12 universities in  Gwangju Jeonnam Area, held a joint press conference against the troop dispatch to Iraq calling for the revocation of the authorities’ decision on the troop dispatch and the struggle to check the pass of the motion of troop dispatch at the parliament.

-Those Opening Peace and Reunification, the Lawyers for Democratic Society and the Study Commission of the US Troops Problem held a seminar under the theme “What is the problem in the negotiation for the transfer of the US Yongsan Garrison?”.

-The Busan Citizens’ Peace Action against the Troop Dispatch to Iraq paid protest visits to the offices of the parliamentary members of the GNP who were actively supporting the troop dispatch to Iraq.

12.19-Those Opening Peace and Reunification, the Green Korea United, the Movement Headquarters for Eradicating the GIs’ Crimes and the Conference for Independence and Reunification called a press conference in front of the Seoul District Court to demand the punishment of the GI criminals who discharged the toxic materials into the Han river.

-A street cultural festival to check the troop dispatch to Iraq, was observed in front of the Gate Gwanghwa with the participation of the presidium members of the South Headquarters of Beomminryon who were on the hunger strike for 9 consecutive days and members of civic organizations and students.

12.20-A function to check authorities’ move to dispatch troops to Iraq was observed in front of the Gate Gwanghwa under the auspices of the People’s Action against the Troop Dispatch.

Present there were the members of 351 civic organizations, students and the presidium members of the South Headquarters of Beomminryon, who were on an  indefinite hunger strike.

They staged a human-chaining event towards the Government Building chanting slogans such as “Dissolve the plant-like parliament”, “No troop dispatch” and “No war”.

-Hanchongryon held at the Jongmyo Park an emergency student rally on the situation to check the troop dispatch to Iraq.

12.21-The chairman of the Seoul Coalition of Beomminryon issued an appeal to the students in the Seoul area.

The appeal, rejecting the decision on the troop dispatch, called on the students to eliminate the GNP and other pro-US conservatives and conduct the dynamic struggle to safeguard the national independence and achieve the reunification through the firm unity under the banner of the June 15 joint declaration.

12.23-The Catholic Coalition for Iraqi Peace grouping 19 religious organizations including the Practice Coalition for the Church Reform, observed in front of the Sejong Cultural Hall near the Gate Gwanghwa, a prayer meeting to demand the repeal of the decision on the troop dispatch to Iraq.

-Student councils and colleagues’ groups of Gyeonggi, Yunse, Seogang, Hanggong Universities, the Methodist Theology University, Myongji, Ehwa Womsn’s Universities, and the Student Commission of the Democratic Labor Party formed a preparatory committee for the joint action of the students in the western region to oppose the troop dispatch to Iraq and realize peace on the Korean Peninsula.

They published a joint resolution titled “The students in the western region, rise up actively to check the humiliating troop dispatch to Iraq”.

-Different social segments strongly protested against the vote for the troop dispatch.

In this regard, the People’s Action against the Troop Dispatch issued a commentary, and the vice-chairman of the Busan National Democratic Youth Association, the chairman of General Student Council of Korea Uni. and the head of the policy affaires of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, expressed their opposition to  the troop dispatch.

-Participants in a resolution rally of the youth and students in the Gwangju Jeonnam area published an article calling for a more energetic struggle to implement the June 15 joint declaration and safeguard peace against the US and war.

12.24-The Reunification Solidarity issued a statement titled “We denounce the government that betrayed the people’s mind and revealed its status as a henchman of the aggressive war”.

-The “Hanchongryon Death-defying Squad to Check the Pass of the Decision of the Troop Dispatch to Iraq at the Parliament” called a press conference in front of the Gate Gwanghwa.

-The South Headquarters of Beomminryon issued a statement to denounce the government’s decision of the troop dispatch to Iraq.

12.25-Some 40 religious organizations involving the “Catholic Coalition for Anti-war Peace” observed a joint prayer meeting for peace near the US Embassy in Seoul.

12.26-The 6^th Friday rally for anti-US anti-war peace (a rally to denounce the US which deployed the modern weapons in the demilitarized zone to launch a war on the Korean Peninsula) was held in front of the US Embassy in Seoul.

-The Paengsong Town Measure Committee against the Expansion of the US Military Bases, declared in front of the Pyongtaek US military base, a “tent-strike to defend our land from the expansion of the US military bases”.

12.29-The hunger strikers of the South Headquarters of Beomminryon held in front of the National Assembly Building in Youido, Seoul, an anti-US patriotic cultural festival on the occasion of their 19^th day of hunger strike.

12.31-3,000-odd people of the civic organizations involving the People’s Action against the Troop Dispatch, the International Democratic Solidarity and the All People Measure Committee for the Schoolgirls Killed by the GIs, held at the Sejongro in Seoul a function against the US and the troop dispatch.