South Koreans Rally for peace on 70th anniversary of Korean War Armistice

Thousands of people marched and rallied in Seoul on Saturday to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice.

They demand a peace treaty with North Korea and view critically the strong ties with the US developing under the current South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol.

The United States is intervening in our political, diplomatic, military and economy, to maintain and strengthen its hegemony.

As a result, the sovereignty of South Korea is being trampled and the national interest is being abandoned.

Choi Hyun-Jung, Activist

Former South Korean president, Moon Jae-In, had engaged with North Korea and sought to replace the armistice with a peace treaty, but that failed to materialize with the US refusal to respond to Pyongyang’s freezing of its nuclear and missile testing.

Relations between North Korea, Seoul, and, the international community, have deteriorated under President Yoon who has initiated large scale joint US- South Korean military exercises.

The US has also deployed their so called ‘strategic assets’ to South Korea; weapons capable of delivering a nuclear strike against North Korea, further raising tensions.

South Koreans have also been sensitive about the developing trilateral alliance with the US and Japan.

Alliances involve solidarity in equal relationships, not subordination. President Yoon’s administration has been increasingly influenced by Japan as well as the United States. The strengthening of the military alliance is very dangerous.

Song Byong-Gu, Pastor

The official armistice anniversary is July 27. Through this week, various events, including one in Washington, DC, will address replacing the armistice with a peace treaty and seeking better ties with Pyongyang.