On October 14, New Hampshire Peace Action presented a “Korea Peace Talks Update” in Concord, NH, and Liberation News was there.
Presenter Hyun Lee, a widely known peace activist with “Women Cross the DMZ” and editor of “Zoom In Korea,” gave a detailed and enlightening history of imperialism’s relations with Korea before and after the undemocratic split along the 38th parallel. She put forth the goal of achieving a peace treaty by 2020.
“We have a rare opportunity,” announced Lee. She explained that because of the success of the “Candle Light Revolution” and other grassroots efforts, Moon Jae-In and Kim Jong-Un now have a platform on which to build a clear path to peace. She added that any treaty must ultimately involve the United States, which is still officially at war with North Korea. She went on to explain that the United States, in addition to having thousands of its own troops on the ground, has controlled the South Korean military since the split along the 38th Parallel. Thus, while peace is supported by the people of North Korea and South Korea, and is in the economic interests of the region, any peace treaty must be signed off on by Washington which means going against the defense contractors such as Raytheon and BAE, and the broader imperialist military industrial complex.
After the forum, Liberation News caught up with NH Peace Action Director, Will Hopkins, to get his thoughts on the presentation and his take on the situation unfolding on the Korean Peninsula. When asked to reflect on the presentation, he said “In the case of Korea… I think Hyun Lee really spelled out an opportunity for the peace movement to not just oppose war, but make a meaningful stride toward world peace. Hyun Lee’s presentation really got me thinking about the window of opportunity we have right now to do something positive and score a win for humanity.”
“Women Cross the DMZ” has crafted a Support Letter for Peace in Korea for individuals, organizations and legislators to sign, putting pressure on the U.S government to support, sign, and ratify a full peace treaty.
