Peace for Korea Rally
December 20, Friday, 1 pm UNITED NATIONS
Ralph Bunch Park, 43rd & 1st Avenue
Who is threatening peace in Korea? North Korea or
the United States?The leaders of north and south Korea made an historic step toward peace, reunification and reconciliation when they signed the June 15, 2000, North South Joint Agreement. The Bush administration has been trying to sabotage the agreement ever since it took office.
Why do the U.S. ruling circles need to portray north Korea as an ‘Axis of Evil’? A perceived north Korean threat is necessary to justify building the Theater Missile Defense (TMD) system, which is primarily intended to counter China’s growing military and political power. With China’s economy growing at seven percent, it is only a matter of time before it dwarfs Japan in power and strategic influence. This worries sectors of Japan’s government, especially the military establishment, and also concerns the Bush administration, which does not want to see U.S. power and economic interests in the region challenged by China.
Since neither the U.S. nor Japan are willing to admit to building the new missile system to counter China, they are using north Korea as the pretext for creating the TMD in Japan. Bush just ordered the Pentagon to make it operational by 2004. The TMD has been denounced around the world as opening up a new arms race.
In addition to the TMD, the U.S. is also discussing the implementation of the Navy Theater Wide Defense (NTWD) system that would be installed on U.S. and Japanese Aegis warships. These mobile missile defense systems could severely challenge China’s military power and threaten peace in Korea.
North Korea refuses to be a political hostage of the U.S. government. It demands the signing of a Non-Aggression Treaty with the U.S., which would provide some measure of security that the U.S. would not use a nuclear ‘Pre-Emptive Strike’ against them as many Pentagon documents have threatened.
In addition to militarily threatening north Korea, the U.S. is also applying economic pressure. The U.S. has discontinued the supply of heavy oil fuel that it is obligated to provide as a part of the 1994 Geneva Agreement. North Korea needs this oil for its people this winter.
We urge the U.S. government to:
Sign a Non-Aggression Treaty with north Korea
Continue the supply of heavy fuel oil as required by the 1994 Geneva Agreement
ENDORSERS: Korea Truth Commission-Joint Office, International Action Center, Korean-American National Coordinating Council, December 12 Coalition
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