Saturday 8 August 2015

STATEMENT ON THE OCCASION OF THE 70TH ANNVERSARY OF KOREA'S LIBERATION AND THE NEED FOR KOREAN REUNFICATION



STATEMENT ON THE OCCASION OF THE 70TH ANNVERSARY OF KOREA'S LIBERATION AND THE NEED FOR KOREAN REUNFICATION
The Staffordshire Branch of the Korean Friendship Association (UK) hails the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Korea from the yoke of Japanese imperialist colonial rule. August 15th, 1945, marks the date when the Korean Nation was reborn and arose upon the international stage, as an independent and dignified country. The Korean patriots fought heroically for the liberation of their country from the chains of Japanese imperialism for well over two decades, 1925 to 1945.
The liberation of Korea in August 1945, aswell been seen as a time of great rejoicing, was a period when the division of the Korean peninsula began. Korea's division was instigated by outside powers, principally by the United States of America. Korea's line of division was drawn at the 38th parallel in the US Department of the Army, a month before US armed forces landed on the Korean peninsula. The American military top brass saw that if the US forces seized Seoul, it would be favourable for the imperialists to dominate the rest of Korea. This division of Korea was executed without any consultation or consideration given to the interests of the Korean people.
On June 25th, 1950, the United States and south Korea carried out an unprovoked attack on the northern half of Korea, thus unleashing a war which last three years and brought about millions of causalities. The United States and its allies committed many war crimes against the civilian population, most notoriously in Sinchon-ri, during the Korean War. It was on July 27th, 1953, that the Korean people defeated the superpower, US imperialism, and achieved a victory for all peoples fighting colonialism throughout the world.
The Government of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea have put forward proposal after proposal, over the decades since national liberation, for peace on the Korean peninsula and for Korean reunification. The Leadership of the DPRK have made various initiatives for Korea's peaceful and independent reunification, such the proposal for the establishment of The Democratic Conferderal Republic of Koryo, Proposal for Removing Concrete Barrier and Effecting Free Travel Between North and South Korea and The Ten Point Programme For Great National Unity. Korea's reunification can only be realised through the principles of independence, peace and national unity. Fundamentally the reunification of Korea can only achieved by the efforts of the Korean people themselves in accordance with their will and interests, whether they be in the north, south or overseas. Huge steps were taken in the direction of Korean reunification, when the June 2000 and October 2007 north-south summit meetings were held and the North-South Declaration was proclaimed. Many measures were introduced to increase exchange in the fields of the economy, culture and family reunion between north and south Korea, as a result of the June 2000 summit meeting and declaration.
Any progress gained on the hard road towards peace and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula were cruelly reversed by the international reactionary forces. The United States and south Korea put the situation on the Korean peninsula back to the positions of confrontation. Instead of pursing a course of understanding, the US imperialists and its south Korean puppets took aggressive measures against the DPRK, such as raising campaigns over the nuclear and human rights issues among the international community, introducing more and more punitive sanctions, and conducting "regime change"/ nuclear targeted military exercises aimed at the northern half of Korea. It must not be forgotten that the United States has currently 1,000 nuclear warheads stationed in south Korea, pointed at the DPRK and there are 40,000 US troops based in south Korea. Recently, there were incidents, where anthrax bacteria had been released from the US air force base, in Osan, south Korea and tested among the local population. Park Geun Hye and her administration have totally rejected the implementation of the north-south Korean agreements and is hell-bent on anti-reunification policy. The regime of Pak Geun Hye is now busy with constructing a national security orientated state, where voices for peace and reunification are suppressed.
The Staffordshire Branch of the Korean Friendship Association (UK) calls upon the White House to withdraw all US armed forces from Korea and to establish diplomatic relations with the DPRK, and the south Korean authorities to enter into dialogue and peaceful relations with the northern half of Korea, with sincerity and goodwill. Korea's division by the US imperialists, remains a source of shame after 70 years and that the issue of Korean reunification be solved immediately by the Korean people themselves. A delegate from our branch saw for himself the pain inflicted upon the Korean people by national division, while visiting the Demilitarized Zone at Panmunjom in June, 2015. The Staffordshire Branch of the UK KFA urges all peace campaigners, anti-imperialist activists, socialists and trade unionists, youth and students to support the just cause of the Korean people in achieving peace and reunification on the Korean peninsula, free from outside pressure and influence.

KOREA IS ONE!!!


KOREA MUST BE REUNIFIED BY THE KOREAN PEOPLE, THEMSLEVES!


PEACE IN KOREA, US IMPERIALISM GET OUT OF KOREA! 




Issued by the Staffordshire Branch of the Korean Friendship Association (UK)
08 August 2015
Stoke On Trent
Staffordshire
UK
 

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