Calls for Truth and Justice Persist!

On February 4th, just one day before the 100th day anniversary of the Itaewon tragedy that occurred on October 29th, family members of the victims and citizens set up a memorial altar at Seoul Plaza. However, even after 100 days have passed, the truth about that day has yet to be properly investigated. The police’s special investigation unit and the national assembly’s investigation have ended with little success, as they only questioned on-site personnel and did not investigate the fundamental causes of the tragedy. On January 13th, Park Hee-young, the mayor of Yongsan-gu, and Kim Kwang-ho, the chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, were arrested and charged on charges of negligent homicide in the performance of official duties. However, the special investigation team decided not to press charges against Yoon Hee-Geun, the chief of police who did not deploy riot police to prevent the tragedy, Lee Sang-min, the minister of interior and safety, who is in charge of commanding and overseeing the police, and Oh Se-hoon, the mayor of Seoul, who should have taken responsibility for the disaster that happened in the very heart of Seoul. The investigation said that they do not have “concrete” responsibility for the disaster and therefore their acts cannot constitute a crime. Without having one proper face questioning, the investigation ended.

A parliamentary probe into the Itaewon Tragedy was also found to be inadequate. While the state, local government, and police were found responsible at a comprehensive level, many important facts could not be properly checked due to perjury or refusal to submit relevant evidence by attending institutions. In particular, the family members demand to know the exact time and place of the death of victims as they are either unknown and listed merely as ‘on the streets of Itaewon,’ and to have a thorough investigation in which the families can participate. The families also accuse the government of unfair treatment by trying to prevent them from coming together. The families demand to know what actually triggered this man-made disaster given that many of the police officers on that night were said to be undercover to investigate drug offenses rather than crowd-controlling. There is so much truth yet to be revealed. We demand the launch of an independent body to lead the investigation of the Itaewon tragedy. We ask you to stand with us in the pursuit of finding the truth of the Itaewon tragedy.

Researchers Honored at the ‘Twinkle Twinkle Distinguished Theis Award’ Ceremony for Shining Light on the Cold World.

On January 30th, the Participatory Society Research Institute hosted the presentation ceremony for the winners of the ‘Twinkle Twinkle Distinguished Thesis Award’ at the Areum-Dri hall in the PSPD. We offer our deep appreciation and encouragement to the researchers who expose the reality of our society and pursue practice-oriented research. These researchers include: Goo Ji-hye, who revealed in her research how labeling “teenage labor” as “deviant” on the pretext of protecting teenagers would lead to the denial of citizenship and labor rights for young women; Ahn Hwa-young, who shed light on how the urban poor, who were sacrificed in the brutal process of industrialization, gained their voice through the urban novels of the 1980s; Lee Hee-young, Jung Da-wool, and Jung Seong-jo, who tracked how the biopolitics in the K-covid19 strategy operated to exclude sexual minorities; and Shin Hyun-a, who studied Okpo Nobo, the newsletter of Dae-woo Shipbuilding Labor Union, and put together the process of how the workers tried to create and retain their own language in the contest with the capitalists after the ’87 Grand Struggle.

Two Years After Myanmar Coup, We Will Achieve The Spring Revolution With Myanmar People

On February 1st, it marked the two-year anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar. As of the end of January, the death toll of civilians in Myanmar had reached at least 2,901 people due to the military’s increasing violence against the people. Despite the military’s violent actions such as shooting, bombing, arson, and arrests, the people of Myanmar have not stopped fighting for democracy. In support of the pro-democracy movement, the Korean Civil Society in Support of Democracy in Myanmar, along with the Myanmar communities in Korea, held press conferences, rallies, and marches to condemn the Myanmar military and honor those who sacrificed their lives in the fight for democracy. It was a time for Korean civil society organizations to come together and raise their voices in support of the ongoing struggle for democracy in Myanmar.

NIS Urged to Relinquish Control of Espionage Investigations: A Core Reform for Democracy and Rule of Law

Concerns have been raised as the NIS raided the headquarters of labor unions over suspicions of anti-state activity, bringing back memories of the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, which sought to create a police state by strengthening the authority of the NIS. As a result, the PSPD has joined the Democratic Oversight Networks of the NIS, a coalition of civil society organizations and congresspeople, to hold an emergency discussion. During the gathering, it was pointed out that attempts to reverse the core reform of the NIS – the transfer of authority to conduct anti-espionage investigations – are threatening both democracy and the rule of law, and must therefore be stopped.

South Korean Court Rules in Favor of Protesters’ Right to Pass in Front of Yoon’s Office

The PSPD has filed a lawsuit to revoke the ban on demonstrations near the presidential office imposed by the Yongsan Police Station. A Seoul Administrative Court ruled against the police, stating that the presidential office was not considered part of the presidential residence defined in Article 11, Paragraph 3 of the Assembly And Demonstration Act. This was the basis on which the police had issued dispositions banning gatherings. The court’s ruling is absolutely correct as it confirms that the police’s arbitrary interpretation was unlawful. Demonstrations that express the opinions of civilians about the president should take place where they can be seen and heard by the president.

“No” to E-Commerce Monopolies: Action Needed.

Recently, unfair practices by online platform operators such as Coupang, Kakao, and Naver Corp have been revealed one after another. The EU and the USA will soon put the Digital Market Act into force, which designates large online platforms as important gatekeepers and regulates anti-competitive behavior by companies. The “National Network for Fairness in Online Platforms,” of which the PSPD is a part, has proposed the “Online Platform Monopoly Regulation Act,” which is Korea’s version of the Digital Markets Act. They are working together with Rep. Lee Dong-ju of the Democratic Party to introduce this act.

Translated by a PSPD Volunteer

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(Bangkok/Kathmandu – 16 January 2023) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and 30 of its member organisations strongly condemn the Taliban’s recent ban on women and girls from higher education and employment in non-governmental organisations (NGOs). “The Taliban’s complete exclusion of women from public life, denying them their human rights and fundamental freedoms, can only be described as gender apartheid,” said the rights group in a statement today.

Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban has been persistent in erasing women from public life, denying women’s and girls’ rights to health, education, employment, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association and movement.

On December 21, 2022, the Taliban announced an indefinite ban on all Afghan women and girls from attending universities in Afghanistan. Subsequently, on December 24, 2022, the Taliban banned women from working in all local and international NGOs. These actions are an extension of prior restrictions on women and girls from attending secondary schools, working in government positions, going to public parks, female baths and gyms, and travelling without a male guardian. The Taliban has also ordered women-run small businesses in Balkh province to close their shop, for many of whom it was their only source of income. They have also directed hospitals to ensure that male doctors are no longer allowed to treat female patients, putting into jeopardy women’s access to healthcare. The Taliban has disallowed Afghans from travelling abroad without a valid reason and put a blanket ban on women travelling independently. Since the Taliban’s takeover, many western scholarships were rescinded, and now with these bans, it has become impossible for Afghan women to take advantage of diminished opportunities.

A survey by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Afghanistan found that 86% of 151 women-led/focused organisations surveyed were not operating or were only partially operating as a result of the ban. The survey also revealed that 1 in 3 women-led/focus organisations surveyed had to stop more than 70% of their activities due to the ban. Furthermore, 31% of these organizations were forced to cease all activities.

“Such bans have far-reaching consequences for not just Afghan women, but for all Afghans as female staff are essential to all humanitarian assistance and response in the country. With no access to education or opportunities, the future of Afghan women appears grim. Under Taliban rule, the country has unabashedly become an open prison for Afghan women and minorities, as well as for journalists and human rights defenders,” said the rights groups.

The Taliban has violently oppressed the peaceful protests by Afghan women and human rights defenders against the education ban. On December 22, 2022, a group of nearly 50 women protestors who intended to gather outside Kabul University, were physically assaulted and harassed, and some of them were detained along with journalists covering the protests.

These moves by the Taliban are against Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations and backslide from the Taliban’s initial promises of allowing women and girls a right to public participation.

We strongly condemn the Taliban’s continued abuse of human rights and its exclusionary policies, especially against women and girls, and demand that these bans be revoked immediately. We call upon the international community to ensure that the Taliban is held accountable for its unabated and grave human rights abuses and ensure that:

• Afghan women’s and girls’ right to education is upheld and to call for these bans to be lifted to ensure access to education for women and girls.
• Afghan women’s right to employment and livelihood, including access to work in governmental and non-governmental organisations, are respected and they are allowed to continue their work freely, without any fear of retaliation.
• Afghan women’s personal autonomy and fundamental freedoms are respected, including their right to movement and participation in public life.
• The Taliban respects and adheres to Afghanistan’s national and international obligations and commitments to human rights and protects all fundamental rights of women, girls and all minorities.

List of signatories:

Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), Bangladesh
Association of Women for Awareness & Motivation (AWAM), Pakistan
BALAOD Mindanaw, Philippines
Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan
Bir Duino, Kyrgyzstan
Bytes for All, Pakistan
Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC), Cambodia
Center for Human Rights and Development (CHRD), Mongolia
Centre for the Sustainable Use of Natural and Social Resources (CSNR), India
Covenants Watch, Taiwan
Defence of Human Rights, Pakistan
Globe International Center, Mongolia
Human Rights Alliance, Nepal
Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation – Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia (YLBHI), Indonesia
Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC), Nepal
International Legal Initiative Public Foundation (ILI), Kazakhstan
Jagriti Child and Youth Concern Nepal (JCYCN), Nepal
Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, Kazakhstan
Korean House for International Solidarity (KHIS), South Korea
Madaripur Legal Aid Association (MLAA), Bangladesh
Maldivian Democracy Network, the Maldives
National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), Pakistan
Odhikar, Bangladesh
PBHI (Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association), Indonesia
People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD), South Korea
People’s Watch, India
Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), Philippines
Psychological Responsiveness NGO, Mongolia
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), Malaysia
Think Centre, Singapore

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Korea Peace Appeal Campaign International Partners Meeting

 70 years of the Korean War Armistice,
Let’s Build Peace Together!

Korea Peace Appeal has scheduled a Zoom meeting for international partners.

Military tension on the Korean peninsula is elevating amid the never-ending ceasefire. The risk of an accidental armed conflict is very high. The prospect of peace on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia is not so bright. There is a desperate need for voices calling for peace.

Marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice this year, the Korea Peace Appeal Campaign has launched a new project <Korea Peace Action for the 70 years of the Korean War Armistice>. We plan to continue the Korea Peace Appeal signature campaign but more intensively, and organize various peace actions all over the world.

We aim to share awareness of the current situation and introduce our plan for 2023 and discuss ideas and opinions on building peace on the Korean Peninsula through the meeting.

Please join us in building peace together!

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Program

• Presentation : Current Crisis on the Korean Peninsula
  – Jae-Jung Suh (Professor for Politics and International Relations at International Christian University)
• Presentation : 2023 Plan and Introduction for International Participation
  – Korea Peace Appeal Campaign
• Discussion

We have set two individual sessions considering the time difference. The two sessions will cover the same content! Please register for a session that suits your schedule by clicking on the link beside each session.

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We sincerely pray for the safe return of the missing.

We pray for all those who died in the magnitude 7.8 earthquake and the series of following earthquakes that occurred in southeastern Turkey on 6 February. In addition, we express our deep condolences to all those who lost their loved ones and their livelihoods due to this earthquake.

The number of deaths currently identified has already exceeded 10,000. The scale of damage is expected to increase even more if Northwestern Syria, which has been suffering from a long-lasting war, is included. Search and rescue operations are difficult due to aftershocks, and many people are still trapped in the rubble of buildings in the freezing cold. We sincerely pray for the safe return of the missing and a speedy recovery in the affected areas.

09 Feb 2023

People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD)

Korean Version >>

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The governments of the United States and South Korea will conduct a large-scale ROK-US Combined Military Exercise, Freedom Shield (FS), beginning March 13. According to the media, during this period, the ROK-US Combined Forces Command will practice scenarios such as beheading the North Korean leadership, ousting commanders, and stabilization operations in North Korea, and will also intensively conduct a large-scale field exercise named Warrior Shield (WS). US Strategic assets including strategic bombers are expected to be part of the exercise, and the ROK-US-Japan Ballistic Missile Defence drill has also been announced for later this month.

In response, on 7 March 2023, the held a press conference in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office and issued a joint statement. Military tensions on the Korean Peninsula are very high and are heading towards power-to-power confrontation without any measures to prevent a conflict. It is imperative that the ROK-US Combined Military Exercises are immediately suspended before they lead to a larger crisis. Suspending the ROK-US Combined Military Exercises could be a decisive step in reopening the door to dialogue and diplomacy between the two Koreas and the US and DPRK.

The joint statement was proposed by the <Korea Peace Appeal Campaign>, <Korea Peace Now Grassroots Network>, <Peace Treaty Now> and was endorsed by 745 South Korean organizations and 99 US and international civil society organizations. The statement was also delivered to the Office of the South Korean President and the US Embassy in Seoul.

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ROK·US·International Civil Society Statement

Call to Resolve the Threat of War on the Korean Peninsula
and Suspend ROK-US Combined Military Exercises 

As people who act for peace in South Korea, the US, and worldwide, we are deeply concerned about the elevating military tension on the Korean Peninsula. We must suspend all military actions, including ROK-US Combined Military Exercises.

Despite the opening toward peace through the Inter-Korean and DPRK-US Summits in 2018, the once-discontinued ROK-US Combined Military Exercises resumed in just a year, and the relationship between the two Koreas and the DPRK-US has progressively deteriorated. Last year, North Korea withdrew its four-year commitment to suspend nuclear tests and ICBM test launches because of the US hostile policy and military threats.

The situation is getting worse after the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol government. Both the US and South Korea announced plans to expand the scale of ROK-US Combined Military Exercises and enhance the Extended Deterrence Strategy, and for the first time in 5 years, military exercises with aircraft carriers and strategic bombers have resumed on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has also declared corresponding military operations and started military exercises. Although it was in the open sea, North and South Korea exchanged missile launches close to their rivals’ sea border, causing tensions to ratchet up even further. At that time, a failed missile launch from South Korea crashed in Gangneung, leaving the residents in the dark for hours, terrified. Moreover, North and South Korea have crossed the Military Demarcation Line by deploying unmanned aerial vehicles. At the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, the reality is that the armistice itself is at stake.

ROK and US authorities are claiming that the ROK-US Combined Military Exercises are annual defense drills, but the truth is different. It appears that the drills are based on operation plans that reportedly include pre-emptive strikes and decapitation measures against North Korea, large-scale deployment of US troops and strategic assets assuming an all-out war, etc. Over the last several decades, air force bombers like B-1B, B-2, and B-52 which are nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, nuclear-powered submarines, large-scale deployments of US-ROK troops, etc. were mobilized. Due to their size and character, the ROK-US Combined Military Exercises have intensified the military and political tension on the Korean Peninsula.

The ROK and US governments have given notice that they would carry out the most extensive field exercises in March by mobilizing the largest number of troops and strategic assets ever, and have already started several ROK-US Combined Military Exercises since January. ROK-US-Japan Military Cooperation has also developed to the level of a military alliance. North Korea is also taking military action, including missile drills, warning that “We will respond at all times and take strong overwhelming actions”.

The situation is rapidly moving toward great power confrontation with no countermeasures to prevent conflict. Large-scale military action mobilized with real weapons only increases the risk of accidental clashes. We know well how a show of force has led to war in the case of several countries. It is only a matter of time before an unprecedented military crisis or war transpires.

War exercises that heighten the threat of war on the Korean Peninsula must stop. We must acknowledge that isolation, military pressure, and sanctions have not accomplished peace and denuclearization in Korea but only brought about resistance from North Korea, and we must lay down our hostility.

Today, the entire world, including the Korean Peninsula, is facing complex crises such as climate, infectious disease, food, and economic crises. We cannot solve these crises unless we cooperate and stop blocization and military confrontations. In particular, the reality is that there is no information or controls on the carbon emitted during large-scale military training and war preparations, such as deploying strategic bombers. Military drills threaten the Earth and human beings, and they must stop.

We must end the Korean war that has afflicted all members of the Korean Peninsula for over 70 years, and redirect the cost of destructive weapons to solving inequality and the climate crisis. It is time to end hostility and confrontation and strive for a peaceful and sustainable world through reconciliation and cooperation.

The suspension of the ROK-US combined military exercises will play a decisive role in re-establishing the forum for dialogue and diplomacy between the two Koreas and between the DPRK and the US. We call on the ROK and US governments to choose wisely.

7 March 2023

Korea Peace Appeal Organizations in South Korea (745)

US Civil Society Organizations (48)
Action One Korea
American Peace Information Center
Answer Coalition
Atlanta Civic Action 
Channing and Popai Liem Education Foundation
China-US Solidarity Network
Coalition of Koreans in America (CKA)
CODEPINK
Education Center for Tomorrow 
Environmentalists Against War
Friends Peace Teams-Asia West Pacific 
GA Peace Forum 
Gandhi Alliance for Peace
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
HOA–Hawaiʻi Okinawa Alliance
Korea Peace Now Grassroots Network
Korea Peace Now!
Korea Policy Institute
Korean American National Coordinating Council, Inc.
Korean American Public Action Committee (KAPAC)
Korean Americans for the Progressive Party of Korea (KAPP)
KPNGN PNW
Maine Natural Guard
Massachusetts Peace Action
Military Poisons
MinKwon Center for Community Action
New England Korea Peace Campaign
NH Peace Action
Nodutdol for Korean Community Development
Parallax Perspectives
Peace Action
Peace Action of San Mateo County
Peaceworkers
Phil Berrigan Memorial Chapter Veterans For Peace
Presbyterian Peace Network for Korea
Proposition One Campaign for a Nuclear-Free Future
RootsAction
Seattle Evergreen Coalition
Show Up! America
The Least of These Church Justice & Peace Committee
Utah Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (UCAN)
Veterans For Peace, Spokane Chapter #35
Veterans For Peace’s Korea Peace Campaign
Washington Butterfly for Hope
Women Against War
Women Cross DMZ 
Women for Genuine Security
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) US

International Civil Society Organizations (51)
6.15공동선언실천 해외측위원회
6.16공동선언실천 일본지역위원회
재일한국민주여성회
재일한국민주통일일연합 도쿄본부
재일한국민주통일일연합 중앙본부
한민족유럽연대
1923 Korea-Japan Citizens’ Solidarity
Blue Banner, Mongolia
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Canada
Center for Peace Education, Philippines
Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPCS), Cambodia
Commission 4 of the ILPS, Canada
Coop Anti-War Cafe Berlin, Germany
Freante Antiimperialista Internacionalista, Spain
German East Asia Mission (DOAM), Germany
Ingenieurkonsulent für Kulturtechnik und Wasserwirtschaft, Europe
International Peace Bureau (IPB), Germany
International Women’s Network against Militarism
Northeast Asia Regional Peacebuilding Institute (NARPI)
Peace Boat, Japan
Peace Depot Inc. Japan
Peace for East Asia (PEASIA), Canada
Peace Treaty Now (PTN)
Peace Women Across The Globe (PWAG), Switzerland
Peace Women Partners, Philippines
Prutehi Litekyan Save Ritidian, Guam
Queen’s Collegiate, Canada
Stop the War Coalition Philippines
The Hwamok Fellowship
The United Church of Canada
Unity of Women for Freedom – Philippines
Women Against Nuclear Power, Finland
Women for Peace, Finland
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Kyoto
World Beyond War
福岡県日朝協会
原水爆禁止日本国民会議
日本朝鮮学術教育交流協会
日朝友好連帯群馬県民会議
日朝友好連帯埼玉県民会議
日朝友好連帯千葉県の会
日朝友好神奈川県民会議
朝鮮女性と連帯する日本婦人連絡会
朝鮮学校「無償化」排除に反対する連絡会
朝鮮の自主的平和統一支持する京都委員会
朝鮮の自主的平和統一を支持する日本委員会
朝鮮の自主的平和統一を支持する長野県民会議
平和憲法を守る荒川の会
戦争への道を許さない北・板橋・豊島の女たちの会
フォーラム平和・人権・環境

For the Korean version see here

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