Launch of GPPAC Publication

Reflections on Peace and Security in Northeast Asia

– Perspectives on the Ulaanbaatar Process

The publication Reflections on Peace and Security in Northeast Asia - Perspectives on the Ulaanbaatar Process was launched in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on August 29, on the occasion of the third meeting of the Ulaanbaatar Process, a civil society-led dialogue for peace and stability in Northeast Asia. The publication is a collection of essays which capture the diverse and uncompromised opinions, concerns, tensions and contradictions of a region in turmoil at the time of the 3rd Ulaanbaatar Process Meeting held on August 29–30, 2017.

Articles of the printed publication are made available online at https://medium.com/reflections-on-peace-and-security-in-northeast. Please visit this site. 

Reflections on Peace and Security in Northeast Asia - Perspectives on the Ulaanbaatar Process explores the contentious issue of nuclear weapons in the region, the current security climate on the Korean Peninsula which is frozen in a fragile armistice, as well the successes and challenges faced by non-governmental organizations in the context of peacebuilding in Northeast Asia. It features articles by the participants of the Ulaanbaatar Process; representatives of civil society from China, Japan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, the United States of America, the Russian Federation as well as Mongolia.

The Ulaanbaatar Process, launched by the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) in June, 2015, aims to support the creation of conditions of peace and stability in Northeast Asia through the promotion of greater civil society dialogue and interaction. It is hosted by Mongolian NGO Blue Banner in cooperation with GPPAC Northeast Asia, and with the support of the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The third Ulaanbaatar Process meeting provided an opportunity for sincere and open civil society dialogue on the current peace and security situation in Northeast Asia, and particularly the crisis on the Korean Peninsula. The previous two meetings, similarly held in Ulaanbaatar, also saw the participation of civil society representatives of all the Six Party Talks countries and Mongolia. 

For more information about the Ulaanbaatar Process, please visit the GPPAC Northeast Asia as well as Facebook page  https://www.peaceportal.org/web/ulaanbaatar-process/home

For more information on GPPAC, please visit http://www.gppac.net/.

<Photo from GPPAC NEA, Aug 29-30, 2017>

세계군축행동의 날, 
언제까지 글로벌 호구 대한민국이어야 하나

복지비 지출 OECD 꼴찌, 자살률 OECD 1위 국가에서
군사비 지출 올해도 세계 10위, 무기 수입 2014년 세계 1위

또다시 세계 10위를 기록했다. 오늘(4/5) 스톡홀름국제평화연구소(SIPRI)가 2015년 세계 군사비 현황을 발표했다. 세계에서 10번째로 많은 군사비를 지출하는 이 나라는 복지비 지출에서 OECD 조사 대상국 28개국 중 꼴찌, 자살률은 OECD 1위를 기록하고 있다. 그 나라의 이름은 대한민국이다. 한국은 매년 정부 재정의 약 15%가량을 군사비로 쓰고 있는데, 이는 OECD 회원국 평균 대비 2.5배나 된다. 과잉 투자 논란에 성능 결함이 산적한 F-35 40대를 도입하는 데는 7조 원을 아낌없이 쓰면서, 누리과정 예산 4조 원에는 전전긍긍하는 정부. 이것이 바로 ‘헬조선’의 현주소다.

한국의 무기 수입액은 세계 10위 수준을 유지해왔지만, 2014년에는 무려 세계 1위를 기록하기도 했다. 2015년 12월에 발표된 미 의회조사국(CRS) 연례 무기 거래 보고서에 따르면, 한국은 2014년 78억 달러의 무기 도입 계약을 체결해 당당히 1위에 올랐다. 그중 70억 달러는 미국 무기 수입이었다. 그래서 무기 판매 세계 1위 기업인 록히드 마틴에게 한국은 최고의 고객이다. 아시아의 이 작은 국가는 성능도 검증되지 않은 무기를 묻지도 따지지도 않고 덥석덥석 구매하기 때문이다. 차기 전투기 핵심기술 이전이 거부되고도 말이다. 그리고 곧 한국에 배치될지 모르는 주한미군의 사드(THAAD) 덕분에 록히드 마틴은 또다시 웃는다.

이 많은 군사비가 제대로 사용되고는 있는가? 방위력 개선비로 연 11조 원가량씩 지출하는 국가에서 2014년 출범한 방위사업비리합동수사단이 수사한 비리사업 규모만 약 1조 원이다. 합수단에 따르면 육·해·공군을 가리지 않고 광범위한 분야에서 뇌물수수, 허위공문서작성, 납품비리 등 각종 유형의 비리가 지속적으로 발생했다. 2014년 국방통계연보에 따르면, 최근 10년간 방산부문 매출액은 4조 6,440억 원에서 9조 3,429억 원으로 약 2배 증가했다고 한다. 이게 건강한 수치가 아니라는 사실을 우리는 충분히 짐작할 수 있다.

군사비가 많다고 해서 63만 군인들의 생활은 안녕한가? 국방비 중 가장 큰 비중을 차지하는 인건비는 대부분 장교 인건비로 지출되고 있다. 병력의 70%를 차지하는 사병 인건비는 전체 인건비 중 약 9%인 반면, 병력의 11% 수준인 장교 인건비가 전체 인건비 중 약 42%를 차지한다. 징집된 사병들은 2016년 최저임금 기준으로 따지면 1/7에도 못 미치는 급여를 받고 있다. 이것이 여전히 당연하고 온당한 처우인가?

이쯤에서 항상 나오는 ‘북한의 위협이 심각한데 군사비를 줄이면 어떻게 하냐’는 질문에도 답할 수 있다. 남한의 군사력이 북한에 비해 월등히 앞선다는 사실은 이미 정부도 인정한 바 있다. 남한은 북한의 총 GDP 규모에 달하는 군사비를 지출하고 있으며, 이것은 주한미군의 군사비는 제외한 수치다. 북한이 핵무기 같은 대량살상무기에 집착하는 이유는 도저히 군사비 경쟁이 안 되기 때문이다. 문제는 신뢰이지, 더 많은 군사비가 아닌 것이다. 최근 북한의 4차 핵실험 이후 남한에서도 다수의 정치인들이 핵무장을 주장하고 있으나, 이는 또 다른 악순환을 낳을 뿐이다. 한반도를 둘러싸고 각국이 벌이는 군비 경쟁과 군사력 과시를 멈추지 않고는 대화를 시작할 수 없으며 평화도 요원할 수밖에 없다. 

“만들어진 모든 총과 진수된 모든 전함과 발사된 모든 로켓은, 굶주려도 먹지 못하고 헐벗어도 입지 못한 사람들로부터 빼앗은 것”이라는 오래된 이야기는 지금 이 순간에도 반복된다. 유엔인도주의업무조정국(OCHA)은 올해 시리아, 아프가니스탄, 이라크 등 각국의 사람들에게 원조를 제공하기 위한 인도주의 자금으로 ‘201억 달러’가 필요하다고 발표했다. 우리는 작년 한 해 전 세계가 군사비로만 무려 ‘1.8조 달러’를 써버린 것을 상기할 필요가 있다. 전 세계 군사비의 1%만이라도 빈곤퇴치와 인도주의 목적으로 사용한다면, 많은 것을 바꿀 수 있다.

더 많은 군사비는 평화와 안전이 아니라 주변국의 더 많은 군사비, 그리고 무기회사의 수익으로 귀결될 뿐이다. 이제는 답안지를 바꾸고 우선순위를 다시 매길 시간이다. 변화의 가능성은 ‘우리 세금을 무기 대신 우리의 삶에’ 사용하라고 외치는 시민들, 그리고 이들의 목소리를 반영해 정부 예산을 심의·의결하는 국회에 있다. 20대 국회는 세금을 군사비에 쏟아 붓는 대신, 요람에서 무덤까지 위태롭게 살아가는 시민들의 삶을 회복하는 데 사용해야 한다. 2016년 4월 5일, 제6회 세계군축행동의 날을 맞아, 작금의 ‘헬조선’을 탈출할 열쇠는 바로 이 발상의 전환에 있다고 제안한다.

2016 세계군축행동의 날 준비위원회

남북평화재단, 시민평화포럼, 열린군대를위한시민연대, 전쟁없는세상, 참여연대, 평화교육프로젝트 모모, 평화도서관 나무, 평화바닥, 평화를만드는여성회

☮ 세계군축행동캠페인 웹사이트 http://gdams.or.kr
세계 군사비 현황, 한국 군사비 현황 등 다양한 자료가 망라된 GDAMS 한국 웹사이트에 세계군축행동주간(4/5~4/18) 동안 군축 관련 다양한 컨텐츠를 지속적으로 업데이트할 예정입니다.

Police Seizes and Searches PSPD and Change 2016 Office

We Condemn Repression of Legitimate Voter Actions!

(16 June 2016, Seoul) On 16 June 2016, the South Korean police seized and searched the office of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD), which has been used as the office of the Citizens’ Network for General Elections of 2016 (Change 2016), and the homes of involved activists, on the alleged charges that Change 2016 has violated the Public Official Election Act of South Korea. Change 2016 strongly condemns the police’s seizure and search.

Although the Public Official Election Act in its present form severely inhibits voters’ freedom of expression, Change 2016 has been organizing its campaign within the boundaries of the law in compliance with the opinion of the National Election Commission. Nevertheless, alleging that Change 2016 has been “meticulously and intently” violating the Public Official Election Act, the South Korean police set out disproportionate investigation and raid. Such police action obviously constitutes repression of voters’ legitimate exercise of their freedom of expression. 

The police claim that Change 2016 has conducted “a public opinion poll in the guise of an innocuous survey,” and held press conferences in front of the offices of “the 10 Worst Candidates” who were chosen by voters are acts of crime that go against the Public Official Election Act. 

Legal and polling experts, however, have confirmed that the survey that Change 2016 conducted was indeed not a public opinion poll. Moreover, Change 2016 has never displayed the names and photographs of the candidates in front of their campaign offices. Although the present Public Official Election Act curtails voters’ freedom of expression, Change 2016 has made sure to operate within the boundaries of the law. The latest attack on Change 2016 in the form of sudden police search and seizure is rather arbitrary, and demonstrates the political motive of threatening and repressing the works of the South Korean civil society.

We, at Change 2016, hereby demand that the South Korean police immediately stop its arbitrary investigation of Change 2016. Why should the government abuse its power in this way to silence voters, when it should do more to guarantee and respect voters’ rights to freedom of expression? All civil society organizations affiliated with Change 2016 will work together to fight this abuse of legal enforcement.

The decision to place THAAD in South Korea, which threatens peace in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia and violates the residents’ right to live peacefully, must be rescinded. 

The entire country is being shaken, and the already-dangerous political situation in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia is becoming even more unpredictable because on July 8, 2016, South Korea and the U.S. announced that they are deploying THAAD to South Korea. Up until South Korea and the U.S. officials announced Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province as the location for THAAD deployment, this process had been entirely ambiguous and one-sided. Even though a plethora of concerns regarding the use, the efficiency, the military/diplomatic prices, and the side effects of THAAD were raised, the South Korean government, behind the curtains, decided to follow the request of the U.S. Now, in Seongju, the anger and the resistance of its residents, who have suddenly been notified of the deployment of THAAD, are growing rapidly. 
 
THAAD is not a weapons system for the residents of the Korean peninsula or for their defense. 

THAAD is essentially a part of the U.S. Missile Defense System (MD). It will be the U.S. military and government that will be running THAAD. MD is an aggressive weapons system, based on the “absolutely stubborn” idea, which aims to incapacitate the missile attacks of the countries against the U.S. and enable the U.S. to launch missiles whenever they want to. The South Korean government is insisting that the deployment of THAAD is to defend the Korean Peninsula from North Korean nuclear weapons and missiles. However, recently, the government has admitted that THAAD cannot defend Seoul and its metropolitan area. The South Korean government is still advertising as if THAAD can at least defend the area within its 200km radius, but this is not true. 200km is nothing but a number to describe the range of the intercept missile attached to THAAD. But, the detectable range of the radar on THAAD theoretically reaches at most a few thousand kilometers. This is why there has been criticism that the main purpose of the frontline deployment of THAAD is to detect medium- to long-range missiles flying over the Korean Peninsula and nearby skies according to the U.S. military strategy. Therefore, there is no such thing as an “adequate” location to place THAAD in this country. The decision of South Korea and the U.S. to place THAAD in Seongju must be rescinded. 

THAAD deployment is militarily and diplomatically self-destructive measure, which will threaten the safety of South Korean citizens and become a severe obstruction in peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia.

South Korean THAAD is closely related to the missile defense system that was introduced to Japan. Deployment of THAAD to South Korea signifies that South Korea will be sucked into the U.S.-Japan MD, which targets not only North Korea but also China, as a subsidiary partner, and that the Korea-U.S.-Japan military cooperation system will become official. No matter how much South Korean government claims that this is essential to the South Korean sovereignty, the international society and neighboring countries will not accept it. The “strategic companion” relationship with China has become a meaningless term, and the basis of economic cooperation and the friendly relationship between the citizens of both countries can be at risk. China and Russia have already announced that they will be “taking correspondent measures.” It is obvious that this will also negatively affect the international cooperation to solve the nuclear problem in the Korean Peninsula. This is why THAAD can never be a tool to protect the safety of South Korean citizens and peace in the Korean Peninsula. The decision to place THAAD, the “real danger,” which brings threats and conflicts instead of peace, in South Korea must be rescinded.   

We also protest against the undemocratic and non-transparent decision process. 

Before facilitating THAAD deployment, exhibitions, discussions, and evaluations of its use, effects, and military/diplomatic significance should have been carried out. The information about the negotiation process must have been transparently released. However, the South Korean government skipped all these procedures and simply controlled all information. There was not enough discussion even within the related organizations. They treated this important matter, which puts the future of peace in the Korean Peninsula at stake, as if they are carrying out a military strategy. The South Korean national assembly, which represents all of South Korean citizens, never received any substantial reports. The character, the content, and the discussion process of “South Korea-U.S. joint working group for the discussion of THAAD deployment” were not shared with the National Assembly. Even after the decision to deploy THAAD in South Korea, the South Korean government is insisting that this does not require the agreement of the National Assembly. In the case of Seongju, which was decided as the location for THAAD deployment, the residents and the military officials received the unexpected news without any explanation. They were not notified of the negative effects on the environment surrounding the THAAD base and health of the residents. The undemocratic and non-transparent decision of the South Korean government to place THAAD must be rescinded immediately.  

THAAD deployment must receive the consent of the representative body, which in this case, is the National Assembly.

THAAD deployment is directly related to the lives and the safety of South Korean citizens and is a critical matter, which will influence the friendly cooperative relationship with neighboring countries. It may also cost an astronomical amount of money. Therefore, this matter cannot be solely decided by the administrative body; it needs the agreement of the National Assembly. More than anything, the dangerous practice of the South Korean government, which ignores the discussion process and treats this issue like a secret military strategy to avoid the regulation of the National Assembly, cannot be left uncontrolled. If the National Assembly represents all of South Korean citizens, they must stop the one-sided push of THAAD deployment and exercise their right to consent. If the government never asks for the agreement of the National Assembly, the National Assembly must restrain the government’s abuse of its authorities through every measure, such as an investigation in relation to government, an adaptation of the resolution to oppose, and a demand for jurisdiction dispute.  

We are going to start a pan-national peace action to rescind the decision to place THAAD in South Korea. 

We are going to start a pan-national peace action that gathers people from various backgrounds and publicizes the problems of this decision to rescind the decision to place THAAD in South Korea and to stop South Korea from being sucked into the U.S.-Japan missile defense system. We are going to form solidarity to prevent Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province from becoming another victim of state violence, like Pyeongtaek Deachuri or Jeju Gangjeong village. In addition, we are going to fight with all of South Korean citizens, so that THAAD will not be placed in Seongju or any other parts of South Korea. To accomplish this, we are going to actively try to convince and pressure local governments, the National Assembly, and related government organizations and will convey our message to governments and civil societies of neighboring countries, including the U.S. and japan. We will surely punish any abuse of power that undemocratically pushes for the placement of THAAD. Moreover, we are going to form solidarity to facilitate the reconciliation and the cooperation of North and South Korea and to form a peaceful system. The Korean Peninsula should no longer become an explosive warehouse, which is swayed and used by the arms race of the neighboring powers, but should transform as the stepping stone of Northeast Asian peace and cooperation. We are going to actively spread civil resistance and actions for the withdrawal of the decision to place THAAD and for peace in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. 

July 14, 2016

번역 : 목지수 (참여연대 평화군축센터 자원활동가)

STATEMENT OF THE VANCOUVER WOMEN’S FORUM

ON PEACE AND SECURITY ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA

>>> Statement [Download]

As sixteen delegates representing peace movements from all over the world, we have traveled from Asia, Pacific, Europe, and North America to convene the Vancouver Women’s Forum on Peace and Security on the Korean Peninsula, an event held in solidarity with Canada’s Feminist Foreign Policy to promote a peaceful resolution to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula. Sanctions and isolation have failed to curb North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and instead severely harm the North Korean civilian population. A Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons will only be achieved through genuine engagement, constructive dialogue, and mutual cooperation. We issue the following recommendations to the Foreign Ministers participating in the January 16 Summit on Security and Stability in the Korean Peninsula: 

● Immediately engage all relevant parties in dialogue, without preconditions, to work toward achieving a nuclear-free Korean peninsula;

● Abandon support for the strategy of maximum pressure, lift sanctions which have deleterious effects on the North Korean people, work toward the normalization of diplomatic relations, remove barriers to citizen-to-citizen engagement, and strengthen humanitarian cooperation;

● Extend the spirit of the Olympic truce and affirm the resumption for inter-Korean dialogue by supporting:

i) negotiations for the continued suspension of joint US-ROK military exercises in the south, and the continued suspension of nuclear and missiles tests in the north,

ii) a pledge not to conduct a first strike, nuclear or conventional, and 

iii) a process to replace the Armistice Agreement with a Korea Peace Agreement;

● Adhere to all the Security Council recommendations on Women, Peace, and Security. In particular, we urge you to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which acknowledges that the meaningful participation of women in all stages of conflict resolution and peacebuilding strengthens peace and security for all. 

These recommendations are based on our long experience engaging with North Koreans through citizen diplomacy and humanitarian initiatives, and from our collective expertise on militarism, nuclear disarmament, economic sanctions, and the human cost of the unresolved Korean War. The Summit is a sobering reminder that the gathered nations have a historic and moral responsibility to formally end the Korean War. A pledge not to conduct a first strike can de-escalate tensions by significantly reducing the apprehension of an attack and the risk of miscalculation that could result in an intentional or an inadvertent nuclear launch. Resolving the Korean War can be the single most effective action to halt the intense militarization of Northeast Asia, which gravely threatens the peace and security of 1.5 billion people in the region. The peaceful resolution of the Korean nuclear crisis is the key step toward the total global elimination of nuclear weapons.

January 15, 2018

Vancouver Women's Forum on Peace and Security on the Korean Peninsula

Christine Ahn, Women Cross DMZ

Kozue Akibayashi, WILPF

Lisa Natividad Guahan. Coalition for Peace and Justice

Ewa Eriksson, Fortier Women Cross DMZ

Yehjung Yi, Korean Sharing Movement

Mihyeon Lee, People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy

Liz Bernstein, Nobel Women’s Initiative

Moon-sook Lee, National Council of Churches in Korea

Susan Bazilli, Women Peace Security Network

Nan Kim, Alliance of Scholars Concerned about Korea

Ellen Judd, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace

Ann Wright, Women Cross the DMZ & Veterans for Peace

Patti Talbot, United Church of Canada

Mary-Wynne Ashford, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

Erica Fein, Win Without War

Lyn Adamson, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace 

<사진 = 밴쿠버여성포럼>