Activists condemn US-South Korea war games as global peace threat: Video
A small group of South Koreans rallied in Seoul on August 19 to protest against the annual joint military drills between South Korea and the United States.
Organised by the anti-US military group SPARK (Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea), the demonstration specifically targeted the "Ulchi Freedom Shield" (UFS) exercises, which have been a source of contention among peace advocates in the region, AFP reports.
The protesters, carrying signs and chanting slogans, expressed their opposition to the drills, which they view as a threat to regional peace.
“Even NATO forces are gathering in the Asia-Pacific region under the pretext of joint training with Japan and joining the United Nations Command. This is nothing but an adventurous policy that risks the Republic of Korea-US joint training expanding into Northeast Asia and escalating into a global nuclear war,” said Oh Mi-Jeong, a researcher at the Institute of Peace and Reunification of Korea, during the protest.
Oh Mi-Jeong further emphasised that the cessation of the UFS drills and the rejection of alliance policies rooted in confrontation are essential for global peace.
“We assert that the cessation of Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, the rejection of alliance policies that produce confrontation and conflict under the principles of independence, peace, and coexistence that the international community has advanced, and the establishment of friendly and amicable relations between nations are the very voices of peace that humanity should pursue and that should begin on our Korean Peninsula,” she added.
This year’s drills, which began on August 19, are expected to involve approximately 19,000 South Korean troops across land, sea, air, cyber, and space domains. While reports have indicated the involvement of US forces, the exact number of American troops participating has not been confirmed by the US military.
