U.S. troops out of Korea

About 100 activists, military veterans and community organizers gathered in New York City’s Koreatown for a rally and candlelight vigil Sept. 23 against planned expansion of a U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. This rally, organized by the Korean Americans Against War and Neoliberalism (KAWAN), featured documentary footage of South Korean farmers being dragged from their homes by the military, at the behest of the U.S. government.

The Pentagon is planning an expansion of the military base at Pyeongtaek as part of what it calls the “strategic flexibility of the U.S. Forces in Korea (USFK).” This means that troops will be pulled back from the Demilitarized Zone and transformed into a rapid mobilization force that can be used for offensive purposes anywhere in the region, including against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) or China. The base expansion will destroy the farming communities of Daechuri, Doduri and others, affecting more than 500 households and thousands of residents. The farmers have chosen to resist the occupation of their lands and defy the Korean government and the Pentagon.

The rally and vigil were in solidarity with an international day of action that brought more than 100,000 people to the streets of Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 24. The people of Pyeongtaek and their supporters have vowed to continue the struggle to save their homes. For more information, see www.saveptfarmers.org.