On the 60th Anniversary of an ongoing war, with signs of present-day
increased U.S. military buildup, Veterans of the Korean War Call for a
Real Peace Treaty
June 25, 2010. St. Louis, MO - The rising military tensions on the Korean Peninsula prove again the urgent need to achieve permanent peace in Korea. Veterans For Peace (VFP) continues to call for the replacement of the outdated Armistice Agreement with a true peace treaty.
Enlisting at 18 and having served in the Korean War, VFP member Woody Powell says, "As a combatant in 1952-53, I am in total disagreement with my government's policy in the Far East, part of which is the deliberate continuation of a sixty-year-old war against a hopelessly impoverished North Korea. It saddens and terrifies me to see the expansion of U.S. military bases throughout South Korea, at Pyong-Taek, Cheju Island, Mugeon-ri, in direct opposition to the will of the South Koreans themselves." Powell was an Airman First Class in the 58th Air Police, K-9 Unit, from Berkeley, CA.
With numerous skirmishes over the years involving both Koreas, and on the anniversary of the U.S. war in Korea, the Korea Peace Campaign of Veterans For Peace urges not only military restraint by both Koreas, but the cessation of additional U.S.- ROK naval exercises and other military buildups in the Korean Peninsula.
While President Obama directed the U. S. military to coordinate with South Korea, "to insure readiness against other future aggression," in May, according to Reuters, Veterans For Peace calls upon the parties to restrain from public discussions on "military preparedness and response to aggression" while entering into discussions that would result in a permanent understanding, a lasting peace agreement, and a reunification of the two Koreas.
Veterans For Peace President Mike Ferner says, "The recent unfortunate sinking of the South Korean warship, Cheonan, should not be used as an excuse by any parties to renew the armed conflict that the armistice was supposed to address on July 27, 1953. Rivers of blood, mountains of pain and a permanent war economy in the U.S. are the true costs of this conflict. This sad anniversary renews VFP's commitment to abolish war as an instrument of national policy."
As we observe the 60th anniversary of the Korean War of 1950-1953 today, it is time to end this tragic war, not re-ignite it. We urge all concerned parties in the Korean War--both Koreas, the United States, and China--to begin negotiations for a peace treaty and an official end to the war.
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Friday, June 25, 2010