Whereas, as we observe the 80th anniversary of the end of the World War II, it is critical for the American people to understand how the U.S. became a new imperial ruler in South Korea – inflicting immense pain and suffering on the Korean people;
Whereas, even as the Korean people celebrated the end of Japanese colonial rule in Korea on August 15, 1945, U.S. officials had already decided to divide Korea into two at the 38th Parallel to stop the Soviet troops’ march into Seoul;
Whereas, the U.S. established a U.S. Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) on September 12, and the USAMGIK suppressed the Korean People’s Republic that had been already established in Seoul by the Korean people themselves on September 6, 1945; and
Whereas, although the Republic of Korea (ROK) was established in the South only in August 1948, the US military’s rule in South Korea has continued more or less, with some 30,000 US troops still stationed there today.
Therefore, Be It Resolved, Veterans For Peace, voting by its members in 2025,
- Condemns the arbitrary, tragic division of Korea by the U.S. in 1945 and the subsequent U.S. military rule in South Korea;
- Calls upon the U.S. government to end its continuing military control of South Korea;
- Urges U.S. people to support the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act (H.R. 1841) as a first step to ending the long U.S. military occupation in Korea; and
- Urges VFP members and chapters to send a copy of this resolution to their members of Congress.
Submitted by: John Kim and Ann Wright
Cosponsored by VFP Korea Peace Campaign and VFP Chapter 113 - Hawaii