Various organizations and individuals gathered in New York City in the US for the official launch of the Nodutdol for Korean Community Development group’s “US out of Korea” campaign on July 27. They said they launched the campaign as contribution to the growing anti-imperialist movement in America and other parts of the world, and against the US military occupation of Korea. Nodutdol is composed of anti-imperialist Korean migrants.
Nearly 30 organizations declared support for the campaign, including the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-USA, the Palestinian Youth Movement and other mass organizations in the US. Along with its gathering in New York City, Nodutdol, its members and supporters also held gatherings in Oakland and Los Angeles, California that day.
The group timed the gathering to commemorate the 71st year of the Korean Armistice Agreement signed on July 27, 1953. The agreement contained the supposed cessation of hostilities and all armed forces actions on the Korean peninsula until a full peace agreement has been reached. Despite this, the war continues on the peninsula at the instigation of US imperialism.
Ju-Hyun Park, leader of the US Out of Korea campaign, said US imperialism is once again intensifying the threat of war in Korea. In 2023 alone, the US launched at least 200 days of war drills in cooperation with the reactionary government of South Korea.
American troops carry various types and classes of weapons systems including warplanes, large warships and submarines capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The US this year alone has transported 12 of its allies, including Japan that occupied South Korea during World War II, to Korean soil for military exercises.
Amid all this, the new campaign presented four main appeals and points of unity. First, they insist on the expulsion of the imperialist US from Korea and permanently and completely removing American troops and its weapons systems from Korea. The US must also return to the Korean people all land, water and airspace allocated for facilities in South Korea.
Second, they call for an end to all US-South Korea alliances. This includes scrapping the JAKUS trilateral security cooperation and the joint US-South Korean military structures–the Combined Forces Command, and the UN Command.
Third, end all aggression against North Korea. The campaign stressed the end to all military exercises in Korea and the lifting of all imposed sanctions against North Korea.
And fourth, ending the US war economy. They are calling for US government funds earmarked for war, prisons and policing to be diverted to housing, education, health and climate justice services.
Along with the launched campaign, Nodutol saluted the ongoing struggle of those in Korea against US imperialism. In Nodutdol’s report, 400 organizations in South Korea gathered and protested in the city of Pyeongtaek against Camp Humphreys, the largest US imperialist military base outside of its country.
The camp covers an area of 1,398 hectares, which is only one of its nearly 80 military bases in the country. There are at least 26,000 American troops stationed throughout South Korea.
Ju-Hyun Park said “right now, we are focusing on getting the US out of Korea as the main issue, before we can return to the question of how to reunify Korea.”
As Koreans within the imperialist US, we have an important duty to not only organize and arouse our people, but all the working class of this country. At least 2 million Koreans are currently in the US.
Nina, general secretary of Bayan-USA, expressed her support for the campaign and activity. “For decades, the US has waged war against the peoples of Korea and the Philippines. Let us be clear: the US is the number one enemy of our people,” she said.
“It uses our countries as playgrounds for war, and our people as cannon fodder for those wars,” she added. “Our answer: US out of Korea, US out of the Philippines, US out of everywhere!”
“We are here, not only for Korea, but for the entire world, and for anti-imperialist unity,” added Ju-Hyun Park.
