Speech of John Kim, Head of VFP Delegation to South Korea
At 9/24/06 Peace Rally for Pyeongtaek in Seoul

Good Afternoon Brothers and Sisters!

My name is John Kim.
I am a board member of the Veterans For Peace (VFP), a national organization of American veterans working for peace. 

We have a five-member VFP delegation participating in this rally, and three of them are veterans of the Korean War in their 70s. They are very pleased to be back in Korea because they came to Korea this time to defend Pyeongtaek farmers and peace, not like in the past when they came to wage a war. Let’s give another warm applause to these old warriors!

After hearing the heart-breaking news of the forcible eviction of Pyeongtaek farmers, our organization passed a resolution at its national convention last month: 1) Extending our warm solidarity to the Pyeongtaek farmers who are waging a just struggle to defend their farm land; and 2) calling upon the U.S. government to “shut down its 100 military bases in South Korea and bring our troops home now, instead of relocating them below Seoul.”

Today, we would like to inform Pyeongtaek farmers and the Korean people that there are many concerned peace-loving American people who not only oppose the unnecessary, dangerous expansion of the U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek but also want the American troops come home from Korea.

Above all, we do not want a revival of the Korean War into a hot war. It is about time for the United States to end the lingering Korean War with a peace treaty and bring our troops home now. That is the best way to serve the interests of both Korean and American people, and contribute to the peaceful reunification of Korea as well.

Stop the Expansion of U.S. Base in Pyeongtaek!
End the Korean War Now!
U.S. Troops Out of Iraq and Korea!