Alliance and extended deterrence brings

nuclear confrontation and crisis of war to the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia!

Let’s join hands for peace and co-prosperity in Northeast Asia and a nuclear-free world.

Feburary 28, 2023 / Bikini day

SPARK(Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea), Hayoung Bak

[Korean]

On behalf of SPARK youth members, I would like to express my strongest solidarity with the victims of  the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the U.S. H-bomb test in Bikini Atoll, who are fighting for a nuclear-free world.

70,000 Koreans were victims of the 1945 atomic bombings. Today, only 1900 people are living. Even if all first generation of victims were to pass away one day, the pain and suffering would be passed down to the second and third generations.

As we listened and recorded the testimonies of the Korean A-bomb victims, studied and felt the horrors of nuclear weapons, we realized that nuclear weapon should never be used again. The fear of nuclear weapons and a nuclear war erupting is not a relic of the past but a matter of today. Therefore, achieving a nuclear free world is a top priority while also being the biggest challenge for the younger generation.  

Considering the region's escalation of nuclear confrontations and war crises, it would not be surprising if a nuclear war erupted in Korea and Northeast Asia. The ROK-U.S. Combined Forces are drawing up a new (nuclear) operation plan, which includes a preemptive nuclear strike, and are increasing military spending for it. In response, North Korea has also adopted a new nuclear law, which also includes a preemptive nuclear attack, and announced it will increase its nuclear capacity.

What is intensifying nuclear confrontation and war crises? It is the alliance and extended deterrence such as the nuclear umbrella. The alliance seeks confrontation, deterrence, and coercion by its nature and employs offensive strategies and forces.

In other words, if the U.S. had not threatened North Korea with extended deterrence, North Korea would not have developed nuclear weapons and the so-called ‘nuclear threat’ would not exist. Extended deterrence is a main reason of North Korea’s nuclear development, possession, and threats. Therefore, to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, extended deterrence should be abolished.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice and the signing of the Korea-U.S. alliance. It is more urgent than ever to conclude a peace treaty that will legally end the Korean War and stop nuclear confrontation. The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula will ease the military confrontations in Korea and Northeast Asia. Also, the U.S. would no longer be able to justify providing a nuclear umbrella or maintaining an alliance with Japan.

Also,  Japan's interpretation of its constitution for collective self-defense, the enactment/revision of security legislation, the enemy base strike capability, and its military build-up would no longer be justified, all of which violate the peace constitution and have been used as a pretext for the so-called North Korean nuclear and missile threats since the Abe administration. .  

Attaining a peace treaty on the Korean Peninsula, as well as defending the Japanese peace constitution and withdrawing Japan’s enemy base strike capability is a shared challenge for the people fighting for a Northeast Asia nuclear-free zone and a nuclear free world.

Given this, SPARK will hold the 16th annual rally called ‘평화홀씨마당’, to break out of extended deterrence and alliance and promote peace, prosperity, and reunification of the Korean Peninsula. We are putting a lot of effort into participatory programs such as singing, dancing, and playing.

We’re planning to hold an International People's tribunal in New York in 2026 to hold the U.S. accountable for dropping A-bombs. It will console the suffering of A-bomb victims and bring much-delayed justice. The tribunal will also contribute to preventing nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia, contribute to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the realization of a nuclear-free world. If we can make the tribunal a joint international campaign by the Global Anti-Nuclear Peace Movement, it will surely complement the TPNW and become a driving force for the movement to realize a world without nuclear weapons.

Let us urge the U.S. to withdraw its extended deterrence. Let’s call for our governments to break the alliance with the U.S. Let's prevent the South Korea-U.S.-Japan alliance as well as a military alliance in the Asia-Pacific region. Let's urge our governments to join the TPNW. Let's pursue peace and co-prosperity in Northeast Asia and the world through common security. Let's struggle in solidarity for the realization of a nuclear-free world.