SPARK sent 3 delegates to Guam to protest against the 6th ROK-US Security Policy Initiative meeting from 13 to 15 February. Attached is the coverage of their protest by a local newspaper, "Marianas Variety".

Peace activists oppose S. Korea-U.S. alliance  

By Mar-Vic Cagurangan, Variety News Staff

Supported by their local counterparts, two peace activists from South Korea staged a peaceful demonstration in front of Andersen Air Force Base in Yigo, where they said U.S. and South Korean defense officials were holding a meeting to discuss a mutual plan to permanently station American forces in Korea.

"This is very serious for Korean people because it involves our national security. But they are meeting behind closed doors and keeping it secret from the Korean people", said Yoo Hong, who represents Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea.

Yoo said defense officer An Kuang Chan represents the South Korean government in the Republic of Korea-U.S. Security Policy Initiative meeting to be concluded tomorrow.

"The government never tell the people what's going on. They didn't tell the people why the defense officer and his colleagues came to Guam", Yoo Hong told Variety.

Yoo Hong is accompanied by another peace activist Cho Kuang Su, who both arrived on Guam yesterday morning, bringing with them anti-U.S. bases banners and press releases.

Yoo said the airport police and FBI investigators held him  at the airport for five hours and interrogated them about their mission on Guam.

"They let us go when we assured them that we will not violate any U.S. laws and that we will be holding a peaceful demonstration. We were told that this is a free country", Yoo said.

Members of the Nasion Chamoru joined Yoo and Cho at Monday's peace rally.

Details about the meeting were not available as of press time. Lt. J.D. Griffin, spokesman for the Andersen Air Force Base, would neither confirm nor deny that there was such an ongoing meeting. He referred the Variety's inquiries to the Navy, but no one was available at the Navy public information office to comment.

Last month, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice met with South Korean officials to jumpstart the discussion on the force realignment agreements between the two countries.

Washington and Seoul have signed agreements on the relocation of USFK bases including Yong-san Garrison, and the partial reduction of USFK, which was accomplished through close ROK-U.S. consultation.

The ROK-U.S. alliance is in danger of collapsing because of the end of the Cold War and the accelerating movement of inter-Korean relations, Yoo said.

For this reason, the ROK-U.S. authorities are attempting to find justification for the permanent stationing of US forces on the Korean peninsula, he added.

Yoo criticized his government for agreeing to allow the United States to use the Korean peninsula as a staging base for possible attacks on China