On 24 September, Korean peace activists held a mass march and rally to “oppose the Pyeongtaek US base expansion” and “denounce the US for demanding war bases”; and the 4th Great Peace March to “denounce the Roh Mu-hyeon government which ordered the forced demolition of houses”, “denounce the US for demanding the war bases and the ROK-US FTA”, and “demand a complete re-negotiation of the plan to expand the Pyeontaek base”. 
About 160 members of SPARK participated in the day’s activities.

The rally started at 12:00 in front of the Yongsan garrison, with SPARK leader Kim Jong-il presiding. There were approximately 3000 participants, including SPARK members, Pyeongtaek residents, farmers, workers, students, and others. Members of SPARK carried signs shaped like houses, bearing the message: “People are living here. Stop destroying houses.” The distinctive signs, which eloquently expressed the concerns of Pyeongtaek residents, attracted the attention of many journalists, who took numerous photographs of them.

At the rally the demonstrators criticized the United States for demanding the expansion of the Pyeongtaek base and the war bases. At the conclusion of the demonstration, the participants performed a street-theater skit, ripping apart a huge US flag and tying the strips of the torn Stars and Stripes to the gate and walls of the base and to the police buses. This performance was carried out to show support for the participants who were denouncing the US.

After the rally, everyone marched to the Namyeong underground station. During the march, the participants spray-painted slogans such as “Stop the US base expansion”, “Close the Chikdo bombing range”, and “Oppose the ROK-US FTA” on the police buses, the base walls, and the streets.

The 4th Great Peace March, started at the open area in from of City Hall at 3:00 pm. with about 10,000 people in attendance, carrying whistles, horns, and a variety of placards. 
To begin, a troupe of teenagers presented a drama based on the lives on Pyeongtaek residents. The young people who played the part of the residents who are struggling to stop the expansion of the base at Pyeongtaek expressed the people’s true feelings. The play made a deep impression on the participants. The young performers said, “We prepared for the play by putting ourselves in the residents’ situation and understanding what they’re going through. While we were putting on the play we really felt the anxiety that they’re experiencing”.

Next the nationwide march group came up on the stage. The nationwide march group reported about their 17-day pilgrimage all around the country, starting on 8 September, during which they appealed to the residents of the different regions of Korea to work together to stop the Pyeongtaek base expansion and the FTA, then and entertained the rally participants with a presentation of the songs and plays that they had performed during the pilgrimage.

Following this presentation, the famous popular vocalists Jeon In-kwon and Jeong Tae-chun sang songs and all the participants stood up to sing songs very cheerfully, waving their sign and applauded.

In addition, several members of the US organization Veterans for Peace made speeches expressing solidarity with the Korean peace movement’s anti-bases campaign.

Jo Jun-ho, president of the Korean Federation of Trade Unions; Mun Peong-shik, chairman of the Korean farmers’ organization; and Mun Seong-Hyeon, chairman of the Democratic Labor Party, went up on the stage together, “In November, we will hold a gigantic demonstration, and spread the struggle to stop the Pyeongtaek base expansion. The Roh Mu-hyeon government had better be ready for it,“ they declared.

To conclude the activities, all the participants stood and read out the declaration, which says: “President Roh Mu-hyeon said he would stand up to the US. But now he’s taking the lead in promoting the construction of the US’s war bases. This is a criminal act that can’t be permitted under any circumstances”, “We’ll fight to the end to gain the release of Kim Ji-tae, the chairman of the Pyeongtaek Residents’ Committee to Oppose the US Base Expansion, and for the re-negotiation of the Pyeongtaek US base plan”.

At the end, there were two more street-theater actions. First, Father Mun Cheong-hyeon and Hwang Pil-sun, committee chairman Kim Ji-tae’s mother, were carried on a symbolic model boat, escorted by more than 70 Pyeongtaek residents, across the plaza toward the stage. Doduri 2 village head Lee San-ryeol, who serves as the villagers’ spokesman, said, “We will struggle until the end”, and strongly announced his support.

In the second performance, the participants cut through the barbed wire entanglements that had been set up around the perimeter of the plaza. This barbed wire symbolized the barbed wire that was strung up around Daechuri’s and Doduri’s fields near Pyeongtaek in the area designated for the US base expansion. Through this performance they expressed the idea that we will defend our land.

The demonstration concluded at 5:30 pm. The significance of today’s demonstration was that the Pyeongtaek residents gained great strength from gathering together with so many supporters.

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