The Korean people's statement to the four nations of

              the Korean Peninsula Peace Forum relating to the peace agreement

Eight years have already passed since the end of the twentieth century, scarred by wars, revolutions, the Cold War, etc. -- what was called the "age of extremes." And we have entered a new century, which we hope will be an era of respect for human rights and peace, without a Cold War. Although we have faced many crises on the Korean Peninsula, even here, a definite trend is becoming evident. The 2․13 Agreement that was reached through the Six-Party Talks follows this worldwide historical trend, in support of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a permanent peace regime here.

While we, the people of Korea, give our whole-hearted support and encouragement to this historical trend, we urge the concerned parties to conclude a peace agreement at the earliest possible date, so that a permanent peace regime can be established on the Korean Peninsula.

For our people, South and North, who endured the tragedy of the Korean War, which claimed millions of lives and caused incalculable suffering and devastation, there is no issue as vital and urgent as a peace agreement and a peace regime that will prevent the recurrence of war.

Article 4, paragraph 60 of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, concluded on 27 July 1953, stipulated that a high-level conference was to be held within three months in order to resolve, through negotiation, the issues of the withdrawal of all foreign military forces from Korea and the peaceful settlement of the Korean question.

Likewise, soon after the conclusion of the Armistice Agreement, the United Nations General Assembly recommended, by way of resolution no. 711 of 28 August 1953, that the United States "shall arrange with the other side for the political conference to be held as soon as possible, but not later than 28 October 1953". After several delays, the Geneva conference was opened in 1954, but no results could be achieved and the obligations have not been fulfilled. This has been delayed for 54 years.

Peace, the absence of war, is the most fundamental human right. It removes the threat of war, which violates every human being's right to life. Therefore, peace has been an absolutely essential principle throughout human history, in all societies, in every time and place.

In our homeland, on the Korean Peninsula, the war has not yet been formally ended, because the conditions of article 4, paragraph 60 of the Armistice Agreement have not been met.

As a result of that, the Korean Peninsula is the most heavily militarized place in the world, the arms race and war exercises have never ceased, not even for one day, and there is always the danger that a military crisis will break out. Our people, South and North, have been forced to lead their lives constantly burdened with feelings of anxiety and dread.

Even though the establishment of a permanent peace regime has been delayed, it was resolved, through the Six-Party Talks' 2․13 Agreement, that the time has come to create this regime and to make the transition to serious discussions on the terms of the peace agreement. Accordingly, the Korean people are increasingly hopeful that soon they will be free from the menace of war.

In order to accomplish this, we urge each of the countries involved in the Six-Party Talks, beginning with North Korea and the United States, to take the initial steps to implement the settlement, which will open the way to building a Korean Peninsula peace regime. We call on these states to fulfill their obligations forthwith, as provided for by the "Second-Phase Actions for the Implementation of the 3 October 2007 Joint Statement", in line with the principle of "action for action", such as removing the designation of North Korea as a state-sponsor of terrorism, disabling the North's nuclear facilities, and declaring the nuclear programs of North Korea.

Moreover, concluding the peace agreement and building the permanent peace regime are not only measures involved in establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula. It goes further than this and involves overcoming the division of the nation and our people's tragic condition, which resulted from the Cold War. It is a stepping stone toward the realization of the long-cherished dream of reunification. It prepares the ground for the swift achievement of reunification.

Also, the peace agreement and the permanent peace regime are essential and serious components of the process that goes beyond the boundaries of the Korean peninsula and lays the foundation for peace in Northeast Asia and the whole of the global village.

We Koreans are convinced that this time, a permanent peace regime will certainly be established on the Korean Peninsula and we are firmly determined to bring this about. Furthermore, we intend to go forward and initiate a broad social movement for the purpose of quickly reaching the peace agreement that has been postponed for 54 years.

We earnestly appeal to the four countries that are directly involved in the Korean Peace Forum to make progress toward concrete actions that will bring peace and establish this peace regime.

Building a peace regime means creating conditions in which it will be impossible to wage wars, even though some may desire to do so, and constructing a stable, permanent mechanism that will eliminate war from this area. To reach this goal, the four countries of the Korean Peace Forum must cooperate with each other in building the foundation and framework for peace. Their objective must be to eliminate any possibility that war might break out again on the Korean Peninsula. This must be definitely set out as an indispensable condition in the peace agreement. It is immediately self-evident that the agreement cannot properly serve the purpose of eliminating the causes of war, if essential factors that constitute obstacles to peace are not fundamentally resolved, such as the stationing of foreign military forces, the military alliances that provide the legal basis for the stationing or involvement of foreign troops, the development or deployment of nuclear weapons, the offer of the nuclear umbrella, the arms race in which foreign powers play the leading role, and so on. We state that the most equitable procedure is to solve these problems concurrently, because they are closely related to the restoration of a stable, permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Hence, for the sake of a genuine peace agreement, each country concerned must take definite measures to meet its essential obligations.

First of all, the United States must withdraw all of its military forces (United States Forces Korea) and evacuate all of its military bases in South Korea.  In  North Korea, it must be verified that there are no foreign military forces or military bases. Along with this, South and North Korea must terminate the military alliances that they have formed, respectively, with the United States and with China, and the United Nations Command (UNC) that is stationed in South Korea must be dismantled.

In view of their origin and history, the stationing of foreign military forces and the maintenance of military alliances with foreign powers on the Korean Peninsula can only be seen as factors that endanger the peace. Consequently, the withdrawal of the USFK and the termination of both South Korea's and North Korea's military alliances are necessary preconditions for the achievement of a genuine, secure peace.

In South Korea, public opinion in favor of the withdrawal of the USFK is tending to increase from year to year, and has risen to 62%, according to a report in the newspaper "Joongang Ilbo" for 22 September 2007. High-ranking United States officials have repeatedly promised that if the Korean people no longer desire the presence of the United States Forces Korea, they will be withdrawn immediately. Taking them at their word, we argue that it is now clear that this condition has been met, and in accordance with the Korean people's wish, the USFK must now be withdrawn.

Second, the peaceful solution of the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula is an equally essential element in the process of eliminating war and establishing a permanent peace regime on the peninsula. In order to accomplish this, North Korea's nuclear weapons must be scrapped. At the same time, the United States must stop threatening to use nuclear weapons against North Korea and must stop offering its nuclear umbrella to South Korea. The development or deployment of new nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula must be prohibited.

Nobody can deny that the withdrawal of the USFK in the South and the scrapping of nuclear weapons in the North are equally essential elements for the creation of the peace structure on the Korean Peninsula. Certainly, it is fair and reasonable to resolve these two elements at the same time, according to the principle of "action for action".

Third, the peace arrangements must be supported through disarmament. If the withdrawal of the USFK and the termination of military alliances are referred to as measures for eliminating the external causes of war, then confidence-building measures, cessation of the arms race, and disarmament down to the level of defensive sufficiency are necessary components of the removal of internal causes of war.

Fourth, genuine peace on the Korean Peninsula is inconceivable without overcoming the division of the country. The countries concerned must make efforts to bring about the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.

With reference to the national, internal problems of Korea, beginning with Korean reunification, the United States and the People's Republic of China must commit themselves to respect the principle of nonintervention. When Korea is reunified peacefully and is secure against other countries' intervention in its internal affairs, the Korean people can really begin their own independent national history and the peace on the Korean Peninsula will be no longer menaced by any external powers.  

A peace agreement which meets the essential conditions described above is truly the crucial element in guaranteeing that peace will take root on the Korean Peninsula. We are firmly convinced that the four countries concerned will bring this to completion, in accordance with their commitments, confirmed in the 2.13 Agreement, to establish a "permanent peace regime".

We, the people of Korea, earnestly look forward to the time when the peace and justice that will result from this shall flow like a great river across the Korean Peninsula and this solemn historical current shall spread across Northeast Asia and throughout the global village.

2008. 3. 24

List of names of members of the Committee to Promote the Withdrawal of the USFK and the Conclusion of a Peace Agreement for the Korean Peninsula