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On 8th October, as news of US attack on Afghanistan came through the media, around 80 people hastenly gathered in front of US Forces Headquarters in Seoul to hold an emergency press conference and demonstration. The press conference and demonstration was hosted by a coalition of 8 networks, including the Korean Committee against Missile Defense and Korean Peoples' Action Against BIT & WTO. The coalition was originally formed to raise mass action against Bush's visit to Korea, but with the cancellation of the visit transformed into a coalition against the US war on Afghanistan. The protesters condemned the bombings that will cause nothing but suffering to the people of Afghanistan, and called for the Korean government to rethink its plans to send support to the US.

Two days later, on 10th October, 765 organizations issued a joint statement and held a proclamative rally and a march for the 'termination of war of retaliation, denouncement of Korean government's war support and peace on the Korean peninsula', to voice out their repeated concern over the US attacks and to denounce the plans of the Korean government which pledged to give full support to the US. Hundreds gathered at an auditorium in center of Seoul, accompanied by flashes of media camera.

Representative speakers from 12 areas including labour, environment, women etc. each gave short comments on the situation. Many speakers demanded for the "Nobel Peace Prize winner" to "spread his words of peace" to other world leaders instead of giving support to the US, while the Heo Young-gu from KCTU commented that this war was an attempt to "restructure the world into the US-dominating neo-liberal globalization'. Lee Kyeong-sook, representative from the Korean Women's Associations United, the umbrella organization of women NGOs, deplored the fact that women give birth to new life but yet are always the first ones to suffer the consequences of a political conflict. Oh Jong-Ryeol, chairperson of Solidarity for Reunification showed his concern over the plans of the US to push ahead the Missile Defense System, freezing the prospects of a reunification that the two Koreas had made during the last couple of years.

In a joint statement, the 765 organizations said that "we are against all types of terrorism and war... and that terrorists should with strictly but impartially through the procedures of international law." It goes on to say that "the US government sprouted anti-US feelings through its dominating policies... and the renunciation of its domination is the path to peace". After the recitation of the joint statement, the participants set off from Myeongdong Cathedral and marched into the center of Seoul.

Also on the same day, Women Against War(WAW), a network of individual feminists and women's organizations which was formed just after US announced its plans of retaliation, held a small rally at the crossroads of Shinchon, Seoul. The 50 participants draped themselves in black cloth to symbolize solidarity with Afghan women and also to mourn for the victims of war. The rally started off with a dance performance symbolizing a yearning for peace, followed by speeches. The speakers emphasized that wars and militarism always accompany violence against women, as was the case in Kosovo and the 'comfort women' who were recruited by the Japanese military during its occupation of Korea. The WAW statement read that "all wars are wars against women and other social minorities" and that "the deaths of innocent citizens brought on by the terror should not be wasted". The WAW showed a different perspective in making historical connections between militarism, nationalism and gender oppression, in contrast to other demonstrations against war which major women's NGOs had already held, where call for peace was interpreted to be coming 'naturally' from women's 'motherhood' -a dangerous interpretation that 'peace and love' are inherent characteristics of women.

Series of other demonstrations are scheduled to take place on the 15th at the time of Koizumi's visit to Korea, and a mass rally against war and globalization is planned to take place on the 20th. Also, joint day of action in 9 Asian countries is planned on 22nd October.

The demonstrations and the fast reactions from the Korean progressive community is encouraging, especially the attempts to form a broad unity within Korea as well as international solidarity with other anti-war movements around the world. However, although the call for 'anti-war pro-peace' is impending and vital at the present moment, progressive forces must now take another step and resist the 'new war' in its totality, including the manipulation of the world's ruling elite and capitalists to push ahead free trade, the attempt to limit civil rights, and further exploit the Third World through militarism around the world. The enforcement of a world-wide 'police state' will surely also further discriminate and oppress minorities including women. We must now strive to sublimate the international anti-war movement into an all-out resistance against the tyrannies of US domination and globalization that is sure to make a more aggressive turn as of the 9.11 terror attacks and the 'war of retaliation'.

By Policy & Information Center for International Solidarity picis@jinbo.net