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The terrorist bombings which struck down the 2 skyscrapers of the World Trade Center and the 'most heavily guarded building in the world' Pentagon on 11th September sent shock all throughout the world. The US government has promised retaliation, calling for its allies to join in its thirst for blood. The Korean government, one of US's most obedient allies, has immediately responded to Bush's call, promising full cooperation in the 'war against terrorism' - provision of both material and ideological aid. For once in recent political history of Korea, the two major political parties have something to agree upon. Now we face an all-out attack on the Middle East in just a matter of few days.
While the US leaders and its allies are in a war-frenzy, conscientious citizens and activists around the world have begun to speak out on the essence of the terror attacks.

Not a single word against the US?

On 17th September, 23 civil, social, labour and student organizations in Korea attempted to hold a press conference, denouncing the US plans to wage war on Afghanistan and calling for peace. We can only say 'attempted', because it was suppressed before it even began. The press conference was planned to take place in front of Korea Telecom, the building next to the US Embassy, which has been heavily guarded by tanks and the military ever since the 11th. As representatives began to arrive at the site, riot police charged, separated the group and made a small fortress of shields around three of the representatives. Moon Jeong-Hyun, a Catholic priest, wrote "Violence Begets Violence!" on a sheet of paper and held it up above the heads of the riot police who had completely surrounded him. The riot police cracked down any attempts to speak out, to set up tables, to hold banners. One student ended up on an ambulance, around 15 were taken away on police buses and several media cameras were broken. The police backed down a couple of hours later, when they had dragged away most of the participants, although they continued to violently drag away anyone who approached nearby.

This was the first press conference in the history of Korea that was actually attacked by riot police. The police states that the press conference was one with 'demonstration-like characteristics', and thus illegal since Korean law forbids any sort of gathering within the 100m diameter from an embassy. But the truth is that the Korean government is fearing any sort of opposition against the US that might seem to infringe its faithful promise of full support for the US operations in the Middle East. Just as the US leaders and the mainstream media are steering up ultra-patriotic support from its citizens, the Korean government also must appear to be doing the same.

(Watch the video footage of the police attack provided by Jinbonet News- sorry, we haven't been able to put English subtitles, but no words are necessary!......and the latter part of footage is mute to the damage of the camera during the aggression. CLICK (real player) )

Korean Activists Speak Out

If President Kim thinks that he could shut the mouths of Koreans speaking against this 'War of Retaliation' - he's wrong. More and more organizations are issuing statements, denouncing the Bush administration and as well as the Kim government.

Korea Peoples' Action against BIT & WTO(KoPA), in its biweekly newsletter commented that it "strongly denounces terrorism which has nothing to do with the struggles of the workers around the world and will only trigger repetitive violence" and that "the promotion of US-led neoliberal globalization amidst global economic crisis deepened the inequality of world's wealth, while deteriorating the lives of the people around the world in its pursuit of transnational profit.... (neoliberal globalization and its effects) and the fact that military world domination strategy of the US is heightening dissatisfaction especially in the Middle East, shows not only that the world domination strategy of the US failed, but also manifests that the US cannot control the crisis in its totality"
Other organizations issued statements, criticizing the acts of terrorism which brought about the deaths of thousands of innocent lives, but at the same time mentioning the arrogance of the US ruling elite of the last few decades which have brought about nothing but suffering to the peoples in the Middle East, Latin America and Asia. Korean activists are also extremely concerned about the reality of the US using the 9.11 terror as a justification for the strengthening of its militarism, especially the Missile Defense System not to mention the possibilities of using nuclear weapons. Heightened militarism will have direct effect on the Korean peninsula, starting up another session of a Cold War.

More actions are expected as the deadline for a US invasion of Afghanistan draws near. Meanwhile, many organizations have started campaigns to send emails to the White House, setting up special websites, and organizing demonstrations. On 20th, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU) and other social and democratic organizations held series of demonstrations nearby the US Embassy and also in central area of Seoul against the US retaliation. Police again threatened to forcefully disperse the demonstrators, and blocked passersby. Representatives of the Socialist Party of Korea (former Korean Youth Progressive Party) tried to deliver a letter to the US Ambassador but was cut short at the heavily guarded gates. Another demonstration is due on 22nd September, bringing together various progressive forces in Korea against the US. (For photos of Korean activists....CLICK)

Unless the fundamental causes that reproduce terrorism are eliminated, there is no absolute way of preventing terror acts, let alone a 'war of retaliation'. Without sincerely addressing the economic, political and social inequalities that have come as the result of poverty, military occupation, exploitation and political dominance, other acts of 'terror' against the US are inevitable. At that time, it will not merely be a conflict with Arabs and Islamic forces. Unless the severely undemocratic international order, which instigates monopoly and polarization of wealth and resources, is reformed from the very roots, there will be people around the world who will turn to 'terrorism' as their 'last resort'. Thus the 'War against Terrorism' which Bush and the imperialist elite are jabbering on about will become a 'war with no end', and only act as a permanent method of control and censorship of the people and their yearning for democracy nationally and internationally.

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Statement from Press Conference of 17th September

Mourning the Death of Innocent Citizens
We urge the US Government to Stop the War of Retaliation and to Withdraw the Hegemony Policy of World Domination through Force!

On September 11, we witnessed the horrible terror in which terrorists hijacked commercial jetliners and crashed them into New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon outside Washington. As 'terror' results in numerous innocent victims and is a barbarous act against world peace and humanity, we strongly oppose it even though the reasons for their acts are justified. First of all, we offer our deepest condolences to the victims of the September 11 terror, their families and USA citizens.

However, we cannot but face up to the reality that the terror of September 11 is the results of the anti-humanistic, anti-moral and anti-pacific foreign policy of the US ruling power, who has committed terrors on large or small scale in many places of the world. The deeper and bigger the pains of the US citizens are in this terror, it should be an opportunity for them to awaken themselves and reflect on the numerous sacrifices and sufferings that the rest of humanity have suffered.

The US government, especially since the Bush administration was launched, has kept hostile and oppressive policies toward the world.
Above all, the US has pushed the building of a Missile Defense System. For this, the Bush administration is in the forefront of military armament competition trying to arbitrarily abrogate the ABM(Anti-Ballistic Missile) Treaty.
As well, the Bush government refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change Agreement to prevent global warming. This is a good illustration that the US has shown its selfish attitude very clearly turning its face for their own interest. Nevertheless, the global environment issue is a common assignment of all the world and the US is the country that most greatly contributed to global warming.
Very recently the Bush administration has made their representatives withdraw from the world conference to abolish racism. They also refused the 'agreement to ban bio-chemical weapons' and abandoned the CTBT (Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty) consisting such double biased, exclusive, and haughty foreign policies.

Besides these instances, the US has committed terror and attacks through force in various places of the world. US attacked Yugoslavia and Iraq to kill numerous citizens and destroy facilities. In Iraq, it still attacks the country regardless of time and causing deaths of many people with hunger through economic sanctions.
As well, the US has supported Israel who committed cruel terror against the Palestinian people with the US-made weapons.
As the Nogeun-Ri civilian killings show, the fact that US committed numerous terrors towards the third world countries and people, including Korea, are revealed now by the US government documents released recently. The terror of September 11 is 'the bitter fruit of US foreign policy' as such.

The only way for the US to be freed from the threats of terror is to stop the hegemony policy and military terror committed towards humanity of the world. Nevertheless, the US is planning to conduct an indiscriminate war of retaliation against this September 11 terror, considering it as the 'act of war against the US', rather than reflecting it.
However, the war of retaliation begets bigger terrors rather than ends them, by causing a world war that destroys all humanity. As this, we urge the US government to stop immediately the war of retaliation. Once more we would like to emphasize that the only way to keep the world and people from the threats of terrors and war is for the US to abandon the hegemony policy of world domination and military terror and to step forward in the path of co-existence of all humanity.

Also, we cannot but appeal to the Kim Dae-Jung government who expressed active cooperation and support to the war of retaliation. If the life and property of innocent US citizens have to be kept from terror, the lives and properties of the innocent people of the country destined to be sacrificed through the war of retaliation should be also respected and at this point the retaliatory war of the US does not have any justifications.
Moreover, in the respect that our Korean people can be the scapegoat of war by the US at any time, we do hope the Kim Dae-Jung government will not lose cool reason and just perspective in taking measures of this September 11 terror when the talks between South and North Korea have been resumed to step forward toward reconciliation.
On the other hand, we cannot but be upset by the US military in Korea who consider our Korean people as a possible reserved terrorist group. With the justification that US troops in Korea take measures against terrorism, they prohibited the entrance of Korean servicemen into the bases. As well, by mobilizing Korean police they conducted over- reactive checks up and search of passers-by, hurting Korean people's pride.
This is nothing but that Koreans are considered as a possible terrorist group and this is a significant insult towards Koreans. We urge the US and US troops in Korea to apologize to the Korean people.

17th September, 2001

Council for National Reconciliation, Self-reliance, and Reunification of Korea
Green Korea United
Korea Democratic Labour Party
Korea National Farmers' League
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
Korean Federation of Student Unions
National Alliance for Democracy and Reunionification of Korea
National Campaign for Eradication of Crime by U.S. Troops in Korea
Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification (BeomMinRyon)
People's Action for Reform of ROK-US SOFA Agreement
People's Solidarity for Social Progress