“Never THAAD in South Korea,” “Stop ROK-US Joint Military Exercises,”

“Never THAAD in South Korea,” “Stop ROK-US Joint Military Exercises,” “Peace Treaty on the Korean Peninsula” Shouting over the Korean Liberation Day Anniversary Weekend

August 14-16, 2016

Kang Hoseok, Heo Sooyung, Jeon Kihoon (arranged by Yoon Park)

Last weekend was the 71st anniversary of the Korean Liberation Day (August 15) weekend. During the weekend, numerous civic gatherings were held nationwide to celebrate the anniversary, and the shouting such as “Never THAAD in South Korea”, “Stop ROK-US Joint Military Exercises”, “Peace Treaty on the Korean Peninsula” and “Liquidate the Unequal ROK-US Relationship” were echoed resonating one another. MinPlus reporters Kang Hoseok, Heo Sooyung and Jeon Kihoon covered and reported several important mass meetings among those over the weekend; MinPlus here put and rearranged their reports together as one.

Mass Meeting demanding Withdraw THAAD and Revoke Military Operation Plans

First, according to reporter Kang Hoseok, a civic organization The 8.15 Committee of Anti-War and Peace Promotion held a mass meeting against war and for peace (1,000 citizens participated) near the main post of the UA Army Headquarters and the ROK-US Combined Forces Command located at Yongsan, Seoul, on August 14. The gathering was to demand to stop ROK-US joint military exercises, sign the peace treaty and liquidate the unequal ROK-US relationship.

At the mass meeting, Moon Gyung-sik the Korean Alliance of Progressive Movement standing representative pointed out that the real intention of the THAAD deployment in South Korea is for the United States to maintain and strengthen its hegemony in East Asia, which has nothing to do with the South Korean citizens’ security and benefits. He urged the swift withdrawal of its deployment decision and also demanded to revoke a ROK-US joint military exercise ‘Eulji Focus Guardian’ scheduled to start on the 22nd this month, showing the serious concern of its possible cause of any outbreak situation in the midst of the high speed-up military tension under the current East-Asian circumstances.

Also, Kim Eun-hee the representative of the Residents’ Association for the Complete Retrocession of Yongsan criticized the US Army Headquarters accusing that the Headquarters rejects to return a fairly large area of Yongsan. The US Army Headquarters had abruptly reversed the decision of the complete retrocession of Yongsan made in October 2014 and now expanding the helistop, planning to move the US Embassy in South Korea to the Yongsan Base.

The 8.15 Committee also demanded the US Army to revoke all its military operation plans at once, insisting, “The South Korean people have been suffered from the US solders’ crimes, high-pressure sales of military weapons and consistent threatening of war for the past 70 years while the US Army have been here. Stop all the military operation plans that force the South Korean people’s sacrifice and settle a desirable South Korean-US relationship.”

After the meeting, the 1,000 participants marched across the Yongsan US Army Base to Gate 7 and burned a THAAD miniature there, demonstrating the will of the Korean people against the THAAD deployment.

Peace Action Against THAAD at Seoul Plaza

Later in the evening on the same day (14th), 8,000 citizens gathered at Seoul City Plaza for the Mass-people Peace Action for the Withdrawal of the THAAD Deployment decision (reported by Heo Sooyung). 30 Seongju (county designated for the deployment) residents also participated in and appealed for solidarity.

At the Peace Action, the Seongju residents performed a dance routine singing the song, “No Geune [‘swing’ in Korean. Similar sound to President Park’s first name], No THAAD,” which they had remade with the lyric they had co-written, raising huge clapping and cheering. Following their dance routine, a Korean national dance performer and professor Jang Soon-hyang tore apart a fabric symbolizing the THAAD artillery with her whole body at the finale of her dancing performance.

Later on, one high school student (17 years old) made a speech, saying, “There should not be any different opinions between conservatives and progressives for the security matter. We should all stand up against the THAAD deployment for the true security of our nation,” also receiving huge applauds. Mr. Bruce Gagnon, an American peace activist in charge of The Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, also insisted, “The THAAD never helps not only for South Korea but also for any other region in Northeast Asia,” at his speech of solidarity. He handed an English words’ Against-THAAD Poster to Lee Jae-dong the Seongju Farmers’ Association chairperson, causing the participants’ huge sensation.

And finally, Lee Jae-dong the Seongju Farmers’ Association chairperson appealed, saying, “The critical thing is our endeavor for the public opinion. Please do your bests against the conservative media-manipulation to let the truth about the THAAD talk toward the public in South Korea, right where you stand.”

Largest County Meeting ever and Head-Shaving Protest in Seoungju (county for THAAD deployment)

On the Korean Liberation Day, the 15th of August, 8,000 Seongju residents (out of 45,000 registered residents) gathered to protest against the THAAD Deployment (covered by Kang Hoseok and Jeon Kihoon). At the Liberation Day ceremony during the daytime, 908 residents had their heads shaved. The head-shaving protest was originally planned to include 815 residents as the sign for the Korean Liberation Day, but 908 county residents applied for the ceremony within one week after the announcement, including 11 women and 5 ‘yurim’ members (followers of the Confucian Ethics so had never had any of their body-hair shaved their whole lives before).

“‘It might not have been easy to determine to have your head shaved…?’ I asked to a lady (64 years old) who participated in the ceremony, and then earned the answer, ‘What on earth are you talking now? I will even put out my neck to stop the THAAD!’ with her quizzical face expression looking just like asking back to me, ‘What kind of mentality are you carrying with you right now for our protests?’” wrote Kang about the head-shaving ceremony. The protesting ceremony of shaving 908 people’s heads finished within one hour thanks to the 70 hair designers mostly living in Seongju and some in the neighboring cities.

Why on the Liberation Day? Kang wondered and asked. “The wise answer to this silly question was, ‘Isn’t it so similar? On our liberation day when we were finally released from the Japanese oppression, we are opposing against the THAAD which is decided to be deployed by the American oppression. Our Liberation did not automatically come to us. We, too, following our earlier generations, have to fight against the US oppression, putting our lives, to get over it. Isn’t it so meaningful that we are accomplishing this Against THAAD protest to protect Peace on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia?’”

“The shouting ‘Seongju is the Republic of Korea’ was everywhere on the day. ‘We have the THAAD deployment withdrawn from Seongju, then where else in the Republic of Korea can we allow them to put it? Therefore, we 50,000 the Seongju County residents will get rid of the THAAD from Seongju with the very willfulness that we the Seongju residents will protect 50 million South Korean people!’ The voice of the chairperson, vibrating through the amplifiers, was completely full of pride,” wrote Kang.

Also, according to reporter Jeon Kihoon, there was one gentleman who participated to the head-shaving protest, although he had been being hospitalized from a car accident, insisting that he would put out his life to block the THAAD deployment in South Korea. And at the end of the protest, they did a performance of writing a sentence with the cutoff hair, meaning, “One united mind can even cut off cast iron.”

Jeon reported that the night candle ceremony that day was supposed to end within one hour because the Struggle Committee was concerned about the residens’ health condition (including many elders who participated in the protest and other schedules all day long): it was incredibly hot and humid the day. Yet the 8,000 participants requested to prolong the candle gathering, so it was extended for 30 more minutes.

At the end of the candle gathering, all participants stood up and did the dance routine following their protest song “The Constitution Chapter One.” Even after that, they did not leave and started to call out Lee Jae-dong the Seongju Farmers’ Association chairperson, demanding to extend the gathering longer and then sat down again for more in protesting.

“The chairperson of the gathering then appealed to the South Korean people, saying, ‘Please, citizens of the Republic of Korea, you do not have to come visit Seongju to encourage us. We will defend Seongju. You all, instead of coming to Seongju, please hold up candles wherever you are, three or five, to struggle Against THAAD. Then we can definitely defend our Republic of Korea from the THAAD deployment,’” reported Jeon.

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