On the 71st anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, the Korea Peace Action held a peace rally, “Arms Down, Dialogue Now! Stop Hostility, Peace Now!” on Saturday, July 27, at 2 p.m. in front of the Peace Bell in Imjingak.

More than 400 people wishing for peace gathered and shouted in one voice, “No to war. We want peace!”. Thank you so much to everyone who took a strong step for peace together in the sweltering heat!

The Peace Rally featured an exciting percussion performance by the Cheongmyung, a performance by soprano Lee Jae-eun, opening remarks by the co-representative of the Korea Peace Action, solidarity speeches by a Member of Parliament of Democratic Party Kim Young-bae, Gyeonggi-do Governor Kim Dong-yeon, and Paju Mayor Kim Kyung-il, remarks by peace activists, and peace messages from the people of the bordering areas. After the Peace Rally, we concluded with a powerful peace march from the square in front of the Peace Bell to the Unification Bridge. Peace buses traveled from all over the country, including Seoul, Chuncheon, and Gwangju, to participate in the Peace Rally.

We want peace. Peace is the answer.
By dividing the sides, confrontation becomes clear,
Distrust and hostility gain strength,
Military confrontation and war preparations are forced as the solution,
Let’s stop the madness and open the path to peace together!

Thank you for being with us ☮ ️

With the Korean Peninsula on the brink of war, peace is the answer

After liberation, the Korean Peninsula suffered the horrors of division and war, and South and North Korea have been separated by a ceasefire for 71 years. During this long ceasefire, the two sides have spent this time antagonizing each other, being hostile, and accusing each other more than they have spent talking face-to-face.

On July 27, 2024, the 71st anniversary of the armistice, the Korean Peninsula is now more at risk of war than ever before. A vicious cycle of hegemonic confrontation is stealing peace from everyone. Hostilities and psychological warfare are pushing inter-Korean relations toward war. Each side imagines the other as the “enemy,” and each side responds with war exercises and upgraded nuclear and missile capabilities. We have learned from the past 71 years of history that confrontation and military solutions can only rob us of peace and cause suffering and sacrifice.

“Peace through strength” and “resolution through force” are not fundamental solutions for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Sanctions and military pressure cannot solve the crisis of war on the Korean Peninsula. What do we gain by the Yoon government’s suspension of the military agreement? Nothing is gained. What is lost is the minimum safety-pin to prevent armed conflict. No one can know when and how small misunderstandings and mistakes will lead to armed conflict and escalate into war. A peaceful solution is the only way to untangle this tangled thread.

South and North Korea must cease all hostile actions immediately. Military exercises and psychological warfare are taking place on the border every day. The noise of warlike military exercises and North Korean psychological warfare echoing across the Demilitarized Zone is unsettling to the people living and working along the border. The right to live in peace and security should not be violated simply because it is a border area. The resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts by North Korea in response to the propaganda balloons from the South and the filth balloons from the North is a step backward and a regression in history, turning back the clock on the Korean Peninsula by 20 years. The people living on the Korean Peninsula do not want hostilities that will only fuel the embers of war; we want peace.

Peace is the answer. We are here today to declare peace. At a time when sides are being drawn, mistrust and hostility are gaining strength, and military confrontation and war preparations are being pushed as solutions, the Korea Peace Action will act to stop this madness and open the way to peace. Let’s stop all hostilities, end the ceasefire, and create a peaceful Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons. Just as children take balloons that were disguised as tools of conflict and strife by the selfishness of adults and turn them into innocent toys, let us who are gathered here take 71 years of enmity and hatred and turn it into peace and reconciliation. Peace is the answer and peace is the way.

• Stop sending propaganda leaflets and broadcasting loudspeakers in North Korea!
• Cease military actions, hostilities that threaten war!
• Stop hostilities and restore inter-Korean dialog channels!
• Let’s open the way to peace through dialogue and cooperation instead of sanctions and pressure.
• Let us create a Korean Peninsula and a world free of nuclear weapons and nuclear threats.
• Let us go hand in hand to an era of peace, reconciliation and cooperation.
  
  

July 27, 2024
Korea Peace Action

7.27 Korea Peace Rally
☮️Arms Down, Dialogue Now! Stop Hostility, Peace Now!

✨Saturday, July 27, 2024, 2pm @Imjingak
Hosted by Korea Peace Action

Military tensions on the Korean Peninsula are rising.

Dialogue channels between South and North Korea are cut off, and the inter-Korean military agreement, which used to serve as a safety pin, is no longer in force. As a result, there have been instances of mutual provocation and psychological warfare.

South and North Korea must cease hostile rhetoric and actions that threaten each other.

Let’s meet with family and friends, in front of the Peace Bell in Imjingak on July 27th.✊

In the face of the thereat of armed conflict, war, and danger, let’s talk peace and take actions to promote peace.

📣We want peace!
📣Arms Down, Dialogue Now! Stop Hostility, Peace Now!
📣Restore the Inter-Korean Military Agreement! Restore the Dialog Channels!
📣Stop Military Actions in the border area!
📣Restrict the distribution of anti-North Korea leaflets!
📣No War! Yes Peace!

🥁Program: Performances, Plenary Session, Voices from the Border Areas, Peace March (Peace Bell ~ Unification Bridge), Performances, etc.