READ: Statement by Hyun Pil-kyung, Director of the Institute for the Reclamation of U.S. Military Bases.

READ: Statement by Hyun Pil-kyung, Director of the Institute for the Reclamation of U.S. Military Bases, denouncing U.S.-led joint military exercises such as Balikatan, the U.S.-Japan-ROK alliance, and the increasing involvement of NATO in East Asia.
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Hyun Pil-kyung
Director
Institute for the Reclamation of U.S. Military Bases
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I will stand in solidarity and struggle with all peoples and masses who oppose imperialist wars of aggression and strive for peace for humanity.

I am Hyun Pil-kyung, director of the Institute for the Reclamation of U.S. Military Bases.

I am a worker and peace activist who has lived in Pyeongtaek City – home to two U.S. military bases, the ROK Navy’s 2nd Fleet Command, and a major naval port frequented by warships – for over 30 years.

The Pyeongtaek U.S. Army Base (Camp Humphreys) was originally built by Japan in the 1930s for war against China, with U.S. forces occupying it after World War II. In the 2000s, to contain China and project power beyond the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. forcibly seized villages housing hundreds of residents to expand this base. Constructed with Korean taxpayers’ money through over 500 buildings, it now houses 17,000 U.S. troops and their families (45,000 total personnel), making it the largest overseas U.S. military base preparing for war worldwide. It hosts a four-star general, 23 other generals, Navy SEALs, biochemical warfare units handling anthrax, special reconnaissance aircraft spying on North Korea/China/Russia, plus tanks, armored vehicles and long-range artillery.

This morning we also inspected Songtan U.S. Air Base – a $18 billion forward operating base with two runways, dozens of hangars, underground command bunkers, fourth-generation F-16 fighters, high-altitude U-2S reconnaissance planes, and a massive ammunition depot storing tens of thousands of tons of bombs. It also houses JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles) capable of striking Beijing 950 km away, along with secretive electronic surveillance facilities.

As part of Obama’s ‘Pivot to Asia’ strategy to contain China, U.S. Forces Korea now serves as a key node in America’s Indo-Pacific domination strategy. Cutting-edge weapons regularly rotate between here, mainland U.S. and Japanese bases, while large-scale war drills increasingly involve NATO members like Japan, Australia and others. The U.S. military, which holds operational control over ROK forces, is actively preparing to drag South Korea into war with China – recently even conducting F-35 training exercises under the false pretext of ‘defense against North Korea’ (which possesses no stealth fighters).

The biggest obstacle to the U.S.-Japan-ROK military triangle is the Korean people’s struggle to eradicate Japan’s colonial legacy. Former President Yoon Seok-yul’s illegal attempt to impose martial law was defeated by popular resistance. Koreans continue opposing this military alliance and America’s war policies in Asia. The 1965 Korea-Japan Agreement, forced by the U.S., failed to properly resolve issues like comfort women and forced labor during Japanese occupation.

Japan, seeking to revive its imperialist dreams, now collaborates with U.S. forces to conduct joint drills from the Philippines to Australia to Korea – all enabled by ongoing U.S. occupation. We must stop U.S. imperialist wars that seek to drown Asia in blood. The U.S. must replace the Armistice with a Peace Treaty, withdraw all troops, and close every overseas base worldwide.

We are monitoring how U.S. aircraft carriers permanently stationed near the Philippines conduct constant war games with allies, now even involving NATO members like Britain, France and Germany – dramatically raising tensions. Currently, the U.S. is deploying China-containment missiles and electronic warfare units across Jeju, Okinawa and other islands, while Marine amphibious exercises continue.

East Asia’s peace depends on us. Through our struggle, we will drive out the war-mongering U.S. military and achieve true peace.

Stop the US-Philippines Balikatan Exercise / US TROOPS OUT OF THE PHILIPPINES AND KOREA.