Civic groups stage peace rally in Washington, D.C.

Korean-American religious and civic groups gathered in front of the White House on Dec. 9 to advocate for a peaceful solution to the North Korean nuclear crisis. (by Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent)

Organizations called for dialogue between the US and North Korea amidst rising tensions

Amid high tensions on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of North Korea’s ICBM launch, Korean-Americans gathered in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 9 to voice their opposition to war and support for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Around 30 members of Washington-area religious organizations and civic groups – including the US chapter of Good Friends, DC Methodist Church, the Coalition of Koreans in America , and the National Association of Korean Americans (NAKA) – held a midday assembly at Lafayette Square directly north of the White House to voice concerns about “North Korean and US leaders speaking openly and unreservedly about the possibility of war on the Korean Peninsula” and the “maelstrom of war rapidly approaching the peninsula.”

The groups also expressed concern about the growing risk of an unintended military clash on the peninsula, noting that any such clash would produce large numbers of casualties and “could leave in ashes everything achieved through blood and tears over the past several decades.”

The groups called on Pyongyang to immediately abandon its nuclear and missile programs and take part in unconditional dialogue, while urging the US to avoid actions that could lead to war on the peninsula, respect peace on the peninsula, and work to solve the situation through dialogue. They also stressed the importance of the South Korean government “prioritizing cooperative policies beyond the platforms of individual parties” to avoid war or a military clash on the peninsula.

“With candles alone, South Korea created a democracy. Now it needs to make peace with candles alone,” said Coalition of Koreans in America secretary-general Lee Jae-su.

“Our goals are clear: to oppose war and achieve peace,” Lee said.

Lee also brought cheers from participants by calling for a peaceful Pyeongchang Winter Olympics as a “starting point for peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

Veterans for Peace president Michael Marceau (by Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent)

The event was attended by Veterans for Peace president Michael Marceau, who told the Hankyoreh he had fought in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971.

“We don’t want another war. War is not the right path. The path we need to take is dialogue, negotiation, and debate,” he said.

“We saw how war destroyed cities and the countryside in Vietnam,” Marceau continued. “By spraying Agent Orange, we killed all the grains and plants, which is a problem even today. I truly hope such things will not happen again in the future.”

Members of the US antiwar group Code Pink also attended the demonstration, while US investigative journalist Tim Shorrock made remarks. Lasting around one hour, the event took place under midday temperatures of one degree below zero Celsius and snowfall in the Washington area.

By Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent

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