Activists demand, ‘Hands off Korea!’

Protests were held on both U.S. coasts from Oct. 11-12 in support of the people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and against sanctions being championed in the U.N. by the U.S.

Los Angeles rally against sanctions on Korea. Photos: Minjok Tongshin

A press conference was held on Oct. 12 at the federal building in downtown Los Angeles, initiated by Korean Americans for Peace, Korea Truth Commission (KTC), International Action Center (IAC) and Bayan USA.

Leaders from the Korean community plus a member of the FMLN of El Salvador who was tortured by U.S.-supported death squads and members of the Los Angeles IAC all spoke.

John Parker from the International Action Center speaking at Los Angeles rally.

Each speaker affirmed the right of the DPRK to self-defense in the face of a history of aggression, constant threats of sanctions, military assault and the threat of a nuclear assault from the U.S.

Later in the day there was a spirited rally demanding “Hands Off Korea!” The protesters joined with others who mount a weekly protest denouncing the war in Iraq.

In New York, a demonstration organized by Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, KTC and the IAC was

held near the United Nations building on Oct. 11.

David Sole, a Green Party candidate in Michigan for the U.S. Senate and a Workers World Party member, issued a statement demanding the U.S. respect North Korea’s sovereignty, stating, “The present crisis arises directly out of the implacable hostility of the U.S. imperialist government to the socialist government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” The full statement can be read at www.stopthewarslate.org.

—Larry Hales