Korea Peace Appeal Campaign

Call for Suspending US-ROK Military Exercises and Decreasing Military Tensions on the Korean Peninsula

As a part of the Korea Peace Appeal campaign the NCCK (National Council of Churches in Korea) signed together with many Civil society groups around the world a call to support peace on the Korean peninsula. The goal is to stop the regular ROK (Republic of Korea) and US military exercises on the border with the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea). These exercises have long been a source of tension between these nations.

The suspension of military provocations is in line with the spirit of the inter-Korean summits and the first summit between the US and DPRK in 2018. Nevertheless, the failure of subsequent negotiations has led to the resumption of US-ROK military exercises, which were linked to additional sanctions against the DPRK.

It has been obvious for decades that isolation, pressure and threats will not lead to nuclear disarmament and  compliance of the DPRK.

In the words of the call itself: “We want peace talks, not war drills and military confrontation. In particular, we urge the Biden administration to resolve the root cause of the conflict between the United States and North Korea — the unresolved Korean War. Continuing to rely on isolation, pressure, and threats to force North Korea’s unilateral denuclearization is a recipe for failure.”

This appeal has been sent to both the US and ROK governments, as we see their main duty being that of restoring peace on the peninsula and to take de-escalating and peacebuilding measures. This will not only put an end to a decades-long war, but would also create space to tackle more important global problems together. This call has been signed by over 350 organisations around the world!