Koreans rally against war threats

SYDNEY — A vocal picket by members of the Korean community and Australian supporters was held outside the US Consulate on May 10 to protest against recent war threats from the US and South Korean governments.

Dr Kim Jin Yeop, a Korean-born Australian citizen recently freed after spending 18 months in a South Korean jail for telephoning the north, told the gathering that the US Defence Department had outlined a plan for another war on the Korean peninsula. This would involve the use of nuclear and chemical weapons and 200,000 US troops and last 120 days in a scenario similar to Gulf War.

He said that the US and south Korean governments have embarked on an attempt to "demonise" the North Korean leadership using the construction of a nuclear reactor in the north as a pretext. On April 12, the South Korean defence minister threatened to launch a pre-emptive strike on the facility.

The picket was organised by the International Committee for Peace and Reunification of Korea, Australian Region. Photo by Norm Dixon.

From GLW issue 12