The no peace - no war situation in the Korean Peninsula imposed by
U.S. imperialism is very unstable. The south Korean fascists
violently attack any Korean who even begins a discussion on
reuniting with the north and officially ending the war with the
U.S. The situation is reminiscent of the Cold War where a dogmatic
environment is imposed. "Either you're with us or against us," is
the official line in the south, which prohibits any sensible
discussion or resolution of the problem.
In spite of this, many south Koreans appear determined to
press for a resolution of the U.S. military occupation and the
division of their country. In opposition, the U.S. puppet south
Korean government will go to any length to suppress this democratic
movement for reunification, including provoking a second Korean
War.
The recent grounding of a submarine from the north off the
coast of south Korea has been used to whip up war hysteria. The
fascists in the south have gone on an orgy of killing. Even south
Korean newspapers report that a group of three from the submarine,
who were massacred by heavily armed troops, possessed a total of
one small pistol. Twenty crew members have now been reported killed
and one captured alive.
At the heart of this volatile situation is the fact that the
Koreans are still at war with the U.S. imperialists. Only an
armistice agreement signed in 1953 halted the war. The U.S.
military maintains a heavy presence in south Korea. In fact, on
September 16 to 18, the U.S. imperialists were engaged in a
large-scale naval exercise in the East Sea off the coast of
Kangmung near where the small submarine went aground. Newspapers
report the U.S.- south Korean war exercise involved "scores of
warships, P-3C antisubmarine aircraft and helicopters."
The whole atmosphere in the Korean Peninsula has been highly
charged since the south Korean suppression of the students began in
August. The U.S. has also increased its shipments of war material
to south Korea saying it wants it in place to "swiftly bring large
numbers of troops from the U.S. if needed." A sure indication of
rising war hysteria is that once again the U.S. media is using the
old charge that the north is holding "over 900 U.S. prisoners of
war."
The U.S. imperialists have never abandoned their dream of
occupying and exploiting all of Korea and using it as a powerful
base to perpetuate their influence over Japan, and as preparation
to attack Russia and China from the east.
When the imperialists are involved, incidents such as the
grounding of the submarine can quickly mushroom out of hand and
escalate into full-scale war. All justice-loving people must
denounce the south Korean fascists for creating an extremely
dogmatic, provocative and dangerous situation by suppressing their
own students and generating war hysteria. The people should demand
that the U.S. imperialists get out of the Korean Peninsula and
leave the Koreans to sort out their own difficulties and future.
Shawgi Tell
University at Buffalo
Graduate School of Education
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
