“The peace process on the Korean Peninsula is incompatible with the US-South Korea joint military exercises.”

The National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) is a partner of the Methodist Church in Britain

In February 2021, the NCCK participated in a press conference opposing the annual US-South Korea joint military drills which happen in the same month.   Rev. Lee, Hong Jung, gave this address at the press conference on behalf of the Korean Church. 

"The peace process on the Korean Peninsula is incompatible with the US-SK joint military exercises. While boasting the strongest military power and state-of-the-art military equipment, we cannot build mutual trust in building peace on the Korean Peninsula by practicing scenarios like Operation Plan 5015 that specifies preemptive attacks on and occupation of North Korea."

"We will never passively sit by and watch the logic of "war economics" led by the globalized forces of the Military Industrial Complex control the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.

We urge the South Korea, North Korea, and the U.S. authorities to stop all acts of mutual hostility, to actively implement the agreements between the leaders in the Panmunjom Declaration, the Pyongyang Joint Declaration, and the Singapore Joint Statement, in cooperation with the global religious/civil society.

With the belief that peace can only be achieved through peaceful means, we will pray and unite with the world's religious/civil society for a declaration of the end of the war, the conclusion of a peace agreement, a permanent peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula, and peace in Northeast Asia."

Please find the full text here.

This video on the historic context of the joint military drills was made by Korea Peace Now! who also participates in the Korea Peace Appeal along with the NCCK.