Global Civil Peace Declaration

- End the Korean War and Sign a Peace Treaty!

2013 marks the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement. Hostilities were ended in 1953, leaving numerous deaths and inestimable property damage. Since then the war has not been officially terminated. Sixty years later, the Korean Peninsula still faces an unprecedented level of military tension.

We, people of global society, are deeply concerned that military tension and conflict in and around the Korean Peninsula have persisted and even increased in recent years. Now we must replace politico-military hostilities and arms races with peaceful cooperation. Let’s make the year 2013, the 60th year of ceasefire, a year to progress towards a new peace system by formally ending the Korean War and signing a Korean peace treaty. The Korean Peninsula should no longer be an area of conflict and dispute, but one of peaceful cooperation in which all countries of Northeast Asia, including North and South Korea, take the lead in realizing a vision of co-existence.

With people’s solidarity and support, we declare as below while launching the Global Campaign to End the Korean War and Sign a Peace Treaty between 22 July 2013 and 28 July 2013.

End the Korean War! Shift from the armistice system to a peace system!

The armistice system itself has been the primary cause of huge suffering and sacrifice by the people on both sides. It is more important than anything else to transform the armistice system into a peace system to create a peaceful and humane way of life in Korea.

Move toward a nuclear weapons free Northeast Asia by establishing a peace system!

The nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula means a nuclear crisis in Northeast Asia. A new approach should be taken, based on the 2005 Six Parties’ Agreement on the establishment of Working Group on Northeast Asia Peace and Security Mechanism. Not only efforts to abolish the North Korean nuclear program, but also efforts to remove nuclear threats in Northeast Asia are required.

Bring peace and cooperation to East Asia

Military tensions and arms races have intensified in the region due to territorial disputes. Militarization of the region is being accelerated by reinforcing the US-led naval alliance and US-ROK-Japan military cooperation. One possible solution is to stop naval militarization in East Asia and to transform conflicts and confrontation into cooperation and reciprocity.

We believe military tensions on the Korean Peninsula are closely linked with currently heightening militarization, historical/territorial disputes in all over Asia. We will realize justice and achieve peace not only in Korean Peninsula but also in all over Asia in solidarity.