New York, NY – On the evening of January 8, over 2000 people gathered in Foley Square, across the street from the ICE headquarters in New York City, to protest the murder of Renee Good at the hands of ICE agent Jonathan Ross.

The protest was called by the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR), who just launched the ICE Out! FEDS Out! Campaign. It was endorsed by NYC Ice Watch, Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, Brooklyn Against War, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and NYU Students for a Democratic Society.

Forces gathered early and the protest began with chants like “Chinga la migra” and “Donald Trump you stupid clown, we don’t want ICE in this town!”

Daniel Koh of NYAARPR led the rally and told the crowd, “Whether from gunshot wounds or the denial of care, those ICE agents murdered Renee Good! Then had the audacity to lie. It didn’t matter that there are dozens of videos. Kristi Noem called her a domestic terrorist. JD Vance and Donald Trump blamed her for her own murder, in complete contradiction to the video evidence. And the news has done what they usually do, implying that the facts are contested and platforming the lies of people like them!”

The crowd continued to chant and echoes of “Fuck ICE” could be heard throughout Foley Square.

Michela Martinazzi of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “So to Trump, Noem, ICE and everyone in this administration – you are nothing but the dirt beneath our shoes. You will be dust in the pages of history, because the people will win!”

Shivani Ishwar from the New York Alliance closed out the rally with, “But the police, the feds, they won’t give us what we want just because we ask. We need to raise our voices! We need to be loud! We need to fight! So if you’re ready to keep this fight going, to keep building real people power, it’s time to get organized!”

The massive crowd of people marched towards the Department of Homeland Security to protest the further shootings that occurred in Portland earlier that day. The protest ended at Washington Square Park where plans to continue a campaign to get ICE Out! FEDS Out! out of New York City was re-affirmed.

#NewYorkNY #NY #ImmigrantRights #ICE #InJusticeSystem #NYAARPR #ReneeGood #KillerCops #KillerICE #SDS #Nodutdol #NYCICEWatch

New York, NY- On August 15, 100 New Yorkers gathered in Herald Square, joining protesters around the country to demand U.S. out of Korea. The rally was part of a National Day of Action organized by Nodutdol, an organization of Koreans in the U.S. fighting for the national liberation and reunification of Korea.

The date marked the 80th anniversary of Korean liberation from the Japanese in World War II and the eve of the U.S, and the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) annual joint military exercises, Ulchi Freedom Shield. Speakers from Nodutdol condemned the war games, discussing how the U.S.’s excessive military presence and tight control of the ROK’s military amounts to another occupation.

Other speakers included representatives from City Workers for Palestine and Anakbayan Queens, as well as an organizer from South Korea. In her speech, the representative from South Korea spoke of the struggle for reunification of the peninsula and the importance of the anti-Imperialist movement within the United States, saying, “The people of South Korea stand shoulder to shoulder with you all and will continue our resolute struggle. Long live the unity and struggle of the peoples of the world!”

Chanting in English and Korean, the crowd marched south to Madison Square Park, where organizers closed the rally in a militant tone. They reminded the protesters that it was not enough to protest for a single day, but that only through organization and struggle can imperialism be overthrown and liberation achieved once and for all.

#NewYorkNY #NY #International #Korea #Nodutdol #AntiWarMovement

New York, NY – On the weekend of July 25-27, the Anti-War Action Network sent members from the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, Women Against Military Madness, Detroit Anti-War Committee, Tucson Anti-War, and Seattle Against War to the first ever People’s Summit for Korea in New York City.

The conference was held at Riverside Church in Harlem, and organized by Nodutdol, an organization of Korean Americans organizing for a world free of imperialism, and for Korea’s reunification and national liberation. Founded in 1999, Nodutdol has organized against U.S./South Korea war games and training exercises on the Korean peninsula, the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement in 2006, and in 2024 launched the U.S. Out Of Korea campaign.

The summit opened with an energizing performance of traditional Korean drumming, setting the tone for the weekend and ending in roars and applause from the crowd. The final speaker of the opening ceremony, Miyeon Jang of Nodutdol, declared, “The era of U.S. impunity and waging war without consequence is over. Across the U.S., we are organizing working people to create consequences for the U.S. empire and building towards our inevitable socialist future.”

Jang also spoke about the consequences of U.S. and South Korean military presence on the peninsula observing, “The United States and South Korean puppet soldiers will beat grandmothers until they need surgery simply for defending their farmland, and call it protection against North Korea. They impose lethal sanctions against pregnant mothers and children and call it diplomacy. They stage war exercises that drop bombs on villages and call it peacekeeping.”

Throughout the summit, attendees listened to many engaging panels including Solidarity and Sovereignty: Anti-Imperialism in the Indo-Pacific, the Long Revolution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and Toward a United Front: U.S. Out of Everywhere. The South Korean delegation also provided an insightful panel on fighting empire from within the Republic of Korea. The summit also provided workshops including Surviving Sanctions, Occupation is a Crime!, and Policy and People Power.

Representatives from the Anti-War Action Network found the conference to be fruitful in continuing their analysis of anti-imperialism globally. Maria Sohn Hasman of Tucson Anti-War said, “It has been 72 years since the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed – 72 years since the United States forcibly divided Korea, began its occupation, and imposed the world's longest standing sanctions. As a Korean adoptee, it is critical that I understand my people's history of resistance. Adoptees and diaspora around the world have the responsibility to fight U.S. imperialism. In the United States specifically, we need to organize and deal a blow to every monopoly capitalist we can to support the liberation and national determination for not only Korea, but for the Philippines, Palestine, and all under the control of the United States. The U.S. sanctions imposed on the DPRK have crippled their economic development and livelihoods. All around the world, U.S. sanctions kill 500,000 people every year.”

Rae Minji Lee of Seattle Against War explains, “There are 28,500 U.S. troops stationed across 62 bases in South Korea, which have for decades been a source of violence as assaults, murder, rape, pollution and noise have been imposed onto the Korean people, with no justice or reparations. When the South Korean people are forced to bear the cost of moving or expanding these bases; when the U.S. can position operational nuclear warheads on their soil in secret for decades; when their army can be mustered by a U.S. general as a standing army in wartime, how can anyone not see that South Korea is occupied and has no sovereignty?”

Lee also spoke to the Western perceptions of North Korea that we are inundated with and the need to think more critically about them saying, “My own family repeated U.S. propaganda about the Korean War and its continued presence on the Korean Peninsula all throughout my childhood; I consider unlearning these lies and unpacking the propaganda against the DPRK to be critical for generational healing, as well as becoming a more effective anti-war organizer within the united front against U.S. imperialism.”

The connections between the fight for Korean liberation and Palestinian liberation were everywhere at the conference, with many attendees wearing keffiyehs and other clothing showing their support for Palestine.

Allison Gunderson of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee shared why she attended the conference, saying, “As an anti-imperialist, and as one who organizes around Palestine in particular, it’s crucial to learn the effect U.S. imperialism has on Korea and that you cannot have a liberated Palestine without a liberated Korea. You cannot be an anti-imperialist without advocating for the reunification and self-determination for Korea free of U.S. imperialism. There are 62 military bases on the Korean peninsula alone and Korea is used as a foothold in the Indo-Pacific region for the U.S. to ramp up war against China. That fact alone should tell you the ways in which Korea's Liberation is crucial to anti-imperialism, so of course I went to the summit!”

In the final plenary on Saturday afternoon, Mick Kelly of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization highlighted the importance of internationalism and building a global movement. Kelly expounded upon the recognition that the capitalist system is in its dying stages and is an enemy to people in the U.S. and around the globe, and the understanding of that fact is what creates the basis for working class internationalism. Going further he added, “the fact is when the Korean people strike a blow for liberation, it is of great benefit to those of us here in the United States and vice versa.”

After touching on the need for solidarity with the people’s struggles currently happening in Korea and the Philippines, Kelly laid out the tasks of people in the United States, stating, “We need to be about solidarity and it’s important that that solidarity is extended to the DPRK. It’s important that we have a global point of view and realize we have friends all over the globe. It’s vital that we build an anti-imperialist wing of a broader anti-war movement, a movement that’s inclusive not exclusive. We have a lot of work to do in the future, but we need to do it in a practical way that relies on drawing tens of thousands, if not millions of people into this effort. It is the masses of people that make history, it cannot be made by us alone and it depends on us being able to pull large numbers of people in behind us to do things.”

The weekend ended with a protest on Sunday in Times Square, in the heart of American finance capital, Manhattan, New York City. Speakers from several of the organizations that attended the conference took a stand to demand the U.S. out of Korea and an end to U.S. imperialism, not only in Korea, but also the Philippines, and of course Palestine. Attendees were also encouraged to hold or join a rally on August 15 for Korean Liberation Day. Organizers rallied around the chant of “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air, U.S. Out of everywhere!” as they took to the streets to cap off a historic weekend.

The summit was seen as a major success. With organizations like Nodutdol bringing together organizers not only from across the U.S. but across the world, we can be sure that the fight to end U.S. imperialism will grow stronger.

#NewYorkNY #NY #International #Korea #AntiWarMovement #AWAN #Nodutdol

New York, NY – About 200 people gathered in Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza on the beautiful Saturday afternoon, March 1, to protest the U.S./Republic of Korea (ROK) Freedom Shield exercises in Korea. Nodutdol organized the action, and it was part of a day of action where protests took place in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle to demand an end to U.S. militarization and escalation towards war.

The Freedom Shield exercises will be taking place between March 10 and March 19 in South Korea. Freedom Shield is a routine defensive training event that occurs between the U.S. and one of its allies, in this case the Republic of Korea, to strengthen its alliance with that nation. However, it also promotes war and could escalate already fraught tensions with the Democratic Republic of Korea.

The springtime U.S./ROK military exercises have been ongoing since 1976, and it wasn’t until 2023 that Biden named them the “Freedom Shield.” In the same year, tensions within the Korean region spiked.

The U.S. Out of Korea campaign is not only calling for an end to these exercises, but an end to U.S. intervention within the Korean peninsula. Nodutdol gathered over 100 U.S. organizations to endorse a statement calling on President Trump to abide by these demands.

Nodutdol organizers led a rally and protest, with a leading chant being “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air! U.S. out of everywhere!”

Speakers from various organizations, such as Bayan USA, spoke in solidarity with Nodutdol and the U.S. Out of Korea campaign.

Ket Maarte of BAYAN Northeast said, “BAYAN stands in solidarity with our Korean comrades in their demands to cancel Freedom Shield 25 and remove U.S. military out of Korean land. It is a shame that the Philippines was one out of the 12 nations to participate in the U.S./ROK exercises last year. But it is not surprising that our government is complicit in the ongoing militarism against the Korean working class. The Filipino people know all too well what it is like to have our land, sea, and people exploited for the interests of U.S. imperialism. It is imperative that we show our solidarity in the genuine liberation of the Korean and Filipino working class! Because if the U.S. falls in one, the U.S. falls in all.”

After the march, the rally ended with calls of solidarity and rousing chants.

#NewYorkNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #SouthKorea #International #Nodutdol #BAYAN

Oakland, CA – On November 17, Nodutdol held an educational film screening and fundraiser highlighting solidarity between Korea and Palestine. Around 100 people gathered at East Side Arts Alliance in Oakland for the event, which was co-sponsored by Palestinian Youth Movement.

Emcee Simon Ma of Nodutdol began the program by saying, “Both the Korean people and the Palestinian people share deep histories of resistance against colonialism and imperialism, and there are many parallels between their struggles for sovereignty and self-determination.”

Ma explained how the Korean struggle against U.S. imperialism is ongoing, saying, “The Korean War never formally ended, leaving Korea divided, and the U.S. continues to occupy South Korea to this day, with over 28,000 troops stationed across over 17 military bases.”

The event promoted Nodutdol’s recently-launched “U.S. Out of Korea” campaign. The campaign lists four demands: U.S. out of Korea; end the U.S./South Korea Alliance; end all aggression against North Korea, and end the war economy.

The program included a screening of the 2003 documentary film, North Korea: Beyond the DMZ. The film follows the journey of a Korean-American woman who visits the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for the first time to meet her extended family who were separated from her parents during the Korean War.

The film highlighted the human toll of U.S. imperialist intervention in the region, showing how families remain divided more than half a century after the U.S. first invaded Korea in. It also combatted common American stereotypes about the people of the DPRK, showing their day-to-day life in a humanizing light.

The program also included a speaker from Palestinian Youth Movement, who spoke about their ongoing “Mask Off Maersk” campaign, pressuring international logistics company Maersk to stop shipping weapons to Israel.

Funds raised at the event went to the Middle East Children’s Alliance, an organization providing humanitarian aid throughout Palestine.

#OaklandCA #CA #International #Korea #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Nodutdol #PYM

Aurora, CO – On October 26, community groups came together in Aurora, Colorado, for a conference supporting the “U.S. Out of Korea” campaign, launched by Nodutdol last June. The event took place at the Active Adult Center on Del Mar Circle in Aurora.

Aurora is home to a large Korean American community, ranking sixth in the U.S. for population size. Conservative estimates place the Korean American population in Colorado at over 30,000, with many residing in Aurora, known as Denver’s Koreatown. The presence of this community, and the launch of Notdutdol’s “U.S. Out of Korea” campaign, inspired this conference.

The conference opened with introductions from the attending groups, who expressed their solidarity with the campaign. Next, Korean Elder Subok Kim, a longtime supporter of Nodutdol and current member of Korean Americans for the Progressive Party, gave a speech. He spoke about his experience as a child in the Korean war and connected it to children in Gaza today.

Central to the event was a “Korea 101” presentation by Haruki Eda, a local educator and longtime member of Nodutdol, who stated, “Many civilians were massacred across the peninsula by both the South Korean and U.S. militaries.” They continued, “During the Korean War, 18 of the 22 major cities in the North were more than 50% destroyed. This included bombing dams and flooding whole areas of farmland, towns, and villages. That’s an act of genocide.”

Eda’s presentation was followed by a talk from Julia Sweezy, a founding member of Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) who stated, “Our tax dollars are going to warfare instead of meeting the needs of the people here. In the end, only the war profiteers and the ruling class benefit.”

As recent tensions in the region have increased, conference organizers shared an update near the end of the event. “In early October, drones flown from South Korea were spotted over Pyongyang. Previously, there were balloons, but this is a significant escalation and blatant violation of North Korean airspace. The U.S. treated a stray Chinese weather balloon as a national security threat, yet it supports these provocations against North Korea. Shame!” said Paul Nelson, an organizer from DACAC.

Eda added to the update, stressing the risks of the U.S. military’s expanded presence in Asia, “If an Asian NATO gets involved in warfare, whether because of Russia and Ukraine or something else, the Korean Peninsula is very likely to become a battleground in this larger conflict.”

The conference included up with a plenary session, where attendees signed a resolution supporting the four demands of the “U.S. Out of Korea!” campaign. It called on everyone to “organize, participate in, and support actions against Imperialism, especially the U.S.-funded genocide in Palestine and broader U.S.-Israeli war in the Middle East.” Additionally, the resolution urged groups to join DAWA’s efforts against Lockheed Martin, a leading U.S. war manufacturer that supplies weapons used in U.S. wars and intervention, including in Palestine.

Organizations represented included Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA), Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the Chicano Liberation Committee. Attendees also included members of the Denver Aurora Community Action Committee, Denver Students for a Democratic Society, the Colorado Springs People's Coalition and Nodutdol – the group leading the “U.S. Out of Korea” campaign. Veterans For Peace, the Mayday Club, and virtual participants like the SDS Chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee were also present.

After the speakers, organizers thanked everyone for their participation and support, specifically recognizing the groups that made it possible, and the Denver DSA for providing equipment to allow remote attendees to join. The conference concluded with attendees chanting, “U.S. out of Korea now!” and “End the war economy!”

#DenverCO #CO #AntiWarMovement #International #NorthKorea #DPRK #SDS #Nodutdol #DAWA

Denver, CO – On Saturday, September 14, 30 people from Denver and Aurora met at James Bible Park in Denver, Colorado to oppose the U,S. occupation of Korea. A striking banner at the rally read “U.S. out of Korea! End the War Economy!”

This action was organized in solidarity with Nodutdol’s “U.S. Out of Korea” campaign. The energy of Nodutdol’s campaign can was felt those who gathered for the rally. Opposing the rising tensions of war from the continued sanctions on North Korea and U.S. war games is a priority for anti-imperialist groups.

Solveig Swain, a member of Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA), said, “The U.S. is ramping up the war games and the threats of invasion into North Korea in an attempt to stoke the flames of war.”

Raika Sailing, a member of DAWA and one of the organizers of the action, spoke to the broader agenda the U.S. has in the region. Speaking on the topic of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems deployed in Korea, Sailing said, “[They] threaten China and instigating further conflict in the East. The U.S. uses stolen Korean land to further their violent campaign across Asia. This has to stop.”

After a series of speeches and chants, the rally ended with an encouragement for those present to think seriously about how they could make this demand a reality, and how they can contribute themselves and their organizations to the call to get U.S. out of Korea and to the fight against US imperialism.

Near the end of the action, speakers connected the struggle in Korea to the brave people of Palestine fighting back against the U.S.-funded genocide being carried out by the Israeli occupation, chanting “Free, free Palestine!” and “From Korea to Palestine, occupation is a crime!”

The organizations present included Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA), Students for a Democratic Society, and Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee, among others. The action drew people from far and wide, with groups coming from Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Wyoming, including some of the Veterans for Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine UCCS, and the Colorado Springs People’s Coalition.

#DenverCO #CO #AntiWarMovement #International #Korea #Nodutdol #DAWA #SDS

New York, NY - On Sunday, August 18, hundreds of New Yorkers gathered to attend Nodutdol’s “No to Nuclear War Games: U.S. Out of Korea” rally. Held in Greeley Square in the Koreatown neighborhood, the event was one of several held across the country over the past week to protest the U.S. and South Korea’s conducting of nuclear war game exercises that rehearse aggressive scenarios, including launching a nuclear strike against North Korea.

The rally featured speakers from Nodutdol, Palestine Youth Movement, Bayan, and Student Workers of Columbia (UAW 2710), among several other community organizations. The speeches highlighted how U.S. imperialism impacts people all over the world, from the threat of nuclear war in the Korean peninsula, to genocide in Gaza, to continued oppression in the Philippines, to the repression of rightful protests and freedom of expression in the U.S., “the belly of the beast” of imperialism, as speakers and chant leaders put it.

“They are rehearsing another destructive war against the Korean people,” said Hyo-won of Nodutdol, speaking about the massive war games and military exercises being held by the U.S. and South Korean militaries. “How can anyone feel safe with the U.S.’s decision to bring nukes into our country?”

But the tone of this speech, as with the rest of the rally, was of defiance rather than despair. “We refuse to submit to the bondage of empire,” Hyo-won said, to prolonged cheers and applause from the crowd.

After the speeches, protesters braved the heat to march from Greeley Square down to Union Square. People chanted “Up, up with liberation! End the U.S. occupation!” and “Stop the war games, leave our land! U.S. out is our demand!” Chant leaders also reinforced the links between struggles around the world, with cries of, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” and “From U.S. to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine!”

“The protest raised visibility in New York around the many areas of U.S. imperialism and its effects,” said Josephine Baker, a member of FRSO NYC. “Imperialism is multifaceted. The same capital interests that profit off wars and weapons, also profit off of the working class in the U.S.”

This rally was just one part of Nodutdol’s broader U.S. Out of Korea campaign, whose demands include an end to all aggression against North Korea and a national divestment from the war economy. Protest organizers encouraged attendees to stay connected to further actions in this struggle, as well as to continue protesting the genocide of the Palestinian people.

#NewYorkNY #International #Korea #AntiWarMovement #Nodutdol