New Year's Greetings for 2021 from everyone at the Korean Sharing Movement
작성자/Author
관리자
작성일/Date
2021-01-13 15:55
조회/Views
707
We would like to take the opportunity of the January issue of Peace & Sharing to wish you a happy New Year and best wishes for 2021 from everyone at the Korean Sharing Movement. At KSM, we will continue to strive for peace on the Korean Peninsula this year through reconciliation and cooperation by realizing the humanitarian principle of sharing.
We continue to feel the importance of reaching out and engaging with people around the world that deal with Korea Peninsula issues. We welcome the developments of the past year in the United States where the End the Korean War campaign has put the issue on the agenda for politicians and the public alike. KSM has also participated in this campaign here in South Korea and will continue to do so. We also believe that the recent debate around the world about South Korea’s ‘anti-leaflet law’ highlights the importance of understanding the Korean conflict context when engaging with issues about North Korea. Halting leaflet launches was agreed to in the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration and has been stipulated in numerous inter-Korean agreements from as long ago as the 1972 South-North Joint Communique. North Korea has stopped its propaganda in the border region. The Korean peace process and the security of citizens living in the vicinity of the border, including 1.12 million South Koreans, should not be jeopardized by certain interest groups committing acts that South and North have agreed to refrain from. In October 2014 a community center in Jung-Myeon, Yeoncheon-gun in the South was left scarred by bullets after North Korean anti-aircraft guns fired at a leaflet balloon launch. We have learnt from experience in the protracted conflict of the Korean Peninsula that trust building is precarious. Developments in trust building that need much effort and are gradually built up over time require continual protection, the ‘anti-leaflet law’ equates to one part of that.
On a broader note, we are very grateful for the continued efforts of our partners from around the world to connect with us and develop cooperation in various forms. We believe that partnership between South Korean and international groups can help both sides increase understanding of the local and international factors in the Korean conflict, as well as increasing the effectiveness of humanitarian and development cooperation with the north where possible. We will endeavor to continue strengthening this international cooperation in 2021 and welcome your active participation.
Our December International Conference on Humanitarian Cooperation and Peaceful Development on the Korean Peninsula highlighted the impact that COVID-19 has had on drastically limiting the activities of humanitarian organizations working inside the DPRK. When the COVID situation alleviates, the international community will need to facilitate cooperation with North Korea to understand the extent of the humanitarian situation and assist those in need. This year we will continue to advocate for change in international sanctions that have been shown to be having adverse impacts on the already precarious humanitarian situation of ordinary North Koreans. We sincerely wish that 2021 can become a year that contributes to peacebuilding and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula.
