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A total of 601 civic groups, political parties, and politicians from across human rights, labor, religious, peace, and grassroots sectors hold a press conference on the stairs of the Sejong Center in Seoul on the 9th, condemning U.S. coercion regarding troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz and strongly urging the Lee Jae-myung administration to reject it. / Courtesy of Yonhap

Civic society groups marched from downtown Seoul to the front of Cheong Wa Dae in opposition to deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz.

Civic groups, including People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and the Korean Peace Solidarity for Sovereignty and Reunification, held a rally titled "Citizens' Grand March Against Troop Deployment to the Strait of Hormuz" in front of the Le Meilleur building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, at 4 p.m. on the 12th. According to organizers, around 540 religious and civic organizations participated in the event.

Even before the rally began, participants chanted slogans such as "U.S., stop the war of aggression," "The South Korean government must firmly reject deployment to the Strait of Hormuz," and "We want peace." They also held signs bearing messages including "U.S., halt the war of aggression" and "The South Korean government must refuse deployment to the Strait of Hormuz."

Civic groups voiced concerns over the possibility of deployment, citing the Ministry of National Defense's recent dispatch of a fact-finding team to the United Arab Emirates regarding the Strait of Hormuz deployment. They asserted, "With reports that the Ministry of National Defense recently sent a field team to the United Arab Emirates regarding the Strait of Hormuz mission and plans to report its findings to the National Security Council, concerns are mounting that a deployment decision is imminent," arguing that "deploying troops to the U.S. war against Iran amounts to participating in a war of aggression."

Taking the podium, Venerable Seonu of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism emphasized, "Violence only begets greater violence, and retaliation merely brings a vicious cycle of further retaliation," stressing, "The wrapping paper called national interest can never outweigh human lives, and peace built on the blood of another nation cannot exist."

Kim Sook-young, co-representative of Political Mamas whose son faces mandatory military enlistment, stated, "Reviewing a troop deployment is not mere diplomatic rhetoric; it hits like a bolt from the blue, meaning our sons could be sent to an active war zone," adding, "If the Lee Jae-myung administration decides to deploy troops, the president must be held accountable in every way." Following the rally, participants marched past the U.S. Embassy in Seoul to the front of Cheong Wa Dae.

                                                                                                            Kim Yun-hee