Militarism

Remembrance Day is held in Canada every November 11th to pay homage to the sacrifices made by war veterans. Often forgotten is the Korean War, which claimed the lives of hundreds of Canadian soldiers. Overshadowed by both World Wars and the Vietnam War, Canada’s and Canadian’s role in the Korean War is often misunderstood and under-appreciated at Remembrance ceremonies. This article, published by Metro News Canada, tells the story of one Korean War veteran who’s personal path to peace involved a pen pal relationship with a Korean woman. The article gives a glimpse into the lives of Canadian Korean War veterans, and is a reminder that the effects of the Korean War are still felt by Canadians and Koreans alike. To read the article, please download here.

By Taryn Assaf

For Peace

On Friday, July 26th 2013, the ISC team participated in the International Symposium on Concluding a Peace Treaty on the Korean Peninsula held at the Seoul Women’s Plaza, organized by the People’s Movement for Opposing War and Achieving Peace. The conference was attended by a number of scholars, journalists, politicians and activists from Korea, Canada, Japan, the United States and China, as well as a number of veterans of the Korean peace movement, some of whom had spent over 30 years as political prisoners. The conference addressed key issues on the topic of peace on the Peninsula and reunification of the two Koreas. Speakers investigated the “threat” of North Korea, obstacles to peace (including United States militarism and imperialism, state nationalism, and the relationships between the countries of Northeast Asia) and recommendations for peace (including reunification, normalization of relations between the two Koreas, denuclearization of Northeast Asia, and independence from the United States).

June 6th marks the 58th Memorial Day in commemoration of the sacrifices made during the Korean War and others. In Busan, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans, some well into their eighth decade, gathered just inside the entrance of the UN Memorial Cemetery, greeting visitors, answering questions and re-telling their stories of sacrifice, hardship and honor in their involvement as soldiers. The cemetery is decorated with the altars of hundreds of young men not only from Korea, but from other United Nations countries such as Canada, the United States and Australia, among many others. Despite the intense heat, veterans and visitors payed their respects, offering moments of silence with their heads bowed as the ceremony took place.