Koreans in the U.S. Send Open Letter to Pres. Obama on the Crisis in Korean Peninsula

Open Letter to President Barack Obama on the Urgent Situation in the Korean Peninsula

March 10, 2013

Dear President Obama,

At this moment, the Korean Peninsula is facing the most serious danger of possible outbreak of war since the Korean War. It is not an exaggeration that the United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 2094 (tighter sanctions against North Korea following North Korea’s third nuclear weapon testing) has brought the matters to hair trigger situation. North Korea, in response, has announced the renouncement of nonaggression agreements between the two sides of Korea and the cessation of the hot line between the two governments.

Moreover, North Korea has already declared its abandonment of the Korean War Armistice Agreement starting on March 11, to coincide with the start of the Key Resolve/Foal Eagle joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises. All these ominous developments are leading the Korean Peninsula closer to war.

Through these years, we have seen that sanctions and pressures against North Korea are not realistic approaches towards peaceful resolution; rather they have brought more tension and crisis. All nations -- the U.S., North Korea, South Korea, and the U.N. Security Council member nations – will surely want a peaceful resolution and not resort to another war. Indeed, a peaceful resolution is the only viable road for peace and security in the peninsula and the region.

We respectfully ask the following:

First, initiate dialogue with North Korea on the road to peaceful resolution, culminating in theformulation of peace treaty. The replacement of the Korean War armistice agreement with a peace treaty is the only way to move away from the current crisis. You have pursued a policy of strategic patience towards North Korea through these years, but this path has not succeeded. Under current armistice mechanism, this kind of crisis will repeat itself constantly. The only way is to convert temporary armistice to real and lasting peace, guaranteed by a peace treaty.

Second, we ask the repeal of the Resolution No. 2094 as it is a catalyst of bringing the Korean Peninsula closer to war.

Third, we ask the end of Key Resolve/Foal Eagle military exercises. As the cessation of the Team Spirits exercises in 1992 brought about the start of dialog between Washington and Pyongyang, dialog can restart with the end of Key Resolve/Foal Eagle exercises.

Concerned Korean Americans, Koreans in the U.S., and Americans: 
Organizations:
June 15 Joint Committee for One Korea – U.S. Committee
Channing and Popai Liem Education Foundation
Congress for Korean Reunification
Korean American Women of Peace
Korea Policy Institute
Korea Project/Center for Process Studies, Claremont Lincoln University, Claremont, CA
Korean Quarterly
National Association of Korean Americans
National Campaign to End the Korean War
National Committee for Peace in Korea
Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, NY
Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification in U.S.A
Korean American National Coordinating Council
Korean American Support Committee for UPP
SASASE in US (LA, DC, Phila., NY, San Jose, Seattle, Chicago)
and concerned individuals...