Thread by @nodutdol

#OTD in 1953 the Korean War Armistice was signed between the DPRK, China and the US. The armistice instated a ceasefire but did not end the war, which is now in its 70th year.

Until a peace treaty is signed, the status quo of division and occupation will continue.

The armistice called for negotiations in 3 months for a peace treaty & withdrawal of all foreign troops.

Negotiations weren’t held until 6 months later. A peace agreement was not reached, & the US military continues to occupy Korea to this day.

zoominkorea.org/korean-war-arm…

This was the ROK’s initial proposal at the 1954 Geneva Conference:

-ROK is only legitimate govt
-Elections be held in north
-All Chinese troops withdraw
-UN Command (under US leadership) remains as a police force

The US voiced support for this proposal

The DPRK’s initial proposal:

-An election should be held nationwide
-All foreign troops should withdraw before the election
-A bilateral commission of equal North/South representation should oversee the election

In the end, North and South Korea agreed on the need for a national election and the return of POWs. However, an agreement on the organization of the election and the question of foreign troop withdrawal could not be reached. Geneva ended without a formal peace agreement.

The Soviet Union and China both expressed their support for peace and reunification. However, the US did not.

Historian Michael Pembroke notes that US reps at Geneva refused to negotiate with China, hampering the overall process.

aljazeera.com/indepth/opinio…

Although an agreement was reached for the repatriation of POWs, some 500 DPRK POWs were incarcerated and tortured by ROK until the 1990s.

The documentary Repatriation tells the story of some of these POWs, you can watch it here until 7/31: vimeo.com/417337572

Last month, the world reacted as the DPRK demolished its interkorean liaison office in Kaesong. Soon after, Kim Yo-jong, Vice Director of the United Front Dept of the Workers Party, declared DPRK was not interested in continued negotiations with the US

defendkorea.com/2020/07/10/pre…

A major cause of this chill is the US’ refusal to end sanctions, provide a security guarantee, or entertain a peace treaty without complete denuclearization of the DPRK.

The inflexibility ignores that denuclearization before a peace treaty leaves the DPRK highly vulnerable

For the DPRK, denuclearization entails disarmament of the US, which has 3800 warheads compared to the DPRK’s 20-30.

Demilitarization of the peninsula must also be on the table starting with an end to war exercises along DPRK borders. The US has been reluctant to comply.

The US is also hostile to the interkorean peace process.

In 2018, DPRK & ROK signed the Panmunjom Declaration, committing to officially ending the war. Months later, the US-led UN Command blocked development of the interkorean railway.

popularresistance.org/united-states-…

The ongoing division and war in Korea is a cause of widespread suffering: brutal sanctions against the DPRK, the seizure and occupation of people’s traditional lands in the south, the wholesale militarization of Korean society, the separation of thousands of families.

A peace treaty to formally end the war is the war is the first step towards healing the wounds of war and ending the ongoing violence. For this to happen, the US must accept Korean leadership, end sanctions, and prioritize a treaty over a denuclearization process.

Until that happens, the siege of the DPRK under sanctions, the militarization of the peninsula, and the division of millions of people from their families and ancestral homes will continue.