On this day in 1948, Koreans on Jeju Island organized an armed rebellion for a unified, independent country, free of US colonization. In response, the US military government & ROK massacred 30,000-60,000 people until 1954.
TW: Police brutality, torture, rape mention
After WW2, the US military ruled southern Korea directly. Self-governing People's Committees were mostly disbanded, except in Jeju. In 1917 police killed 6 independence protestors, triggering a general strike on the island. In response, the US sent in police and fascist partisans
The Jeju Uprising was organized on April 3, 1948 after the US announced unpopular elections to create an "independent" southern government. 12 out of 24 police stations were attacked simultaneously.
The US & ROK responded with total war, killing 10-20% of Jeju's people by 1954.
The Jeju Massacre defies the official US narrative. The US didn't bring democracy to Korea, only division and death.
Jeju was just one of many atrocities committed by the US and its anticommunist allies in Korea and the Cold War Pacific. Yet this history is rarely acknowledged.
US military occupation in Korea and Jeju continues to this day. From 2011-2016, Jeju islanders fought to stop a new ROK naval base from being built. A new airport that will double as an air base is now also being constructed. scmp.com/news/asia/east…
As conversations about anti-Asian racism enters the mainstream, we must expand the scope of the discussion beyond US borders, & show the links between domestic white supremacy and imperialism. Contemporary anti-Asian racism is the legacy of a century of genocidal US wars in Asia.
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On New Year’s Eve, global media reported that Kim Jong Un no longer supports Korean reunification. But this is not true.
A thread 🧵
Kim Jong Un recently announced major changes in north Korea’s stance towards reunification. This marks a huge breakdown in inter-Korean relations after years of US, south Korean, and Japanese aggression.
However, north Korea has NOT abandoned reunification.
In a speech made on Dec 31 at the 9th Plenum of the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea, Kim Jong Un rejected south Korea’s formula for “reunification by absorption”— the idea south Korea should absorb the north, overthrow its govt, and abolish its socialist system.
As anti-imperialist Koreans, we stand unequivocally with Palestine, its people and its armed resistance against the Zionist occupation. This is neither a two-sided conflict nor a war: it is an occupation and a genocide.
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As Koreans whose homeland is divided, we know imperialism is our common enemy. Following our liberation from Japanese colonialism and the beginning of independent socialist construction in Korea, the US split our country in two and indiscriminately bombed and killed our people.
There is a reason the Nakba and the division of Korea coincided in 1948, backed by the same imperialist interests. Both Korea and Palestine are geographically strategic sites for the US empire’s grip across the world.
Today marks the 73rd anniversary of the “start” of the Korean War. We've curated a list of educational resources that the US & south Korean governments desperately tried to erase from our history. In the face of blatant US propaganda, it is up to us to learn the real history 🧵
The Hidden History of the Korean War by I.F. Stone
In this new book, I.F. Stone challenges the dominant historical narrative about the Korean War and exposes the US' deliberate attempts to prolong the war.
Blowback, Season 3
Brendan James and Noah Kulwin expose US involvement in the Korean War using primary sources, vivid storytelling, and sharp historical analysis. The season also features interviews with Suzy Kim, Tim Shorrock, and Bruce Cummings.
#OTD in 1980, the people of #Gwangju rose up against Chun Doo-hwan's military dictatorship, calling for democracy in south Korea.
In response, with a green light from the US, south Korean police & soldiers massacred 2,300 people. We will never forget the martyrs of Gwangju. 🧵
In Oct 1979, former President Park Chung-hee was assassinated by his own head of security. Chun Doo-hwan then seized power via military coup.
On May 17, 1980, he declared martial law, using rumors of communism to close schools, ban political activity, and censor the press.
On May 18, 1980, thousands of students in Gwangju gathered to protest martial law and the closing of their universities.
Police & soldiers responded with brutal violence, beating students with clubs and rounding them up for execution. Students and bystanders alike were killed.
The south Korean defense ministry defended its actions using the Status of Forces Agreement, which exempts US troops from following domestic laws in south Korea.
The Status of Forces Agreement is an imperialist tool that allows the US to control and suppress the Korean people.
With a US shooting range in their backyard, the residents of Changwon will face irreversible environmental, physical, and psychological damage.
From 1952-2004, the US installed a bombing range near Maehyang-ri village. At least 12 villagers were killed by stray bombs or bullets.
Single mothers face discrimination and abuse in south Korean society. On top of social stigma, the government also makes it difficult for single mothers to receive financial support.