Has north Korea abandoned reunification?

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.

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.

🧵 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.

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.

#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.

The US and south Korea started building a shooting range in Changwon — without informing the local government or residents.

Changwon is a city full of apartments, shopping centers, and industrial parks — all within a 1.5 km radius of the shooting range.

en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN202305… 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.

💐Today is Single Mother's Day in south Korea.

🧵Single moms created Single Mother's Day to challenge "Adoption Day" — a holiday celebrated by the south Korean government on May 11. In 2019, 100% of overseas adoptees from Korea were the children of unwed mothers.

The south Korean adoption agency originated by preying on poor women, unwed mothers, and sex workers. Many were coerced into giving up their children.

https://twitter.com/nodutdol/status/1613939677739847684?s=20

On this day in 1948, Jeju Islanders organized an armed rebellion for a free and unified Korea. In response, the US military & south Korean gov massacred 20% of Jeju's population.

The US & south Korea want to erase this history. But we will not forget the martyrs of Jeju. 🧵 After years of brutal Japanese colonialism, Koreans finally won their independence in 1945. But Korea was not yet free.

The US occupied southern Korea, placed the Korean people under US military rule, and re-hired Japanese colonial officers into the police and government.

6 FACTS YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS & KOREA 🧵

The US paints north Korea as an evil state that refuses to give up nuclear weapons. But did you know that the US has more nuclear weapons than north Korea? Or that the US almost dropped atomic bombs on Korea? 1. THE US – NOT NORTH KOREA – IS THE WORLD'S GREATEST NUCLEAR THREAT.

The US is the only country that has dropped atomic bombs on civilians. North Korea has never used a nuclear weapon on another country. The US has 5,428 nuclear weapons, while north Korea has roughly 40.

REMEMBER THE SAMIL MOVEMENT!

Today marks Samiljeol (삼일절). Also known as the March 1st Movement, Samiljeol sparked the struggle for Korean independence from Japanese colonialism on March 1st, 1919. 🧵⬇️ In 1910, Japan colonized Korea, placing it under military rule. The colonial government stole swaths of Korean land and industries, heavily taxed people and caused widespread hunger by forcing Koreans to send rice to Japan.

PRESIDENT YOON HAS LAUNCHED A WAVE OF RIGHT-WING REPRESSION IN SOUTH KOREA.

In the past week, police have raided multiple labor unions and peace organizations. These raids are an act of war against the Korean people. 🧵 On January 18, the National Intelligence Service raided multiple offices of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).

The KCTU is an umbrella union that represents over 1 million workers. Yoon has accused KCTU leaders of being north Korean spies.

peoplesdispatch.org/2023/01/18/out…

🧵 On January 10, The Jeju office of the June 15th Committee was raided by the National Intelligence Service (the Korean CIA) for screening The Story of Our Home: a heartwarming film about a family in north Korea. The June 15th Committee is an organization of both domestic and international committees organizing for Korean reunification. It was created in honor of the June 15, 2000 North-South Joint Declaration between south Korea and north Korea.

Today is Korean American Day – this year, let’s explore Korea’s history of adoption.

The US has the largest population of Korean adoptees worldwide. While adoption is often framed as an act of charity, it is a global industry that grew out of war, profit, and anticommunism. 🧵 Starting in the 1880s, Western Christian missionaries primarily facilitated adoptions.

Adoption in Korea began as a project to remove “unwanted” children – those born to poor families, unwed mothers & sex workers. Many families were coerced into giving up their children.

In 1969, this past week, Jan 3-10 was proclaimed in north Korea as "the week of international solidarity for supporting the national liberation struggle of the Asian, African, and Latin American peoples."

Thread on north Korean support for liberation projects around the world🧵 Since 1966, north Korea has stood in solidarity with Palestine, supporting and helping train members of various Palestinian liberation organizations while refusing to recognize Israel.

https://twitter.com/nodutdol/status/1465400190911844356?s=20

On this day in 1970, a south Korean labor organizer set himself on fire in protest of the working conditions of textile workers in Seoul.

We remember Jeon Tae-il is on this day for his organizing and dying words: "We are not machines, we are humans!"

🧵THREAD The son of a textile worker, Jeon Tae-il left school at an early age to work to support his family before running away from home as a teenager.

By age 17, Jeon became a tailor in the factories of Seoul Peace Market.

Today, the US and south Korea begins live military exercises against north Korea after a 4 year pause. This year’s drills are unprecedented in scale, upping the tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Thread 🧵 The US & south Korea typically hold joint military exercises 2x a year. Exercises can involve up to 300k soldiers & rehearse invasions of north Korea and assassination of north Korean leadership.

nytimes.com/2017/09/12/wor…

Some north Korean defectors have achieved global fame for their horrific and tear-jerking stories about north Korea. But behind their stories is a web of political schemes and cash incentives, intended to advance US imperialism.

🧵 A handful of north Korean defectors have become human rights celebrities. But not everyone who leaves north Korea identifies as a defector. "Defector" implies a political motive, but most leave for economic reasons, and some plan to return.

english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_e…

On this day in 1945, Koreans celebrated liberation from Japanese colonialism. Japan annexed Korea in 1910, and the colonial government pursued a policy of brutal repression as it oversaw the pillaging of the peninsula.

Koreans fought back and freed themselves. THREAD🧵 Korean students in Japan became radicalized and challenged the colonial government.

On Feb 8 1919, 600 Korean students gathered in Tokyo to declare Korean independence. They threatened ‘endless bloody war’ if demands were not met, and called for support from Western powers.

Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, was assassinated. A powerful figure among Japan’s right-wing, Abe was an apologist for imperial Japan’s war crimes and supported US imperialist efforts in the Asia Pacific.

A thread on Abe 🧵 Abe was a member of fascist group Nippon Kaigi.

They claim Imperial Japan’s war crimes were exaggerated or fabricated, and praise Japanese colonialism for “liberating” Asia from the West. In 2014, 15/18 of Abe's cabinet were Nippon Kaigi members.

thedailybeast.com/the-religious-…

Today commemorates the 72nd anniversary of the “start” of the Korean War. Education is central to reviving the repressed histories of those fighting for Korea’s liberation and so today we share with you a few resources to learn the real history of the Korean War. Korea’s Grievous War by Sukyoung Hwang: an account of civilian experiences with anti-communist violence from the Jeju Uprising through the Korean War, drawing on personal interviews and survivor testimony

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On May 10, 2022, Yoon Seok-yeol officially takes office as the president of south Korea. Yoon’s presidency marks a return to power for the south Korean right. How will this impact Koreans and the world at large? Yoon pledged to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality & Family - a division that oversees prevention of domestic violence & support for survivors. By accusing the ministry of “reverse gender discrimination,” he secured support from anti-feminist orgs.
bbc.com/news/world-asi…

🧵 South Korea and the Vietnam War

From 1964 - 1973, south Korea deployed over 300,000 soldiers in the US invasion of Vietnam.

Today is Reunification Day in Vietnam. Let’s take the occasion to reflect on south Korea’s role in imperialist aggression against Vietnam. Why did south Korea join the war?

Bc of the Korean War, south Korea has one of the world’s largest militaries. The US sought to use this large military in Vietnam to save costs. But Park Chung-hee, south Korea’s right-wing strongman ruler, wouldn’t send troops without a price.