Bayan Philippines stands in solidarity with Korean people’s organizations in condemning the Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises between the United States and the Republic of Korea.
These exercises are neither for the promotion of freedom nor peace in the region. On the contrary, they enable the US to escalate tension, bolster its war agenda, and undermine the Korean people’s demand for genuine liberation and peaceful reunification.
The UFS in South Korea, the Resolute Dragon Valiant Shield in Japan, and the Balikatan in the Philippines are all costly, disruptive to the local population, and provoke conflict by turning these countries into forward operating bases of the US.
The Philippines may be far from the Korean Peninsula, but the UFS directly affects Filipinos since the US maintains installations and is aggressively pursuing military buildup based on its First Island Chain imperialist security doctrine from Korea and Japan, to the Philippines, and up to North Borneo.
We refuse to be dragged into the proxy wars of the US, which turn our people into cannon fodder and our lands into war playgrounds and staging grounds for US military projection.
Today, we are proud to stand together with our Korean comrades and all Koreans asserting national sovereignty in denouncing the UFS and expanding US militarism. Our unity, solidarity, and resistance are stronger in building a people’s shield from Korea to the Philippines in defeating the US empire.
Stop the Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises!
Stop Balikatan!
US out of Korea! US out of the Philippines! US out of everywhere!
Down with imperialism!