Pro-peace groups in the Republic of Korea (ROK or South Korea) opposed the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) 2024 set to be held in the country from August 19 to 29. These war games are annually launched by the US in the ROK, but for this year it will include for the first time a drill on the ROK’s response to a “nuclear attack” from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea).

Thousands rallied in Seoul, South Korea’s capital, on August 10 to oppose the war games and call for the scrapping of the military alliance between the US, Japan and South Korea. They also called for the resignation of President Yoon Seok Yeol. Workers’ unions, farmers, women, students and others participated in the protest.

“The organized masses of Korea are aware of the threat of US imperialism to our motherland,” said Nodutdol, a group of Korean migrants based in the US, which announced the protests. Although the impending war game is big news in the ROK, no newspaper reported on the protests against it.

The US and ROK announced such a plan yesterday, August 12, in a press conference attended by the Joint Chief of Staff of the ROK and the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command. UFS will have two stages this year, they said. The first is from August 26 to 29 which will be carried out by only two army divisions. The second phase will be conducted with the Air Force, Army and Navy. On August 22, the “national defense evacuation drill” will be carried out.

Around 19,000 South Korean troops will participate in the UFS. The US did not provide the numbers on how many American troops would be involved. Currently, at least 28,500 US troops are permanently based in US bases in the ROK.

According to peace groups, these war games are further intensifying tensions on the Korean peninsula. They have long criticized the US for inciting a war between the two Koreas, as well as against its neighbor China. Since last year, it has been obvious that the US is building a military alliance with Japan and the ROK, which the DPRK calls “Asian NATO.”

On August 10, Koreans in the US took action against the planned war games. It was led by Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, which first launched the “US Out of Korea Now” campaign.

The Peace Treaty Now (PTN) group also launched a similar campaign. They took pictures of their members and allies holding papers that read “Stop US-ROK Nuke War Drills! US out of Korea” Yes to Peace, No to US-ROK Nuke War Drills!” and “Dismantle the US-South Korea-Japan military alliance!” They sent the photos to the ROK parliament on August 10.

PTN is a network of 50 Korean groups in the US, Canada and Europe.