Translation result.
|
As behind-the-scenes talks between the United States and Iran aim to negotiate an end to the conflict in the Middle East, labor groups, religious organizations and civil society are publicly condemning the U.S. and Israel and calling for an immediate cease-fire.
On May 20, labor organizations including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), religious groups such as the Jogye Order’s Social-Labor Committee, and civic organizations including Korea Peace Action and the Action for Peace Against Deployment to Condemn Aggressive War carried out 108 prostrations in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul’s Jongno district.
|
They warned that as the crisis in the Middle East drags on, countless civilians continue to suffer, and they urged all parties to conclude cease-fire negotiations without delay. They also criticized Israel for launching attacks on Lebanon and elsewhere while talks were ongoing, and they shouted slogans at the U.S. Embassy, including \”Stop the war immediately\” and \”Trump, stop the war now.\”
Participants then gathered behind the statue of King Sejong in Gwanghwamun Square, across from the embassy, where they performed 108 prostrations facing the embassy to pray for an end to the fighting, to honor the victims and to denounce the actions of the United States and Israel. After completing the prostrations, they marched toward the Bohyeonsa stone pagoda installed at the edge of Gwanghwamun Square to mark Buddha’s Birthday.
|
The Jogye Order’s deputy chair said, \”The war that the U.S. and Israel initiated is approaching its third month. Those who started the war must stop it now.\” He added, \”The era of barbaric aggression by great powers must come to an end on this planet. War cannot be justified for any reason; invasion is not excusable under any pretext. They stem from ambition and greed.\”
Lee Tae-ho, an executive committee member of Korea Peace Action, described the Iran-related conflict as \”naked injustice, stripped even of hypocrisy.\” He warned that the international order—international law, the laws of war and the regulatory power of international institutions, built up through countless sacrifices—is being shattered. \”This injustice must be overcome by the force of peace,\” he said. \”In the name of humanity, we must stop it together.\”
|
Most Commented