Support Korean COs for International Conscientious Objection Day!
CO day in Seoul, 2017
On 15th day activists around the world marked International Conscientious Objection Day. We stood in solidarity with conscientious objectors in the Republic of Korea (South Korea), over 250 of whom are in prison - right now - for refusing military service.
You can still get involved!
- Show your solidarity with Korean conscientious objectors using the hashtag #freeKoreanCOs;
- WRI's affiliate in South Korea, World Without War, have made a statement for CO day. Find it here. At this time of change on the Korean peninsula, World Without War insist that the right to refuse to kill must be recognised. Read the statement here, and share it on social media using #freeKoreanCOs!
- Send a postcard to the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in your country to protest their imprisonment. Details here;
- Send our template email to send a message to the government of South Korea;
- See if an event is happening near you. Info on events in South Korea, German, the UK and USA are listed here.
As World Without War's statement says 'In order for Korea to make the most of the precious opportunities of peace that have come in seventy years and to become a country of permanent peace, the right to conscientious objection must be recognized.'
We send all our support to World Without War. We look forward to a peaceful future on the Korean peninsula, where no one is imprisoned for their refusal to join the military.
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Korean War Resisters
Please release the South Korean war resisters, who remain in south Korean prisons. Conscientious objection enjoys a long, proud history. The Quakers have adopted this as a corps of their religion. My grandfather was a conscientious objector, who left Schleswig-Holstein when he was 18 to escape the German despots military draft. Schleswig-Holstein which is part of Denmark, was temporarily controlled by Germany. Although I am not a conscientious objector, I decided to serve in the Peace Corps during the Vietnamese war.
'In order for Korea to make…
'In order for Korea to make the most of the precious opportunities of peace that have come in seventy years and to become a country of permanent peace, the right to conscientious objection must be recognized.'
Conscientious Objection is a…
Conscientious Objection is a human right. No one should be trained to kill.
con. obj.
let them go
Please release those who do…
Please release those who do not wish to serve in the armed forces.
Please release all…
Please release all conscientious objector prisoners in South Korea.
Conscientious Objector
Work for Peace with United Nations. War is immoral.
Conscientious Objectors
All societies need the balance of conscientious objectors who, while they cannot commit to talking life even in defense of their loved ones, have much to give. It has to be a human right to refuse to kill. In wartime other conscientious objectors have proven valuable by contributing other skills such as office staff, medics, reporters and photographers. It would be more productive to find a useful way for these people to contribute rather than be held in prison.