By Soh Ji-young
Staff Reporter

SEOUL - More than 40 civic groups April 9 formed an alliance to oppose U.S. missile defense programs, claiming such moves will prevent peace from prevailing on the Korean peninsula.

"The Theater Missile Defense (TMD) and National Missile Defense (NMD) projects being pushed by the United States will only spark an international arms race, with the Korean peninsula as the main victim," said the Korean Committee Against NMD-TMD and for Peace at a press conference held April 9 morning at the Seoul Press Center in central Seoul.

Major nongovernmental organizations, such as the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and the People’s Action for Reform of the Unjust SOFA are taking part in the coalition.

"The initiative of the U.S. government to deploy the NMD-TMD system is nothing more than a design to secure its hegemony," the Korean Committee said.

"As the Bush government is intent on fabricating North Korea’s military threat to justify its program, it will ultimately damage the prospect of peace and unification between the two Koreas, which is starting to take root," the group said.

"We will undertake all necessary efforts to stop the NMD-TMD plan," the coalition vowed.

The Korean Committee also wrote a letter to U.S. President George W Bush and urged him to give up the missile plan.

Saying they are "quite satisfied with one episode of ‘Star Wars,’" the activists demanded that President Bush abandon the ballistic missile defense system and stated that they will link arms with all the peace-loving people across the world to lay the mindless NMD-TMD plan to rest.

The coalition also called on President Kim Dae-jung to "take a clear stand on the NMD-TMD issue," and give up all efforts to participate in the controversial missile defense programs.

After the press conference, they visited the U.S. Embassy to deliver the protest letter addressed to President Bush.

The coalition will conduct various workshops, seminars and publicity campaigns on the NMD and TMD projects to enhance public awareness of the issue.

Signature drives, street campaigns and protest rallies will also be staged against the U.S. Embassy and the Defense Ministry to voice opposition to the missile plan.

Joining international campaigns, a group of civic activists will be dispatched to Washington in June to make protest visits to the White House and other defense-related agencies. "We are currently organizing the matter with U.S. peace organizations," said a civil activist.

Meanwhile, a civic rally will be held April 10 in front of the U.S. Embassy at 2 p.m. to oppose the U.S. missile defense program.