Gwanghwamun March Against Hormuz Deployment

However, he pointed out that Japan immediately refused this request, while the Korean government has yet to make a clear decision and appears to be deliberating.

Director Choi criticized the Korean government for its attitude on this issue, saying, «Japan refused, but our government is still wondering what to do? Hesitating?» He urged the government to make a careful decision.

Director Choi Young-min questioned the US's rationale for defining the Strait of Hormuz operation as merely an 'operation' rather than a war. He analyzed this as an attempt by the US to evade responsibilities associated with war, such as compensation for casualties that may occur during combat.

He criticized the US for essentially engaging in a war-like military intervention yet demanding deployment from allies, including South Korea, under the pretext of an 'operation,' thereby offloading the aftermath of a US war onto Korea.

Director Choi stated, «We are allies with the US, but we are not subordinates in war. We are not pawns, are we?» emphasizing that Korea should not be sacrificed for US military interests.

The police repeatedly demanded that civic groups put down their picket signs and avoid the appearance of an assembly. The civic groups countered that a press conference is not subject to assembly reporting requirements.

Director Choi Young-min expressed concern about the police preventing even peaceful walking by categorizing it as an assembly. He criticized the police's excessive restrictions, stating, «They are continuously demanding that we put down our picket signs and not have the character of an assembly.»

He cited an instance where the President previously remarked, «It takes 15 years to build one nuclear power plant, so when will we build that to supply electricity?» yet the government announced the construction of two new nuclear power plants just the following month.

Such policy changes raise the possibility that policy judgments can be influenced by the power of large capital, amplifying doubts about the government's transparent and consistent policy-making.

One citizen remarked, «Suddenly, after nearly a year of quiet, talk of deployment started up again,» pointing out that discussions, which had been dormant, resurfaced abruptly yesterday.

This raised the perspective that it is unclear whether the Lee Jae-myung government succumbed to US pressure or if there are other intentional motives at play.

Some citizens believed that strongly building public opposition could be an effective leverage to prevent the government from deciding on deployment. One citizen commented, «In a way, isn't this a fake tactic to create anti-deployment sentiment?» emphasizing the importance of strong civil society resistance.

This demonstrates a strategic awareness that citizens' resistance to the government's deployment decision can exert practical influence.

Director Choi Young-min warned that even if the Hormuz deployment begins under the pretext of 'support,' it will ultimately serve US military interests. He expressed concern that no one can guarantee when a deployment, once started, will end or to what extent its scale will expand.

Director Choi stated, «It is absolutely not for Korea; it is militarily assisting a US war. No one can guarantee when a deployment, once started, will end or to what extent it will expand,» urging caution in the deployment decision.

He explained that since Israel has never joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it has no reason to undergo inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Despite many scholars estimating that Israel already possesses about 100 nuclear missiles, he criticized the contradiction of the current international system where inspection eligibility is determined by treaty membership. He stated, «Because Israel has never joined any nuclear-related treaties, it has no reason to undergo inspections.»

He argued that the IAEA has no enforcement power whatsoever and is effectively just an agent organization representing the interests of nuclear-armed great powers. He stated, «But they have absolutely no coercive power, so they are, literally, the ones who conduct nuclear inspections and report to the US, the UK, and France,» pointing out that the IAEA fails to properly function as an independent monitoring body.

He also criticized the IAEA's potential to be swayed by the political and economic interests of specific countries, citing the case where questions were raised about the neutrality of the IAEA report during Japan's discharge of nuclear wastewater.

He emphasized that the US demand was «absurd» and that Korea should never accede to a deployment that goes against its national interest.

The cast member mentioned that citizens are currently taking to the streets to voice their opposition to the deployment, stressing that such civil society movements would be a great force in the government's decision to refuse deployment.

He stated, «President Lee Jae-myung must absolutely not give in to such absurd demands from Trump. Aren't the citizens coming out like this and giving strength to the opposition?» demanding that the government make a courageous decision based on public support.

He pointed out that the conditions for that deployment ultimately failed and emphasized that this historical lesson must be remembered.

The participant stated, «The conditions for the 2003 Iraq deployment, after how many years of support? Ultimately, the Roh Moo-hyun conditions became failed conditions, and this must be remembered. If it continues, the only outcome will be the failure of the government's administration,» warning that deployment would ultimately lead to government failure.

Executive Director Choi Gae-heon analyzed that US deployment pressure is linked to economic issues such as investment in the US and semiconductor factory construction. He argued that as the US finds it difficult to sustain the war with Iran solely with its own military power, it is making unilateral demands on Korea, which it claims as an ally.

Director Choi questioned whether the US, cornered and facing a crisis, is demanding deployment from Korea, which it considers a 'submissive ally' that it can control at will, in order to continue the war and maintain its hegemony.

He stated, «In a situation where the US found it difficult to militarily sustain the Iran war solely with its own strength, is the cornered and crisis-stricken US not making such demands on Korea, which claims to be an ally but in fact pursues a submissive alliance that it can control, in order to continue this war and maintain its hegemony?» emphasizing that the Korean government should not succumb to unilateral US demands.

He also announced that a press conference with participants from various fields is scheduled for tomorrow (September 9) at 1 PM in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.

These continuous actions appear to be intended to continuously spread the message against deployment and strengthen pressure on the government.