Tens of thousands of Christians gathered in front of City Hall Plaza for the second time on Sunday afternoon to hold a 'Prayer for Peace Rally.' They shouted slogans opposing the withdrawal of the United States Forces Korea and anti-Americanism, as well as calling for North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions and not withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). This is a welcome development as it shows that there is not just one prevailing view in society.

On January 8, there was a similar rally in front of the US Air Force base in Osan and this can be interpreted as the concerns of the general public emerging, at a time when certain segments were generating anti-Americanism and demanding a USFK withdrawal. We should not take this lightly, as many people gathered openly and spoke out in support of the USFK.

So far, a group within society strongly stated that the USFK was damaging national pride and was not based here in the national interest, especially after the accidental deaths of two schoolgirls killed by an American armored vehicle. However, the peace rally in the plaza demonstrated that people's worries on this were deep and wide ranging. It is also a warning about the dangers of distorted unilateral views that claim anti-Americanism is a means to recover national independence.

A society loses its rudder when a group's unilateral voice prevails, and so now is the time for cool discussion about national issues concerning North Korea's nuclear weapons program and the USFK. This should be carried out in accordance with the criteria of the national interest.

January 21, 2003