Outside the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, activists opposed the trilateral Freedom Edge drills and a possible deployment of South Korean troops to the Strait of Hormuz.
As three countries opened the Freedom Edge military drills, a different message rang out outside the U.S. Embassy in Seoul: the region needs peace, not another escalation.
On September 7, members of the Korean Peace Solidarity for Sovereignty and Reunification rallied against the joint exercises by South Korea, the United States and Japan. The activists said expanding military coordination was raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula and across East Asia.
Protesters also opposed a possible deployment of South Korean troops to the Strait of Hormuz. Their message was simple: security cannot be built by preparing for another war — people need dialogue, sovereignty and peaceful cooperation.