In the conference on the zone of peace in Asia and the Pacific, convened in Bali in 2018, COLAP confirmed that both countries, the DPRK and the Republic of Korea (North and South Korea) should implement the Panmunjom declaration. It declared that implementing the joint declaration between DPRK and US in Singapore in a balanced, simultaneous and step-by-step manner is obligatory. The removal of US military bases in Korea and Japan is also a key point for implementation of the declaration.
Therefore, we have adopted the campaign to dissolve the “UN Command in Korea,” including ending the illegal use of the UN flag and the illegal use of the name “UN” Command, when the command represents the United States and not the United Nations. This campaign has the same purpose of promoting peace in Korea. The use of the UN flag was not based on law, but rather on a UN Security Council resolution passed during the Korean War, recommending that the United States organize a military command including multiple countries. It was not an official UN military activity. Today, the UN Command continues to play a role obstructing the peace process in the Korean Peninsula. The UN Charter must be upheld against its abuse by the United States military.
IADL will act further to tackle this issue in UN bodies together with the Korean Democratic Lawyers Association, Minbyun lawyers and COLAP.
10th November 2019
IADL Council at Brussels