Last Day in Korea

Our last day in Seoul began with Will Griffin and I participating in a debriefing meeting this morning along with the large Japanese delegation.  During that meeting I passed out Keep Space for Peace Week posters and flyers (October 1-8) and invited Korean and Japanese participation in the event.

My words had to first be translated into Korean and then Japanese as you see in the above clip.

Then Will and I joined a 15-person protest next to the US Embassy in Seoul during the lunch hour and it was interesting to watch the reactions of embassy personnel read our Veterans For Peace banner as they passed by.  The Korean activists involved in this anti-THAAD protest were handing out flyers and getting signatures on a petition.

The VFP flag Will and I were holding is one that I delivered to the Korean VFP group several years ago at the request of Korean War veteran Tom Sturtevant from Maine.  He has since passed away and our VFP chapter in Maine was named after him.  Tom would have been happy to know that the flag he sent to Korea was still being used - especially right outside the US Embassy.

I leave for home tomorrow.  It's been a busy and wonderful trip to Korea this summer.  Very hot but as usual the people we met were outstanding activists and we especially must give thanks to our two guides/translators Juyeon Rhee and Hyun Lee who were not allowed into the country.  Even know they were born in Korea they were still denied entry into the country prior to this trip starting because of their anti-THAAD efforts back in the US.  But they continued to coordinate our trip on a daily basis by phone and email ensuring that other guides/translators were found to help us along the way.

Bruce