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Citizens gathered along the Imjin River in Yeoncheon, South Korea, for the third annual 'Korea Peace Day' event, sending a strong message for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Over 1,000 participants from various cities across the country united with a shared call to transform the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into a space for civilian interaction and peace.

The event featured a peace concert where citizen choirs sang songs like 'Song of the Imjin River,' facing North Korea. A poignant performance of 'Lovers on the Borderline' by soprano Yoon In-sook, based on the story of Yeo Won-gu, daughter of independence activist Yo Un-hyung, highlighted the personal tragedies of division.

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Let's change the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into a civilian peace area.

Organized by a committee of 73 citizens, this year's event marked the 73rd anniversary of the armistice agreement, emphasizing the need to move beyond the ceasefire towards a lasting peace regime. The participants issued a citizen peace declaration, urging the South and North Korean governments to lower military tensions and engage in discussions for a peace treaty. They also called for the DMZ to become a zone for peaceful encounters rather than military control.

The declaration will be sent to the South Korean President, the Minister of Unification, the Speaker of the National Assembly, relevant parliamentary committee members, the ambassadors of the United States, China, and Japan in Seoul, and the UN Secretary-General. The organizers described this as a "citizen peace movement speaking truth to political power," vowing to continue the event annually on June 6th in border towns.

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This is a citizen peace movement speaking truth to political power.