On January 17, the Anti-US Struggle Headquarters, 21st Century Che Guevara (Defense Brigade), and the People’s Democratic Party (People’s Party) held an anti-imperialist, anti-fascist party rally in front of the US Embassy in Seoul under the slogan “Free the anti-imperialist fighter and people’s leader Maduro! Overthrow the aggressor US imperialism!”
The moderator said that “the aggressive crimes of US imperialism are becoming increasingly serious, pointing out that even after illegally arresting President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, the United States carried out blatant piracy by illegally seizing oil tankers and even claimed that all Venezuelan oil belongs to the United States. The US imperialism is not only scheming to overthrow the Cuban government after Venezuela, but is also running amok to realize the Monroe Doctrine, which seeks to turn Latin America into its “backyard.” The United States is openly revealing its ambition to dominate the entire Western Hemisphere, acting as the main culprit aggravating the global situation. The people of the ‘Republic of Korea (ROK)’ and all progressive people of the world will hasten the advent of a new world of independence and peace through the struggle to free Maduro, the struggle to overthrow imperialism, and the just anti-imperialist, anti-US struggle.”
Participants loudly shouted slogans such as “Free the anti-imperialist fighter and people’s leader Maduro!”, “Down with the aggressor and plunderer US imperialism!”, “Crush the war maneuvers through the anti-imperialist, anti-US struggle!”, “Withdraw the occupying and invading US imperialist troops!”, “Free Maduro!”, “¡Maduro libre!”, “¡No pasarán! (They shall not pass!)”, and “¡Victoria siempre! ¡Venceremos! (Until the day of victory, always, we shall overcome!).”
Lee Jeok, the co-chair of the Anti-US Struggle Headquarters said by way of comparison, “Not long ago, Trump drove out President Maduro and his wife, who were lawfully and legitimately elected. He had them arrested and dragged away in front of all humanity watching. And now they are conducting a trial however they please. This is no different from a pirate ship invading a peacefully living island nation and forcibly putting that country’s president on trial.”
He continued, “Even now, as we are holding this rally, countless ordinary people are passing by in front of us. They call Lee Jae-myung a dictator and walk by as if martial law and a coup were something natural and justified. We know very well who is paying these people and who is supporting them. That shameless imperialism, if it serves its money, will spend tens or hundreds of times more of it to throw the people and the country into chaos, brainwash them, and satisfy its own greed.”
He went on to say with emphasis, “Looking at this, we are reminded exactly of the period when the left and right clashed at the time of the half-baked liberation from Japan. Even now, just like then, our land is being trampled by imperialism. Venezuela is being trampled, but the people will victory. Venezuela will never be taken over so easily at their whim. The same is true for us. History stands on the side of honest people. We will continue to fight without ceasing until that day comes.”
A member of the 21st Century Che Guevara denounced, saying, “The struggle to free Maduro is the struggle to overthrow imperialism. The sharp contrast between Maduro, an anti-imperialist fighter, and Trump, a warmonger of imperialism—between Maduro, the leader of an anti-imperialist people’s state, and Trump, the head of the imperialist ringleader state—is rapidly awakening the people of the world. US imperialism is invading Venezuela in the Caribbean in order to turn Latin America into the US ‘backyard,’ and is trying to use Greenland as a bridgehead in the Arctic Ocean for the purpose of dominating the Western Hemisphere. While talking about being a ‘peacemaker’ and claiming it will bring ceasefires to the wars in Ukraine and West Asia, everywhere the US intervenes, division, confrontation, and war never cease. The ‘ROK’ is no exception. The US forces are nothing but an imperialist invasion army serving the US in accordance with ‘America First,’ and after experiencing for more than 80 years that they are of no help at all to peace in the ‘ROK’ and East Asia, must we still not understand this?”
She went on to warn, saying, “We have been warning, and we are warning again today. The World War 3 is already in progress and is approaching its full-scale outbreak, and the war in Venezuela will inevitably accelerate a war in East Asia. As the imperialist camp wrestles over Greenland, the DPRK, China, and Russia, standing at the forefront of the anti-imperialist camp, are strengthening anti-imperialist military actions. That China conducted encirclement drills around Taiwan at the end of last year, and that the DPRK and Russia recently launched hypersonic missiles, are not matters to be taken lightly.”
She continued, appealing, “On January 15, the bodies of the Cuban guards who lost their lives while protecting President Maduro were returned to their homeland. What the Cuban guards tried to protect was not the life of a single person, but the front line of the anti-imperialist front, and this grave mission was an extension of the defense of their homeland. Just as Spain was the front line of the anti-fascist front before World War 2, Venezuela is the front line of the anti-imperialist front during World War 3, let us unite even more in the struggle to defend the Venezuelan people’s government, to demand the release of President Maduro, and to overthrow imperialism.”
Hyun Pil-gyeong, director of the US Forces Base Reappropriation Research Institute, said, “From December 8 for three days, the US Air Force 51st Fighter Wing in the ‘ROK’ conducted the ‘Mustang Rodeo 26-1’ exercise, and from the 16th, it summoned the ‘ROK’ Air Force’s F-15K fighters from Daegu to conduct the ‘Buddy Squadron 26-1’ exercise. Because the US fiscal year starts in October in 2026, this was the first training exercise of the 2026 fiscal year. Moreover, in 2023, the US–’ROK’ Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) was established, and since then, US aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, and strategic bombers have been coming and going frequently to and from the Korean Peninsula. The ‘ROK’ F-35A and F-15K fighters fly in close formation to prevent interception by the DPRK, China, and Russia, and to ensure that US nuclear bombers can safely reach their target points. As part of this, the ‘ROK’ Air Force first infiltrates and conducts training to destroy or disrupt enemy radar and air defense missile bases using conventional weapons.”
He continued, “On December 30, based on reports from residents of Danghyeon 4-ri, we discovered that construction was under way near the ‘ROK’ Air Force Operations Command building and saw a huge radar dome located only 50 meters from the village head’s house. In response, we urgently held a press conference on the roof of the village head’s home and demanded a halt to the construction. Residents exposed that their mobile phones do not work properly and that they suffer from deafening noise at night due to fighter jets idling their engines. When they file complaints, it is not the US military but officials from the ‘ROK’ Air Force who appear, and they only say they understand, but nothing ever gets resolved, which has infuriated the residents. In addition, as some 50 huge ammunition warehouses have been completed and a 200,000-pyeong (about 661,160 m²) ammunition facility next to the Godeok New Town, where Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor plant is located, is set to be relocated there, the ‘ROK’ government is demanding that a farmer who bought farmland three years ago and has been growing cucumbers move elsewhere.”
He went on to emphasize, “It was reported that the US Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, 5-17 Air Cavalry Battalion at the Pyeongtaek US base was deactivated as of December 15. At the Pyeongtaek base, it is highly likely that units operating advanced weapons such as drone-centered units to replace it will be deployed in the future. From a macroscopic perspective, the ‘ROK,’ Japan, and the Philippines are a physical barrier surrounding the DPRK, China, and Russia. In classical war tactics, there is something called the ‘hammer and anvil tactic.’ It means the battlefield will not be the US mainland, but the anvil—the ‘ROK,’ Japan, and the Philippines—and with the DPRK, China, and Russia placed on that anvil, the hammer, the US, intends to strike them, turning East Asia into a battlefield. We will not be toyed with by the US game of hegemony. Let us become a powerful hammer ourselves and beat and drive out the US forces.”
