Progressive civic groups, lawmakers, and religious leaders held a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday, calling for the suspension of regular joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington to improve ties with Pyongyang. The coalition of 357 groups and 13 lawmakers urged the government to halt hostilities near the inter-Korean border and pave the way for peace.
On January 20, 2026, a coalition comprising 357 progressive civic and religious groups, 13 lawmakers—including Rep. Lee In-young of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea—and more than 200 individuals gathered at a press conference in Seoul to demand the suspension of regular joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States. The call comes amid stalled inter-Korean relations, despite Seoul's ongoing efforts to mend ties with Pyongyang.
The group urged the government to "suspend joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises and halt hostilities near the inter-Korean border to improve ties with North Korea and open a path to peace."
Participants further called for redefining buffer zones in the air, at sea, and on land—in the spirit of the now-suspended 2018 inter-Korean tensions reduction pact—to rein in firing drills or drone flights that compromise the Military Demarcation Line.
They also pressed for a shift in North Korea policy, abandoning one that prioritizes military pressure in favor of normalizing relations and respecting each other's systems. This event highlights ongoing advocacy for de-escalation on the Korean Peninsula.
