Activists from the Green Alliance, People Power21, and other civil society organizations held a press conference on Monday for the 2023 Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) in front of the presidential office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea, where they also performed.
SEOUL, April 24 (Korea Bizwire) —Activists from 35 civil society organizations gathered in front of the War Memorial in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on Monday to hold a press conference calling for an end to the arms race and promoting peacebuilding, as part of the 2023 Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) campaign.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the world’s military spending reached $2.24 trillion (about 298 trillion won) in 2022, an increase of 3.7 percent from the previous year. South Korea ranked ninth in the world in military spending for the first time ever.
Participants at the press conference highlighted that “5.6 billion won is disappearing every minute on military expenditures,” and called for priority to be given to addressing the climate crisis, social inequality, and building peace.
The World Disarmament Day Campaign is an international initiative that aims to promote military disarmament and peacebuilding, coinciding with the release of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s World Military Spending Report. It has been coordinated by peace organizations around the world since 2011.
Image Credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
