Korean and Filipino Groups Rally in Times Square Against US-Led Pacific War Drills
As the Korean peninsula enters its 81st year under US occupation, the Korean anti-war movement gains ground in the belly of the beast.
This article was first published on an earlier version of this site on August 20, 2026.
Scores of activists came together under the banner of anti-imperialism in Times Square on Saturday, in response to the launch of Ulche Freedom Shield, a series of US- and Republic of Korea-led war maneuvers.
Protestors congregated under the brightly illuminated American flag at the US armed forces recruiting station earlier in the afternoon, an apt if dystopian setting for an action in defiance of US war games. Organized by the Korean anti-war group Nodutdol and BAYAN USA, the US chapter of Bagong Alayansang Makabayan, the protest kicked off with a rally, including a buk-chum (barrel drum dance) and speeches by organizers.
The rally then launched into a march, stopping at sites like the Philippine Consulate General, and numerous other sites affiliated with Pax Silica, the extractive US-led supply chain initiative responsible for displacing peasant farmers and indigenous communities in the Philippines.
Other groups who helped organize or speak include the Black Alliance for Peace, the youth-group Anakbayan Philly, and the NYC People's Forum. They were joined by groups including Korea Peace Now, Brooklyn Against War, the NYAARPR, NYU SDS, the International League of People's Struggles, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the United Federation of Teachers' MORE Caucus.
The event coincided with the celebration of Gwangbokjeol, or the National Liberation Day of Korea, which marked the end of the 35-year occupation by the forces of imperialist Japan. Now, as the Korean peninsula enters its 81st year of occupation by the US military, it seems the Korean anti-war movement has a growing list of friends in the belly of the beast.
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