Minneapolis rally to stop U.S. military presence in South Korea

A U.S. Out of Korea rally will be held Saturday, August 15, 1 p.m., at Mayday Plaza in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis rally will be one of five happening nationwide that day.

The demonstration is hosted by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC) in response to a call to action by Nodutdol, a New York-based Korean American activist organization.   The nationwide response is in commemoration of the Korean Liberation Day (the 1945 end of 35-year occupation of Korea by Japan, known as Gwangbokjeol, or “the day the light came back” in Korean). Four other local peace activist groups are joint sponsors of the Minneapolis demonstration.

The Minneapolis rally is one of five U.S. Out of Korea rallies to be held nationwide on that day:  In Times Square, New York City; in the Bay Area at the San Francisco Federal Building; in Los Angeles at Wilshire and Western; and in Seattle at the Fischer Pavilion.

The U.S. military presence in South Korea began a few years after the 1945 Liberation Day, and continues today, with approximately 28,000 U.S. military still deployed at U.S. bases in Korea. U.S. military exercises harm civilians’ health and threaten lives frequently.  Recently, an alleged white phosphorus leak by the U.S. military at Osan Air Base forced residents to evacuate their homes. In Pocheon, at least eight civilians were injured in March 2025, when fighter jets dropped live bombs, hitting a residential area.

Thousands will march in Korea in commemoration of this date, and to call for an end to the U.S. military presence there.

More information is available at the Nodutdol website at:  https://usoutofkorea.org/  Local information on the Minneapolis demonstration is available at the MPAC Instagram post:   https://www.instagram.com/p/DbOH3Q8RuvU/