Photo by Ttochi/ Oct. 4th, 2025
It has been over a week since Gangjeong peace activist Haecho set sail as a volunteer aboard the humanitarian flotilla ‘Thousand Madleens to Gaza’ bound for Gaza. The flotilla is expected to reach Gaza’s territorial waters within a week.
We earnestly pray that Haecho, who courageously joined this arduous journey, reaches the Gaza coast, delivers relief supplies like milk powder and food to the starving people, and returns safely. We also strongly demand that the United States and Israel immediately and unconditionally cease the massacre of Palestinians. We strongly urge the South Korean government to take all necessary measures to protect its citizen participating in the humanitarian flotilla.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s invasion, massacres, and systematic starvation policy have resulted in the death of approximately 67,000 Palestinians. According to a UN report, one in three people go hungry all day, and one in five households suffer from extreme food shortages. The majority of victims are women, children, and the elderly. The deaths of non-human beings living on Palestinian land and sea cannot be properly documented or quantified.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice concluded that Israel’s long-term occupation, settlement, and annexation policies in Palestine violate international law. However, the United States has vetoed six UN resolutions calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. In late September, Trump and Netanyahu presented a ‘Gaza peace plan’ that did not explicitly mention the establishment of a Palestinian state as demanded by the international community. This peace plan effectively demands the unconditional surrender of Hamas, which in fact governs the Gaza Strip, and amounts to nothing less than a deceptive plan for the United States and Israel to permanently dominate Palestine.
The South Korean government remains among the 35 countries out of 193 that have yet to recognize Palestine as a state, despite 158 nations having done so. The South Korean Navy also faced condemnation for inviting Israeli naval commanders to the maritime weapons exhibition held in Busan this past May. Furthermore, Dana Petroleum, wholly owned by the Korean public corporation Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC), secured exploration rights for gas fields in Palestinian waters illegally sold by Israel. Meanwhile, war weapons companies like Hanwha Systems, Hanwha Aerospace, and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) have formed partnerships with Israeli arms firms, complicit in Israel’s massacre of Palestinians. Hanwha Systems is constructing a space center in the Jeju mid-mountain area. Satellites produced there are likely to be used for military purposes, potentially becoming tools for further massacres. Samsung mobile phones distributed in the Middle East and North Africa, including Palestine, came pre-installed with Israeli spyware, victimizing masses of users. HD Hyundai excavators are used to demolish Palestinian homes and build illegal Jewish settlements. The recent proposal by the Korean National Assembly for a ‘Resolution Urging Israel to Halt the Massacre in the Gaza Strip’ at least lessens the shame for those living in a country that has stood with the perpetrator of genocide.
The ‘Thousand Madleens’ humanitarian flotilla (11 ships) and the ‘Sumud Flotilla’ (42 ships) bound for Gaza have carried hundreds of beautiful citizens from over 50 nations who set sail to stop the unrelenting slaughter and starvation, to turn fear into hope. Our friend Haecho is proudly one of them. In a letter before departure, Haecho wrote, “When I embrace my fear, and approach it with different attitudes, I learn that when we feel fear we can also experience a will toward beauty or hope.” This learning and awareness came from sailing the waters of Jeju Island and East Asia, meeting people along the way. “I carry this precious learning and support with me to Gaza,” she stated. She also shares that while participating in the ‘Grand March for Life and Peace’ in Jeju and the ‘Birds and People’s March’ on the mainland, she felt “On the road and on the sea, I feel my body becoming a conduit connecting here and there, me and you, past and future.” She believes that “through solidarity with the people of Jeju, Saemangeum, Okinawa, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Palestine, and countless others, we can break through the blockade imposed by capital and military might.” Having visited Gangjeong as a teen, Haecho, now in her twenties, participated in the 2023 Gong Pyeong Hae (共平海) voyage connecting Taiwan, Okinawa and Jeju, the 2024 voyage of the Golden Rule ship—a symbol of the anti-nuclear movement—and the planned 2025 Jeju-DMZ voyage. Gangjeong and Jeju were her training grounds for peace activism.
On the afternoon of October 3rd, Korean time, news broke that all 42 vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, including the Mikeno ship near the Gaza coast, had been attacked and seized by Israel. The ‘Thousand Madleens’ flotilla, to which Haecho belongs, is also expected to face raids and seizures, causing grave concern. Citizens worldwide are watching Gaza. Climate activist Greta Thunberg appealed for greater solidarity among citizens, saying, “Be human!” Upon hearing news of the attack on the Sumud flotilla, countless people took to the streets in protest across the globe—in Germany, France, Greece, Tunisia, Turkey, Italy, Argentina, Mexico, and elsewhere. Workers in Genoa, who had already blocked weapons shipments bound for Israel, sealed off railways and train stations. Spain, which had sent its own warship to protect the Gaza humanitarian flotilla, recalled its Israeli diplomat. The Colombian government ordered the expulsion of Israeli diplomats and terminated its free trade agreement with Israel. Turkish prosecutors stated their intent to investigate whether Israel violated international law by arresting over 20 Turkish citizens, specifically regarding deprivation of liberty and seizure of means of transport. The Malaysian Prime Minister held talks with foreign leaders, requesting support for the immediate release of Malaysian activists and firmly demanding an end to Israel’s atrocities and plunder against Palestine. Given the peril faced by its own citizen, one cannot help but compare and closely watch the South Korean government’s future response.
We stand with the countless global citizens who support the humanitarian flotillas to Gaza and demand an end to the U.S. and Israeli occupation and massacre of Palestine. We strongly demand the following from the South Korean government and corporations, the United States, and Israel:
One. Israel must lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip and immediately cease the seizure of civilian vessels! Ensure the safety of the international citizens who were aboard the hijacked humanitarian flotilla and release them all immediately and unconditionally!
One. Israel must guarantee that all relief supplies reach the people of Gaza, who are suffering extreme hardship due to prolonged massacres and starvation policies!
One. The South Korean government and National Assembly must take all measures to protect their citizen aboard the humanitarian flotilla and strongly protest Israel’s violations of international law and human rights abuses!
One. The South Korean government must recognize Palestine as an independent state and cease all cooperation with Israel, a criminal state that thoroughly disregards international law!
One. Korean government agencies and corporations such as Hanwha, Samsung, KAI, HD Hyundai, and Korea National Oil Corporation must immediately cease all cooperation with the Israeli government and companies which are complicit in the massacre of Palestinians!
One. The United States and Israel must withdraw their deceptive Gaza peace plan and cease all aggression and massacres!
Liberation of Gaza is liberation for all!
Liberation of Palestine is liberation for all!
Free Free Palestine!
October 4, 2025
From the Edges, Gangjeong Mission Station, Association of Gangjeong Villagers Against Jeju Naval Base, Gangjeong Peace Network, The Frontiers, People Making Jeju a Demilitarized Peace Island, St. Francis Peace Center, Civic Exercise Gathering, Jeju Green Party, Inter-Island Solidarity for Peace of the Sea, Hot Pink Dolphins
(Translated by Curry)
