Philly activists oppose U.S.-Republic of Korea war profiteering

By Zainab Almehdi and Kyle Cansler

Philadelphia, PA – On August 26, upon learning that Republic of Korea President Lee Jae Myung would be speaking at Hanwha’s Philadelphia shipyard, anti-imperialist activists quickly mobilized to oppose the war-mongering, $5 billion investment into Philly shipbuilding. This investment is a condition of the recent trade deal brokered by Lee and Trump, who met the day before in Washington, DC.

The deal entailed the lowering of the U.S. tariff rate for South Korean goods from the proposed 25% down to 15% in exchange for a direct investment of $150 billion into the U.S. shipbuilding industry, a deal proposed by Lee as “MASGA” or “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again.” $5 billion of that $150 billion will be spent on developing Hanwha’s shipbuilding venture in Philadelphia.

Hanwha, one of the Republic of Korea’s (ROK’s) largest shipbuilding corporations, acquired the failing Philadelphia shipyard in 2024 with the promise of providing 1700 jobs, training from south Korean experts and advanced shipbuilding technology. While initially meant as a site for repairing existing ships, Hanwha’s Philly Shipyard has expanded into the manufacture of new ships, and now, after the recent large investment from the ROK, will begin building warships for U.S. use.

This is within the context of the trilateral agreement between the U.S., ROK and Japan against China and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK). Alarmed anti-imperialist activists oppose not only the escalation of naval shipbuilding in the U.S., but also President Lee Jae Myung’s hypocrisy of running on a platform sympathetic to Korean reunification, while cutting deals with the U.S. that would threaten the DPRK.

The organizers, representing an alliance of anti-imperialist organizations including Koreans for Decolonization, Anakbayan, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization, staged themselves opposite to the entrance of the Hanwha Group-owned ship building site. They stood with placards reading “No war production in Philadelphia” and “Reject U.S.-Lee puppetry.” Amplified chants such as “From Baekdu to Hallasan – U.S. out of Korea” and “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air – U.S. out of everywhere!” soared over the flat, open air of the shipping yard. The rally’s presence was met with a mixed reaction from a group of Korean Americans who had gathered to greet Lee’s arrival.

An organizer from Koreans for Decolonization spoke out against the naval shipbuilding company, Hanwha, stating that “the heads of these companies are traitors, feeding themselves by escalating tensions and contributing to the U.S. war economy. They continue to be nothing but a happy pawn in the war that the U.S. wages against the world.” The organizer also spoke with members of the Korean press.

Another organizer, from Filipino youth group Anakbayan said, “The people of the Asia Pacific say no! No to subservience to empire. No to profiteering from imperialist war. No to U.S. military in our homelands. We stand shoulder to shoulder with all those resisting U.S. imperialism and fighting for self-determination for their people.”

Tensions were high as a large diplomatic bus lingered outside Hanwha’s main entrance. A few minutes later it drove away without disembarking and went through the back entrance instead, to the disappointment of the group gathered to greet Lee.

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