[Joint Statement] Strongly Condemning the U.S. Invasion of Venezuela

On January 3, 2026 (local time), the United States carried out airstrikes on major areas of Venezuela, including the capital Caracas, and abducted the sitting president, Nicolás Maduro, and his spouse, forcibly transferring them out the country. This constitutes a blatant act of aggression that directly violates the United Nations Charter and is a grave crime in violation of international law. As a result of the United States’ illegal actions, the lives and safety of Venezuelan civilians and soldiers have been seriously threatened, with fatalities reported, and the risk of heightened instability and tension in Venezuela as well as across Latin America and the Caribbean has significantly increased.

The United States claims that it launched this attack under the pretext of a “war on drugs,” but the military removal of a sovereign nation’s leader is an extremely serious violation of international law and can never be justified by any political rationale or moral rhetoric. Venezuela’s political and social problems must be resolved through democratic processes led by Venezuelan citizens themselves. Bombing and abduction can never be a solution.

The claim that military intervention brings democracy is nothing more than a myth, as U.S. history clearly demonstrates. The Iraq War, justified by the goal of removing Saddam Hussein, resulted not in democracy but in state collapse, civil war, massive civilian casualties, and a refugee crisis. After Hussein’s removal, Iraq experienced the breakdown of state governance and prolonged instability, conditions under which extremists such as ISIS were able to grow—an important lesson that must not be ignored. Likewise, the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan failed to bring democracy and instead culminated in the Taliban’s return to power. In this way, military action has not solved problems but has instead entrenched violence and instability.

The gravity of the current situation lies in the fact that the Trump administration has demonstrated that it can forcibly remove another country’s leader through illegal actions. This sets an extremely dangerous precedent that could be repeated by great powers in other parts of the world. Moreover, the Trump administration has openly referred to its intention to control Venezuela’s oil resources, suggesting that economic interests lie behind this military action. If the international community tolerates the United States’ illegal military actions—going so far as to commit war crimes in pursuit of its own economic interests—such crimes will be repeated and may spread globally.

In addition, this military action clearly bypassed the U.S. Constitution’s requirement for congressional approval of war and the use of force. It leaves a dangerous precedent that fundamentally undermines the principle of separation of powers and Congress’s war powers, which hold that a president cannot unilaterally launch overseas military attacks without congressional consent, absent any imminent security threat.

We strongly condemn the U.S. invasion of Venezuela and demand an immediate halt to military actions and the complete withdrawal of all forms of armed intervention. We also strongly urge President Lee Jae-myung and the South Korean government to clearly define this situation as a war of aggression and to state an unequivocal position grounded in international law and the principles of peace.

January 5, 2026

Civilian Military Watch
Civil Peace Forum
Green Korea United
Korea–Vietnam Peace Foundation
Lawyers for a Democratic Society
Modest Free People
National Council of Professors and Researchers for a Democratic and Equal Society
Peace Momo
Peace Network
People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy
Vietnam Medical Peace Solidarity
Women Making Peace
World Without War

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