About

I am fortunate to have retired from the US Army at a relatively young age. My post-retirement plans are centered on getting my life in order and searching for purposeful action. My military service took me to The Republic of Korea (ROK) where I served a total of 3 1/2 years during two tours; I also lived in the ROK for a few years, post my retirement.

Peace on the Peninsula was conceived during my post-retirement stay in the ROK. I let my physical and emotional health decline through poor choices. Fortunately, my daughter visited me and influenced me towards healthy change. I started exercising  regularly again and stopped the unhealthy activity that kept me from life. One of the activities I took up in the ROK was bike touring. My undergraduate degree is a BA in East Asian Studies. During my last stay in the ROK, I thought about combining my interest in bike touring and sea kayaking along with my interest in East Asian Studies.

The year 2020 marks the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War. My objective is to undertake, starting in 2020, a multi-year bike and sea kayak effort on viable land and sea routes in and between the Russian Federation, The People’s Republic of China, the Korean Peninsula, Japan and the United States. The purpose of this effort is to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.

I intend to seek out and collaborate with people from those nations to join me in this undertaking. Making this a reality requires coordination and approval with the associated national governments. This is an APOLITICAL effort. The Russian Federation, the PRC, Japan and the United States have historical and current national interests that intersect on the Korean Peninsula. That being said, there will be no history or current affairs postings and discussions on this website. Attributing blame to a particular nation for the current state of affairs on the Korean Peninsula is not my purpose. I highly encourage you to seek historical and current context from governmental and academic perspectives of each nation this effort will take place in.

Through peaceonthepeninsula.com, I will elaborate on, collaborate with others and refine my concept. I will also share with you the physical and technical aspects of my personal efforts and training that I feel are important in building my credibility and for the ultimate success of this effort. Finally, I hope to sufficiently document my efforts in order for you to follow along from concept to execution.

I wish you peace in your life’s journey,

Eric Ruud