Q & A: Cindy Sheehan

After her 24-year-old son, U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq in 2004, Cindy Sheehan became the face of America's anti-Iraq war movement and an irritant to the White House. Last week, Sheehan traveled to South Korea, where she spoke at an anti-free-trade rally in Seoul, urged Korean lawmakers to withdraw their nation's troops from Iraq, and protested against the expansion of a U.S. Army base in the village of Daechu-ri. She spoke with TIME's Jennifer Veale.

Why are you in South Korea?
I was invited by several peace groups and farmers from Daechu-ri to help them with their [campaign against] U.S. military-base expansion. I think a lot of areas would be more stable if the U.S. military presence wasn't so overwhelming; we have 700 bases around the world. I think [U.S.] military expansion is out of control and rampant militarism is responsible for my son's death, as it is for taking away the land from these people in this village.

What do you hope to accomplish in South Korea?
Most people here think George Bush is a greater threat to stability than Kim Jong Il. Our goal is to go back to America and be the voice of the people in South Korea. We also want the people here to know that not even the majority of Americans support George Bush.

Do you want the U.S. to get out of South Korea?
I think that's what the majority of South Koreans want. Our government in the U.S. is demonizing North Korea. People in South Korea see the North as their brothers and sisters. [They] want reunification, but don't believe that will happen while the U.S. is here.