An incredible three days in DC

Dear Friend,

Wow. We are still riding high from our Korea Peace Action, held last week in Washington, DC. Hundreds of people — including Korean Americans from divided families, Gen M/Z activists, humanitarian aid workers, experts, scholars, and peace-loving people — traveled from across the country to join our Korea Peace Action: National Mobilization to End the Korean War on the 70th anniversary of the Korean armistice.

Held over three, scorching-hot days in Washington, DC, Korea Peace Action fortified the Korea peace movement by fostering connection and collaboration between organizations, groups, and individuals—a diverse ecosystem of changemakers who share the vision of peace on the Korean Peninsula in our lifetime. Several veterans of the movement told us this historic convening made them feel hopeful about the possibility of achieving peace in our lifetime, for the first time in decades.

Here are some of the highlights:

  • We met with Congressional offices asking them to support — or thanking them for supporting — H.R.1369, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act.
  • We also met with State Department officials to urge them to lift the US travel ban to the DPRK to allow family reunions, humanitarian activities, the repatriation of US servicemember remains, and peacebuilding initiatives.

Grassroots members and 30 Under 30 Activists thanking Rep. Judy Chu for being a Korea Peace Champion.

Meeting with the State Department: (l-r): AFSC’s Jennifer Deibert, Zachary Barter of State Dept., Rick Downes, Dan Leaf, Zachary Murray of Mennonite Central Committee, Christine Ahn, Alison Kahn of AFSC, Joy Lee Gebhard, Women Cross DMZ’s Cathi Choi, and Joy Lee Gebhard’s daughter, MiRan Powell.

  • We held a press conference in front of the Capitol building with Korea Peace Champions Representatives Barbara Lee, Judy Chu, and Delia Ramirez; Joy Gebhard, a member of a divided family; Rick Downes of the Coalition of Families of Korean and Cold War POW/MIAs; Dan Leaf, a retired three-star general and former acting commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command; Joyce Ajlouny, Secretary General of AFSC; and 14-year-old Hana de Vitton, a fifth-generation member of a divided family. Members of the media — including from The Washington Post and PBS Newshour — were in attendance. Watch the video of our press conference here.

Rep. Barbara Lee speaks at our press conference.

“This legislation [H.R.1369] offers a transformative peace-first approach to ending the Korean War, finally. The Korean War is known as the forgotten war in the United States. Most people think the war officially has ended so this is unacceptable. It’s time that we wake up from our collective amnesia to remember the death and destruction that this war entailed and chart a new path forward, one based on global peace and security and rooted in human security.” — Rep. Barbara Lee


  • We held an event called Unbind Your Heart: Korean Han / Grief Transmutation Ceremony, in which we wailed, wept, and danced through our Han (generational grief/rage). It included an interfaith prayer by Sulkiro, pastor of Han Church; a participatory writing prompt and construction of a community altar led by acclaimed author Joseph Han; and traditional Korean grief rituals led by renowned multidisciplinary artist and shaman Dohee Lee. It was an incredibly moving and cathartic experience that transformed our collective grief and rage into strength and resilience.

Dohee Lee, who is from Jeju, Korea, led a communal grief ritual.

  • We ended the day in the fierce DC sun in front of the White House for a rousing rally with Medea Benjamin of CODEPINK, Nick Cho (@YourKoreanDad), and David Kim (CA-34 candidate), and a deeply moving performance of “Arirang” by Josephine Lee of the Chicago Children’s Choir.

Echo of Women Cross DMZ leads the rally in front of the White House on July 27, 2023.

  • From there, our 500-strong group marched through a gorgeous summer shower to the Lincoln Memorial, led by the rousing rhythms of Baltimore Han Pan youth percussion group. There, we held an interfaith vigil that included prayers, a powerful chant for peace by a Buddhist monk, and an unforgettable gang gang sullae circle dance on the national mall.

  • We wrapped up our three-day convening with an all-day conference at George Washington University to learn from experts and those with lived experience about the impact of the unresolved war and what’s at stake, and share strategies to move toward peace. Preeminent Korea historian Bruce Cumings gave the keynote address, followed by panel discussions: “The Human Costs of Unending War” and “Peace to Prevent Nuclear War.” Watch the conference here.

Korea historian Bruce Cumings

  • Speakers included divided family member Joy Lee Gebhard; Rick Downes of the Coalition of Families of Korean and Cold War POW/MIAs; Dr. Kee Park, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Harvard University Department of Global Health and Social Medicine; Prof. Siegfried Hecker, former Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory; retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright; and Dan Leaf, retired Lieutenant General of the U.S. Air Force and former Acting Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

“The odds of North Korea’s denuclearization absent a peace treaty are zero. That’s why starting with denuclearization is such a nonstarter.” — Dan Leaf

“Sanctions kill. We know it and we should not excuse it. We have allowed our leaders and our morals to deteriorate. We have become barbarians because we have accepted deaths of women and children in the name of national security.” — Dr. Kee Park, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Harvard University Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, who has visited DPRK over 20 times

Of all the events over those eventful three days, perhaps the most meaningful was the opportunity to connect with one another to weave an intergenerational tapestry of resistance to the ongoing Korean War.
Our movement is powerful, and our voices are growing louder. Our calls are being heard. We know we’re making a difference because we even got attacked by right-wing, pro-war media!

 

On behalf of Women Cross DMZ and Korea Peace Now!, I’d like to thank all our co-convenors — American Friends Service Committee, Korean American Peace Fund, Mennonite Central Committee, National Association of Korean Americans, The United Methodist Church, and Veterans for Peace — and 27 co-sponsors, our 30 Under 30 cohort, Rep. Barbara Lee who hosted our press conference, and everyone who contributed to help make this action so successful and meaningful.

Finally, if you haven’t already, please sign up to join our Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network. Our next national meeting will be on August 24 at 5pm PT / 8 pm ET. Join here.

Together, we can and will see an end to the Korean War!

In peace,

 

Christine Ahn

P.S. Here is a roundup of the media coverage of our Korea Peace Action and the armistice anniversary:

Deep Freeze: Ending Korea’s Armistice Agony [Cape Breton Spectator, July 12, 2023]

A Journey Across the Korean DMZ [WGBH, July 17, 2023]

Protests to call for end of Korean War, 70 years after 1953 ceasefire [Workers World, July 17, 2023]

Berkeley filmmaker crossed the Korean DMZ for her new documentary [Berkeleyside, July 21, 2023]

When the River Roars: 70 Years of Confusion [Helen Kim op-ed in LA Progressive, July 22, 2023]

Peace, Reunification, and Healing: an Interview with Crossings Director Deann Borshay Liem on the two Koreas and Hopes for Resolution after Seventy Years [Sampan, July 22, 2023]

70 years have passed since Korean cease-fire. It’s time to end American’s longest war. [Christine Ahn op-ed in USA Today, July 24, 2023]

Why can’t we just talk? [Colleen Moore op-ed in Responsible Statecraft, 7/25/23]

Activists Demand U.S. End Korean War After 70 Years as Biden Admin Ramps Up “Nuclear Blackmail” [Democracy Now, 7/26/23]

Hawaii activists to attend event promoting peace in Korea [Honolulu Star Advertiser, July 26, 2023]

It’s Time to Recalibrate the U.S. Alliance with South Korea [Christine Ahn op-ed in In These Times, July 27, 2023]

70 years later, Koreans are still working to formally end the Korean War [NBC Asian America, July 27, 2023]

70 Years Later, the Korean War Must End [Cathi Choi op-ed in OtherWords, July 27, 2023]

Seventy Years Too Long—It’s Time To Finally End the Korean War [Barbara Lee op-ed in Newsweek, July 27, 2023]

WATCH LIVE: Members of Congress hold event for 70th anniversary of armistice ending Korean War [PBS Newshour, July 27, 2023]

Christine Ahn on Al Jazeera English TV [July 27, 2023]

Korea: Rally to End an Unresolved War in an Effort for Peace [Countercurrents, July 28, 2023]

70 years later the Korean War is still not officially over [AsAmNews, July 28, 2023]

Activists demand formal peace plan to end 70-year long Korean War [The Washington Post, July 28, 2023]

The legacy of the Korean war, the export of 200,000 children [Interview with Deann Borshay Liem on The World, July 28, 2023]

Disney and Steinem Respond on Korean Peace [Wall Street Journal, July 30, 2023]

70 years after the Korean Armistice, hundreds gather to advocate peace [Hawaii Public Radio, July 31, 2023]

 

Not coming to DC? How you can participate in Korea Peace Action

Dear Friend,

We’re just days away from our Korea Peace Action: National Mobilization to End the Korean War in Washington, DC.

If you can’t come to DC, you can still be part of this historic action. Here are five ways to participate:

1. Watch the livestream of our “70th Anniversary of the Armistice on the Korean Peninsula” conference: Top military and nuclear experts, scholars, activists, and humanitarian aid workers will discuss the human impacts of the unresolved war and how peace can advance denuclearization. Plus a keynote address by noted Korea historian Bruce Cumings. Register here.

2. Urge your Representative to co-sponsor the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act: We need more support for this bill calling for diplomatic solutions to the security crisis on the Korean Peninsula. Contact your Representative here.

3. Follow us on social media: We’ll be sharing images and videos from our three-day gathering in DC. Please share our posts with your family, friends, and followers to amplify our message of peace to the wider public. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

4. Watch Crossings: We’re excited to announce that you can now stream Crossings online! Deann Borshay Liem’s powerful film documents our 2015 journey from North to South Korea across the DMZ and provides an urgent and critical counter to the mainstream narrative of the Korean War and North Korea. Here are three ways to watch:

5. Donate: We’re still shy of our goal to raise $30,000 to help support 30 young Korea peace activists to attend our DC event. But it’s not too late to donate! Click here to pledge your support. 100% of the proceeds will go to supporting event costs.

Our Message of Peace In the News

Finally, I’m excited to announce that USA Today has just published my op-ed about why I started Women Cross DMZ and the importance of ending America’s “forgotten war.”

My parents, like many of their generation who lived through Japanese occupation and the devastating Korean War, came to the conclusion that in order to survive, it was best to stay silent. As a result, I knew almost nothing about my birth country or the forces that shaped it.

Read it here.

Here are other recent articles about Korea peace and Women Cross DMZ:

Deep Freeze: Ending Korea’s Armistice Agony [Cape Breton Spectator, July 12, 2023]

American nuclearization of the South set in motion the North’s long journey to the Bomb. It also revealed the peninsula as a local pawn in a global game, with Washington’s warheads pointed not just at Pyongyang but Moscow and Beijing, integrated into the Pentagon’s elaborately delusional plans to wage and win World War Three.

A Journey Across the Korean DMZ [WGBH, July 17, 2023]

Every film that [Deann Borshay] Liem has made touches on the war. “It’s the singular trauma for my generation and for the preceding generation that survived the war,” she said. “The war is what shaped me, it’s what shaped the Korean American community.”

Protests to call for end of Korean War, 70 years after 1953 ceasefire [Workers World, July 17, 2023]

The still-unresolved status of the war in Korea could result in a major military confrontation at any moment as the geopolitical situation in the Korean peninsula and northeast Asia rapidly deteriorates. Korea is on the frontline of the U.S.’s new Cold War against China — and the steady drumbeat for war shows no signs of letting up.

Berkeley filmmaker crossed the Korean DMZ for her new documentary [Berkeleyside, July 21, 2023]

“You can also see why crossing the DMZ holds such deep symbolic and emotional significance for Koreans,” Liem wrote. “To step across the DMZ represents a yearning to restore the wholeness of a nation with two millennia of common history, language and culture, and the integrity of countless numbers of families still torn apart by un-ended war.”

When the River Roars: 70 Years of Confusion [LA Progressive, July 22, 2023]

Doing peace work is an evolution of my grief for my ancestors whose lives were utterly destroyed by the war. Grief is an expression of my love, and that love never goes away.

In peace,

Christine Ahn

Register today! 70th Anniversary of the Armistice on the Korean Peninsula

Dear Friend,

The date is fast approaching for our Korea Peace Action: National Mobilization to End the Korean War, July 26-28, in Washington, DC. If you’re not able to make it in person, you can watch the livestream of our conference “70th Anniversary of the Armistice on the Korean Peninsula,” which will feature notable historians, key military and denuclearization experts, members of divided families, peace activists, and humanitarian workers discussing the prospects and challenges of ending the Korean War with a peace agreement.

Here is the full schedule for the conference:

Introduction: 9am-9:15am

  • Linda Yarr, Director of Partnerships for International Strategies in Asia, George Washington University
  • Christine Ahn, Women Cross DMZ Founder and Executive Director

Keynote: 9:15am-10am

  • Bruce Cumings, Center for East Asian Studies, University of Chicago

Panel 1: Human Costs of Unending War: 10:10am-11:30am

  • Kee Park, M.D., Harvard University Department of Global Health and Social Medicine
  • Joy Gebhart, divided family member
  • Rick Downes, Executive Director, Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs
  • moderated by Jennifer Deibert, DPRK Program Director, American Friends Service Committee

Panel 2: Peace to Prevent Nuclear War: 1pm-2:20pm

  • Dan Leaf, retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General
  • Siegfried Hecker, nuclear scientist, former Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Professor of Practice at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and at Texas A&M University
  • Ann Wright, retired U.S. Army Colonel, Veterans for Peace
  • moderated by Ji-Yeon Yuh of Northwestern University

Closing remarks: 2:20pm

  • Cathi Choi, Director of Policy and Organizing at Women Cross DMZ

We hope you can join us for this important event either in-person or virtually.

Will you be joining us in D.C. for the July 27 Korea Peace Action? ✊

Dear Friend,

We hope by now you have made plans to join our Korea Peace Action // National Mobilization to End the Korean War in Washington, D.C.! This historic convening, from July 27-28, will bring together a remarkable coalition of Korea peace supporters for a Day of Action, followed by a one-day conference at George Washington University.

With the Korean War Armistice now approaching its 70th year, the ongoing war continues to take a devastating toll on the people living on the Korean Peninsula, as well as those in the United States suffering under the military industrial complex. Recently, the United States deployed a nuclear-powered submarine to South Korea, heightening the risk of nuclear conflict. That’s why we’re calling on all of you to join us in Washington this summer for what will be an unforgettable, historical gathering. You can see the full schedule on our event website, but a few highlights include:

-A congressional media briefing with Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act (H.R.1369) champions

-A generational grief transmutation ceremony led by acclaimed ritual performance artist Dohee Lee and celebrated Nuclear Family author Joseph Han

-A special strategy session with our 30 Under 30 multidisciplinary young Korea peace advocates

-A conference featuring an incredible diversity of Korea peace supporters, including:

  • Kee Park, M.D.: Harvard University Dept. of Global Health & Social Medicine
  • Dan Leaf: retired Air Force Lieutenant General, former deputy commander, Indo-Pacific
  • Jennifer Deibert: DPRK Program Director, American Friends Service Committee
  • Joy Gebhart: divided family member
  • Ann Wright: retired Army Colonel, Veterans for Peace
  • Siegfried Hecker: Professor of Practice at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and at Texas A&M University
  • Rick Downes, Executive Director, Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs

Now that you know what we’ve planned, we’re sure you’re wondering how to join us! The first step is to register via the Korea Peace Action website, then go to the Schedule page to find the RSVP links for limited-capacity events (Unbind Your Heart grief transmutation ceremony and the 7/28 conference at George Washington University. You can also register to watch the 7/28 conference online).

We’ll be waiting for you in Washington with open arms!

In peace,

The Korea Peace Action organizing team:

Christine Ahn, Echo, Cathi Choi, Jungwon Kim, Colleen Moore, Kathleen Richards

CROSSINGS national broadcast on July 23rd

Dear Friend,

I’m excited to announce that Crossings will air nationally on the WORLD Channel beginning on Sunday, July 23, at 10pm ET, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice!

The film, by Emmy-winning filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem, follows 30 women peace activists from around the world who crossed the DMZ from North to South Korea, calling for peace on the Korean Peninsula. The screening, which is being presented in partnership with the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), will be available to watch here on July 23rd.

To help amplify the national screening and educate our friends and family, Women Cross DMZ and Mu Films are organizing 70 watch parties nationwide during a special pre-broadcast streaming event on Saturday, July 22, at 8pm ET. Please sign up as a host, invite your friends, and join us! Mu Films has a special planning guide (including some Korean recipes!) to help you set the scene and inspire a lively discussion.

To date, we have screened Crossings over 75 times to thousands of people around the world. At each screening, participants consistently tell us that this film provides important context about the Korean War and that they are inspired by our activism and organizing. While it is a herculean effort to end a more than 70-year war, we know that the more people who are educated about this issue, the more support we will gain to finally end the Korean War.

Host a Watch Party

 

We hope to see you at a watch party on July 22!

In peace,

Christine Ahn

 

Thank you for participating in Korea Peace Advocacy Week!

Dear friend,

Thank you for participating in Korea Peace Advocacy Week! We met with 82 Congressional offices around the country.

As a direct result of our efforts, we secured five new co-sponsors of H.R.1369, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act! Special shout-out to participants in the districts of Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL-3), Ann Kuster (D-NH-2), Greg Casar (D-TX-35), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-12), and Jamie Raskin (D-MD-8)! If you live in one of these districts, consider reaching out to their office to thank them for their support.  

If you registered for Korea Peace Advocacy Week but weren’t able to participate in advocacy meetings, you can still help by emailing your Representative here

Your participation makes a real difference to this issue. Just three months after the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act was reintroduced in Congress, there are already 33 supporters of H.R.1369. By comparison, H.R.3446 — the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act in the previous Congress — had 46 co-sponsors after two years of advocacy efforts. In other words, we’re well on our way to surpass the number of supporters of Korea peace!

We hope you’ll also join us in Washington, DC, next month for Korea Peace Action: National Mobilization to end the Korean War

Keep up to date with our work by signing up for Women Cross DMZ’s email list and joining the Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network.

Thank you again from all of us,

The team at Women Cross DMZ

Artwork by Cynthia Velazquez

The future Korea peace movement needs you

Hannah Lee (front row, center) organized a screening of Crossings at the University of Pennsylvania on March 22, 2023.Hannah Lee (front row, center) at Crossings screening, Univ. of Pennsylvania, March 22, 2023.

Dear friend,

I had a dream that women would end the Korean War. The dream came close to becoming real in 2015, on International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament, when I organized a delegation of 30 women peace activists to cross the DMZ — the world’s most militarized border — to call for an end to the Korean War with a peace agreement.

Eight years later, it’s become clear that in order for the Korea peace movement to transform the narrative on the Korean War and shift U.S. policy, we must cultivate the next generation of Korea peace leaders. Without their energy, passion and commitment, ending war in Korea may never become a reality.

This July 27th, on the 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice, we have an extraordinary opportunity to cultivate the next generation of Korea peace leaders. Women Cross DMZ is mobilizing a national convening in Washington, DC of powerful voices for Korea peace — members of divided families, veterans and former military leaders, humanitarian aid workers, nuclear experts, and others — to call on Congress and President Biden to support a peace settlement.

We are raising $30,000 to bring 30 young leaders from across the country to our convening. Their participation will be crucial to sustain this movement and reinvigorate our goal to end war. One of them is Hannah Lee, a student at the University of Pennsylvania and a former Women Cross DMZ Feminist Korea Peace Fellow. Here’s what she had to say:

“I’m traveling to Washington this July because of America’s key involvement in the conflict and its role in ending the Korean War. It’s an amazing opportunity to connect with those with more experience organizing and to feel the energy of being together for a unifying goal.”

Hannah Lee gave a talk at an Asian American Studies class at Seattle Central College.

Although she is only 21 years old, Hannah has been actively involved in our Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network: she organized a screening of Crossings at the University of Pennsylvania, and gave a talk at an Asian American Studies class at Seattle Central College. Hannah will also be joined by Iris Kim and Kelly Choi, two fellow young firebrand activists dreaming of a Korea without war. Listen to their stories: view on Instagram or view on YouTube.

Will you help send young leaders like Hannah, Iris, and Kelly to Washington, DC? Help us reach our $30,000 goal by June 30. Please donate now.

Thank you for supporting the next generation.

For more details about our Korea Peace Action (including details on how to join us), please go here. We hope to see you in Washington, DC, in July!

In peace and gratitude,

Christine Ahn

Deadline extended! Register for Korea Peace Advocacy Week

Dear friend,

Good news: The deadline to register for Korea Peace Advocacy Week has been extended to Monday, May 15!

During Korea Peace Advocacy Week, which will be held June 5-9, 2023, hundreds of people around the country meet with their members of Congress to advocate for legislation supporting peace in Korea.

Many members of our Korea peace movement say the experience of participating in Korea Peace Advocacy Week is extremely meaningful and cathartic for them:

When Korea was severed in two, so was my grandmother’s heart. Her parents, brothers, sister-in-laws, nephews, nieces, and so many of her beloveds were in northern Korea in Hwanghaedo province when our country was cast as lots and divided. The severance of land and political systems meant ripping and keeping apart families. Even into her 90s, my grandmother wept like a little girl when she would talk about her parents. I participate in advocacy week not just for my grandmother, but for the many halmonies and harabujies who long for stability within our severed countries, so that they could visit each other more. We hope actively for peace.

Sulkiro Song (she/they), Suffolk, VA

Last year a friend of mine had invited me to participate in the Korea Peace Advocacy Week. The months following this invitation I had a chance to finally read some critical Korean history and having recently watched Memory of Forgotten War by Deann Borshay Liem, I felt I had to do something to externalize the sort of emotions that go into exploring this history that is so deeply tied to our being. I remember having written a short speech to make sure I would not forget everything I wanted to say to my representative, but upon entering the zoom and given the space to speak, I could feel my voice being held back, choked, and tears rolling down my face. Looking back, I think what I had forgotten and had to rediscover (about our shared history) was never actually forgotten, at least by my body. While I didn’t know what to think of this at the moment, I was excited to hear that our representative decided to sign the bill weeks later. I think what has inspired me and continues to inspire me to join KPN is the opportunity to explore the depth of our being together and that reclaiming our history will mean to work toward reclaiming the possibilities for peace in the Korean Peninsula.

Tony Cho, student at UC San Diego

Tony Cho

As you likely already know, July 27, 2023 will mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that halted but did not officially end the Korean War. We must use this moment to remind Congress about the human costs of this unresolved war and the urgent need to end it.

Participation will involve an optional training session and two to three 30-minute meetings with your Congressional offices during the week of June 5. All meetings will be held via Zoom.

Korea Peace Advocacy Week is organized by American Friends Service Committee, Mennonite Central Committee, and Women Cross DMZ. Register here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Thursday, May 11, 5pm PT/8pm ET: Environmental Justice and Militarized Spaces. Join the Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network to learn about the massive and detrimental environmental impacts of US military bases in South Korea. Presented by KPNGN member Tony Cho in collaboration with Dr. Juneseo Hwang. | REGISTER

Saturday, May 13, 5:30pm PT: Crossings screening at CAAMFest 2023: Documentary about the 2015 crossing of the DMZ by 30 women peace activists. Filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem, Women Cross DMZ Executive Director Christine Ahn, and Producer Sarah S. Kim will be in attendance and participate in a post-screening Q&A. Great Star Theater, 636 Jackson St., San Francisco, CA | BUY TICKETS (use discount code RB784 for $2 off)

June 5-9: Korea Peace Advocacy Week: Every year, Korea Peace Advocacy Week brings together hundreds of people around the country to participate in meetings with their members of Congress to advocate for legislation supporting peace in Korea. Meetings held via Zoom | REGISTER

July 26-28: Korea Peace Action: National Mobilization to End the Korean War: For the 70th anniversary of the armistice, peace advocates from around the country will converge in Washington, D.C., to call on President Biden and Congress to officially end the Korean War and replace the armistice with a peace agreement. | REGISTER

RECENT MEDIA

How Koreans Feel About Japan [Christine Ahn’s letter to the editor published in The New York Times, April 19, 2023]

It’s High Time the US Signed a Peace Treaty with North Korea [Pressenza, 04/22/2023]

“Provocative & Dangerous”: Biden to Send Nuclear-Armed Subs to South Korea as Activists Demand Peace [Christine Ahn interviewed on Democracy Now, 4/28/23]

Nuclear Domination Isn’t the Answer to South Korea’s Insecurity [Colleen Moore’s op-ed in Inkstick Media, 5/2/23]


Colleen Moore on KPFA’s Flashpoints, 5/4/23 [starts at 25:56]

 

Tickets on sale now! ‘Crossings’ to screen in San Francisco, May 13

Dear friend,

We’re excited to announce that after playing at film festivals, educational institutions, and community screenings across the country, Crossings will finally have its hometown premiere at CAAMFest on Saturday, May 13, 5:30pm at The Great Star Theater in San Francisco!

The screening will be followed by a discussion with filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem, Women Cross DMZ Executive Director Christine Ahn, and Producer Sarah S. Kim. This is the final screening of Crossings on the film festival circuit, so you won’t want to miss it! Buy your tickets here. (Use the code RB784 to get $2 off.)

Crossings will also broadcast nationally on PBS in July as part of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice. Stay tuned for more details.

Crossings tells the story of 30 women activists who dare to tread the heavily militarized border between North and South Korea to call for a formal end to the Korean War. As tensions rise on the Korean Peninsula, their story is more urgent than ever.

Watch the trailer.

Community partners of the CAAMFest screening include the Association of Korean Adoptees (San Francisco), Eclipse Rising, Global Fund for Women, Korea Policy Institute, Ploughshares Fund, UC Berkeley Center for Korean Studies, Veterans for Peace 69 San Francisco Chapter, and Women Cross DMZ.

We hope to see you at The Great Star on May 13th!

Korea Peace Advocacy Week! + ‘Crossings’ in SF in May

Dear friend,

Join us for Korea Peace Advocacy Week June 5-9, 2023!

During Korea Peace Advocacy Week, hundreds of people around the country meet with their members of Congress to advocate for legislation supporting peace in Korea. It’s one of the most meaningful, direct, and impactful ways to take action for peace in Korea.

2023 marks the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted but did not officially end the Korean War, so it’s an especially important time to remind Congress about the human costs of this unresolved war and the urgent need to avoid a nuclear conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

Together, we must collectively raise our voices to let our elected officials know it’s time to end the Korean War. Can we count on you to share your story and make our voices heard?

May 12 is the deadline to register! All you have to do is attend an optional training session (or watch the recording) and two to three 30 min meetings with your Congressional offices during the week of June 5. All meetings are held via Zoom. Please do one small act now for Korea peace and register today!

Korea Peace Advocacy Week is organized by American Friends Service Committee, Mennonite Central Committee, and Women Cross DMZ. For more info, contact Colleen Moore at colleen@womencrossdmz.org.

Crossings to Premiere in San Francisco May 13

We’re also excited to announce that Crossings will premiere in San Francisco as part of CAAMFest 2023 on Saturday, May 13 at 5:30 pm! Filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem and Women Cross DMZ Executive Director Christine Ahn will be in attendance and participate in a post-screening Q&A. Buy your tickets now!

Noam Chomsky in Conversation with Korea Experts Including Christine Ahn

 

On April 26 at 4pm PST/7pm EST, join a critical discussion with Noam Chomsky on the
disastrous implications of Washington’s military encirclement of China
on the future of the Korean Peninsula. Women Cross DMZ Executive Director Christine Ahn will be among the featured speakers. Register: https://bit.ly/3ljXUPh / YouTube Live: https://youtu.be/MWd7G42-uHs

Korea Peace Week at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa

This week, the University of Hawai’i chapter of Korea Peace Now! will host Korea Peace Week. The activities will include:

Dialogue: How Peace/War in Korea Affects the World
– Discussion with Christine Ahn (Women Cross DMZ), Kyle Kajihiro (Ethnic Studies),
Joseph Han (author of Nuclear Family), and Harrison Kim (History).
– Thursday, April 27, 3-5pm, Campus Center Rm 307

Film: Crossings
– Screening of the documentary Crossings by Deann Borshay Liem about women peacemakers crossing the DMZ from North to South Korea in 2015.
– Friday, April 28, 3-5pm, Campus Center Rm 307

We hope to see you at one of these upcoming events!