Category: Newsletter

Dear Friend,

Our September KPNGN meeting will take place next Thursday, September 11 at 5pm PT/8pm ET! We will debrief our summer mobilizations, including the People’s Summit for Korea, share committee reports, and discuss upcoming regional events and political updates. Immediately after, on the same zoom link, we will also resume our three-part Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network Orientation this month! In Part 1, we’ll be covering the history of the Korean War 101. RSVP here.

🗓️ Upcoming Events

TODAY! Deals, Dilemmas, and Diplomacy: Analyzing the Lee-Trump Summit at 5pm PT/8pm ET

Join us today at 5pm PT/8pm ET (Sept. 3 at 9am KST) for a webinar debriefing South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s first meeting with U.S. President Trump. We’ll hear from speakers Youngmi Cho (PEACEMOMO), Paul Liem (Korea Policy Institute), and Dae-Han Song (International Strategy Center), moderated by Cathi Choi (Women Cross DMZ). View the recording here.

September 15-19, 2025 | Commemorating 80 Years of Liberation and 60 Years of Korea–Japan Relations “East Asia–North America Peace Workshop & Campaign: Ending the Korean War and Colonial Legacy”

Women Cross DMZ and Korea Peace Now! are sponsoring “East Asia–North America Peace Workshop & Campaign: Ending the Korean War and Colonial Legacy,” a collaborative multi-workshop campaign taking place from September 15-19 in Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. Objectives of the campaign include strengthening the role of civil society and academia in advancing peace on the Korean Peninsula and in East Asia and building networks of cooperation between U.S. and East Asian organizations. Some of the workshops and events will be open to the public. Learn more about the campaign and partners here. Please contact Echo at echo@womencrossdmz.org if you are interested in joining us in Washington D.C.

🗣️ Community Report-Back

8.15 National Liberation Day Rallies

From Washington D.C. to Philly to Los Angeles, KPNGN members joined rallies for National Liberation Day on Friday, August 15. On the 80th anniversary of division, we called for an end to the ongoing Korean War alongside dozens of partner organizations. We also called to halt Ulchi Freedom Shield war drills. These massive war drills escalate tensions, renew the threat of war, and exact serious tolls on civilian lives. Thank you to Sheen Kim, a Nodutdol and KPNGN member, for co-organizing the DC rally.

👥 Ongoing Advocacy

On August 28, KPNGN Members and allied peace activists met with Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s office to advocate for new language in the National Defense Authorization Act, the national military spending bill. In July, the Senate Armed Services Committee passed a version of the bill that would prohibit military spending on withdrawing U.S. troops from South Korea; this is the first time in five years that the NDAA includes this ban. The bill also contains a new ban for the first time prohibiting the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) over troops in South Korea unless in U.S. national security interest. Some highlights from constituents and local peace leaders below:

“South Korea is one of the only nations over which America has operational control (OPCON). South Korea has been at war for over 70 years. It is utterly incomprehensible that a nation as developed as South Korea, with the economic standing that it has, that over the decades has accomplished what it has, doesn’t have operational control over its own military. And it’s high time to start to treat South Korea as an actual ally, not a vassal.”

“We have the military exercises going on now. And were the Senate version to be adopted ultimately, this sends a really hard message to North Korea. . . . How would we feel if France or Korea could control our troops? I mean, it’s ridiculous.”

“Why does this have to be an endless confrontation? And I think Senator Warren is there in her thinking and we’d love to hear her take an initiative on this.”

We celebrate the constituents who advocated for peace!

📚 Recommended Viewings

From the Education Committee:

1. U.S. threats against Korea in a changing world: Remarks from the People’s Summit for Korea. Save the date for a Korea Peace Study Group report-back on October 10th at 8 pm ET!
2. Disfigured, shamed and forgotten: BBC visits the Korean survivors of the Hiroshima bomb discusses issues facing ethnic Korean survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and perspectives on peace, reparation, and apology.
3. Why North Korea Is Coming Clean on Its Role in the Russia-Ukraine War provides analysis on recent public acknowledgement of North Korean troops in the Russia-Ukraine War by North Korean leadership and what it means for regional alliances and joint military operations.
4. North Korea slams South’s president over denuclearisation remarks reports on the critical response from North Korea towards Lee Jae-myung’s recent remarks on the U.S.-ROK alliance and denuclearization.
5. Lee-Trump summit highlights risk posed by far right’s growing international network analyzes concerning developments in and connections between the U.S. and Korea’s far-right movements, including conspiracy theories and the recent travels of far-right figures in the U.S. to Korea.

✌️Follow Korea Peace Now! on Bluesky! Say hello and check out our account!

🛍 Support the Korea Peace Movement: Show your support for Korea peace with one of our tote bags, hats, baby onesies, and clothing, available here. All funds will support Korea Peace Now!, our U.S.-based movement for peace in Korea led by Women Cross DMZ. Art by Peter Holland and lazy blender.

Sincerely,

Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network

Dear Friend,

Thank you to everyone who participated in our 2025 Korea Peace Advocacy Week! We successfully registered 152 constituents from 29 states and requested 152 meetings with congressional leaders. Many participated for the first time, including 84-year-old Myung Ja Yoon.

Myung Ja met with the offices of her congressional representatives, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD-8) to share her personal story and why she advocates for peace: “I have visited all 50 states of America and traveled to almost 100 countries, crossing many borders on foot all over the world. Yet I cannot go to North Korea because we are at war. I am almost 84 years old. I don’t have many more years left. I want to go and see the other half of my origin and heritage. I want to talk with the people there and share food with them. Sponsoring H.R.1841 will put you on this honored path with peacemakers.” Read more about Myung Ja’s story here, and read our full Advocacy Week recap here.

Join our monthly KPNGN Meeting this Thursday, July 10 at 5pm PT/8pm ET! We will provide updates on the July NYC People’s Summit for Korea and discuss upcoming regional and committee events. RSVP at bit.ly/julykpn.

🗓️ Upcoming Event

July 25-27 | People’s Summit for Korea

The People’s Summit for Korea is taking place July 25-27 in New York! The People’s Summit will be a three-day convening featuring plenaries, panels, workshops, breakout sessions, and cultural performances led by key figures in the Korean liberation movement and the global anti-imperialist struggle. Learn more and register here.

📚Recommended Viewings:

ICYMI:

Can South Korea Achieve Peace in a Chaotic World? | By Ji-Yeon Yuh, Northwestern University Associate Professor & Women Cross DMZ Board Chair

A Recap of Women Cross DMZ’s 10-Year Anniversary Solidarity Trek to Korea

Asian American Heritage Month Brings Somberness and Solidarity | By Deepa Iyer

From the Education Committee:

1. The Moral Distortions of the Official Korean War Narrative explores the distorted narrative about the Korean War and the hidden atrocities and war crimes that took place with the support of the U.S. government.
2. Film and the forgotten war: The Korean War on the silver screen discusses how films can be used as tools for ideological control and how Hollywood’s story of the Korean War was shaped by a “humanitarian Orientalism” trend which “presented white Americans as benevolent saviors while reducing Koreans as infantile objects in need of rescue and moral guidance from the West.”
3. Lee Jae-myung’s ‘Pragmatic Diplomacy’ Stands at the Start of a Difficult Journey takes a look at President Lee’s “Pragmatic Diplomacy” approach and what this could mean for South Korea’s relationship with the U.S. and neighboring East Asian countries.

✌️Follow Korea Peace Now! on Bluesky! Say hello and check out our account!

🛍 Support the Korea Peace Movement: Show your support for Korea peace with one of our tote bags, hats, baby onesies, and clothing, available here. All funds will support Korea Peace Now!, our U.S.-based movement for peace in Korea led by Women Cross DMZ. Art by Peter Holland and lazy blender.

Sincerely,

Cathi Choi & Echo

Dear Friend,

Like many of you, we are alarmed by the escalation of militarized crackdowns against protestors in Los Angeles and across the U.S. this week. The Trump Administration’s decision to deploy the National Guard and the Marines to Los Angeles reminds us: No democracy can thrive under toxic patriarchy and militarism.

Korean feminists understood this when they led calls to impeach Yoon Suk-yeol after his surprise martial law declaration last December. Last week, South Koreans successfully held a snap presidential election, marking a hopeful new dawn. The new president Lee Jae-myung has pushed for a different approach to North Korea, calling for diplomacy and peace.

But, as I argue in a recent op-ed, the election revealed South Korea’s ongoing stark gender divide. This is why, in the week leading up to the presidential election, and on the 10-year anniversary of Women Cross DMZ’s founding crossing, we brought a delegation of feminist leaders to Korea to meet with leading peace activists and organizers.

Our resistance to militarism resonates: On the trip, we engaged hundreds of people in person, and our daily reels on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube racked up over 60,000 views online!

In addition to our historic peace march in Pyeongtaek, we:

• Met with progressive South Korean National Assembly members in Seoul to discuss democracy and women’s peacebuilding in Korea, and the U.S. travel ban on North Korea;
• Spoke with organizers at Pyeongtaek Peace Center about the legacy of villagers and farmers impacted by the expansion of the largest overseas U.S. military base, Camp Humphreys;
• Visited organizers staging an encampment at Dongducheon’s “Monkey House” to prevent the destruction of this historic site, where the U.S. military and South Korean government forcibly detained and subjected thousands of Korean women to STD treatment in the 1960s and ‘70s;
• Participated in a memorial at Jeju Island’s 4.3 Peace Park, recognizing the mass killings of over 30,000 Jeju civilians by U.S.-backed Korean forces in 1948-49;
• Met with organizers resisting the South Korean naval base in Jeju Island’s Gangjeong Village due to its human and environmental impacts;
• Joined BDS Korea at the “42nd Urgent Action by Korean Civil Society Condemning Israel’s Genocide in Gaza”; and
• Met with organizers from Scarlet Cha Cha and Birch Tree Association in Yongjugol fighting for the basic social rights and livelihoods of sex workers resisting eviction, criminalization, and marginalization.

We saw glimmers of hope for what our future can look like. At every site, we learned how everyday people — especially women — are working to end the Korean War and reverse decades of harmful militarism. We met with leading organizers and communities caring for each other, investing in each others’ health, education, and well being. Our international delegation drew connections to their own struggles against U.S. militarism and forever wars in their respective homelands, from Afghanistan to Turtle Island.

We know that militarism and policing are not our only options; we deserve more from life.

✌️ Join Us

Join our monthly KPNGN meeting for analysis on South Korea’s presidential election with Daehan Song from the International Strategy Center. Afterwards, we’ll conclude the final chapter in our New Member Orientation series led by the Membership Committee! Thursday, June 12, 5pm PT/8pm ET. RSVP at bit.ly/junekpn.

🔔 Take Action

Do your part to end the Korean War! Our tenth annual Advocacy Week is now underway and we have already gained a new congressional co-sponsor, Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV)! While it’s too late to register, you can still contact your member of Congress to ask them to support H.R.1841, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act. Please take action today!

📚 For Further Learning

• Under a New South Korean President, Can Peace Activists Push US Troops Out? WCDMZ Founder Christine Ahn’s latest op-ed in Truthout.
• Global Trade at Gunpoint: WCDMZ Executive Director Cathi Choi is quoted on Trump’s tariff policy in In These Times.
• It’s time for the US to end the Korean War: Cathi Choi and Dae-Han Song on this podcast with No Cold War.
• Gaza Flotilla Sailboat with 12 Onboard Will Reach the “Danger Zone” and The Next 48-140 Hours Are Critical for the Movement to End the Gaza Genocide by WCDMZ Board member Ann Wright, just before the aid vessel and the activists aboard were illegally seized.

📖 KPNGN Education Committee Recommends

• A Pivotal Moment for U.S. Foreign Policy: Why South Korea’s Democratic Uprising Demands a Rethink on the rise of far-right forces in East Asia and the opportunity the U.S. has to change its foreign policy in South Korea.
• Brain Rot in the Blue House sheds light on the disturbing rise of far-right YouTube influencers in South Korea who continue to command a huge following and influence public opinion, even after Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment.

🌷 Support

Sign up to become a monthly donor or make a single gift of $10, $100, or $1,000 to celebrate our 10-year anniversary — and ensure that our important work continues for another ten years. Did you know that leaving as little as 1 percent in your will would make a huge difference for our organization? If you are interested, please get in touch by emailing info@womencrossdmz.org.

In peace,

Cathi Choi

Dear Friend,

This month marks ten years since the historic crossing of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) by 30 women peace activists, led by Women Cross DMZ founder Christine Ahn. Together with thousands of Korean women on both sides of the DMZ, these women called for an end to the Korean War, the reunion of separated families, and women’s involvement in the peacebuilding process. Since then, Women Cross DMZ has co-launched the global campaign Korea Peace Now! Women Mobilizing to End the War in 2019 and established the Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network.

For this month’s national grassroots meeting, Thursday, May 8 at 5pm PT/8pm ET, we will hear from participants of the 2015 crossing and watch clips from Deann Borshay Liem’s 2021 film, Crossings, which documented this momentous journey for Korea peace. Register here.

Following the meeting, at 6pm PT/9pm ET, join our KPNGN New Member Orientation series on the same Zoom link. The Membership Committee will host Part 2 of this ongoing series, presenting an overview of the Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network, followed by a small group discussion.

🗓️ Register for Korea Peace Advocacy Week 2025!

Register to participate in this year’s Korea Peace Advocacy Week, June 6-13, 2025! For ten years, Korea Peace Advocacy Week has brought hundreds of people around the country to advocate for their members of Congress to support Korea peace legislation. This nationally coordinated action is particularly timely as tensions on the Korean Peninsula run dangerously high. We must urgently advocate for diplomacy in pursuit of a binding peace agreement to formally end the Korean War. Participants will join 30-minute virtual meetings with their congressional representatives, share personal stories, and urge members to support legislation focused on Korean peace. We will also offer an online training session for participants over Zoom in advance of these meetings. Register to receive details.

🗓️ RSVP: Upcoming Events

May 6 | 📚 Feminist Playbook Launch in D.C.

On Tuesday, May 6 at 10am ET, the Feminist Peace Initiative will launch The Feminist Peace Playbook and share a first look at a press conference at the House Triangle in Washington D.C. The Feminist Peace Initiative is led by Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, MADRE, and Women Cross DMZ. Our coalition includes veterans, academics, and Nobel Peace-awarded human rights activists and members of diaspora communities impacted by U.S. foreign policy in Palestine, Israel, Afghanistan, Korea, Vietnam, and Latin America—all bringing unique perspectives to stories on U.S. militarism at home and abroad. RSVP here.

May 10 | 🎬  WARmerica’s Fate 2 Movie – Washington DC Screening

On May 10, Korea Peace Now! and Metro DC DSA’s Internationalism Working Group are hosting an in-person screening and discussion of WARMerica’s Fate 2, a South Korean documentary by filmmaker Kim Cheol-min. Please join us as we learn about US economic and military dominance in a quickly changing, multi-polar world! Snacks will be provided! RSVP here.

May 24 | 🎬 Crossings 10-Year Anniversary Screening

On Saturday, May 24, Women Cross DMZ (WCDMZ) and International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament will host a joint screening of Crossings online. In 2015 — on the 70th anniversary of Korea’s tragic division by the United States and the former Soviet Union — 30 women peacemakers from around the world crossed the Korean Demilitarized Zone, the most militarized border in the world from North Korea to South Korea, calling for an end to the war that has divided the two Koreas. WCDMZ’s delegation included two Nobel Peace laureates, feminist icon Gloria Steinem, Abigail Disney, retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright, academics, humanitarian aid workers, faith leaders, and others from a dozen countries, including several nations that fought in the 1950-53 Korean War, and led by WCDMZ founder Christine Ahn. RSVP here.

📚RECOMMENDED VIEWINGS:

From the Education Committee:

1. U.S. military considering permanent deployment of F-35 fighter jets to S. Korea provides information about U.S. plans to escalate militarization on the Korean Peninsula. The US is considering permanent deployment of F-35s to Gunsan in South Korea, where base expansion would threaten the habitat of migratory birds. Join the Korea Peace study group in June for more information about migratory birds and their habitats in Northeast Asia.
2. Diplomacy or Deception? Trump’s N. Korea Strategy provides analysis on how Trump claims that he wants to engage in diplomacy with N. Korea, yet he has allowed the provocative and dangerous U.S./ROK war drills to escalate in frequency, scale, and scope.

ICYMI:

• Esther Kim, Korea Times, Which Korea are you from? Interview with Cathi Choi
• NK News Podcast, Cathi Choi: How inter-Korean conflict harms women’s rights
• Webinar: How to Prevent a Coup: Lessons from Korea Webinar with Cathi Choi, Daehan Song, and Hwang Jeong-eun
• Webinar: Apology & Reparation: The Jeju 4 3 Retrials and the Japanese American coram nobis Cases
• Webinar: Women’s Rights Under the Division System in Korea Report Launch Webinar | IWD 2025
• Webinar: The Stories We Bring to Bear: Flipping the Script on Adoption | A KPN X GYOPO Gathering

✌️Follow Korea Peace Now! on Bluesky! Say hello and check out our new account!

🛍 Support the Korea Peace Movement: Show your support for Korea peace with one of our tote bags, hats, baby onesies, and clothing, available here. All funds will support Korea Peace Now!, our U.S.-based movement for peace in Korea led by Women Cross DMZ. Art by Peter Holland and lazy blender.

Sincerely,

Cathi Choi & Echo

Thank you to everyone who joined us in New York and Pennsylvania last week!

In New York, we launched the Women’s Rights Under the Division System in Korea report at the United Nations’ 69th Commission on the Status of Women to a packed house! Released to coincide with International Women’s Day and the 80th year of Korea’s division, the report highlights the profound and persistent impact of division and militarism on Korean women’s lives and the urgency of developing a comprehensive approach to human rights. Read the full report here.

In Philadelphia, we met with Korea peace grassroots activists and joined University of Pennsylvania’s Asian American Across Disciplines with Mark Tseng-Putterman to present on “The Far Right and the New Cold War: Transnational Organizing from Korea to the US,” co-sponsored by Koreans 4 Decolonization at Penn and James Joo-Kim Center for Korean Studies.

In Philadelphia, we met with Korea peace grassroots activists and joined University of Pennsylvania’s Asian American Across Disciplines with Mark Tseng-Putterman to present on “The Far Right and the New Cold War: Transnational Organizing from Korea to the US,” co-sponsored by Koreans 4 Decolonization at Penn and James Joo-Kim Center for Korean Studies.

🤝 Organize

Join our April national grassroots meeting on Thursday, April 10 at 5pm PT/8pm ET! Members of Resist U.S.-Led War Movement will provide an overview of their movement and together, we will brainstorm ways to collaborate. Register here.

Following the national meeting, join our ongoing KPNGN New Member Orientation series on the same Zoom link, starting at 6pm PT/9pm ET. The Education Committee will host Part 1 of this ongoing series on the history of the Korean War.

🗓️ Events

April 3 at 1pm HST/4pm PT/7pm ET | APOLOGY & REPARATION: The Jeju 4.3 Retrials and the Japanese American coram nobis Cases: The United States, South Korea, and the Jeju 4.3 Tragedy

To coincide with International Women’s Day, Women Cross DMZ has just released a new report, Women’s Rights Under the Division System in Korea, to shed light on the often overlooked consequences of Korea’s division on women’s lives.

The report — the result of years of research and collaboration among Korean women across borders — exposes the profound and persistent impact of the division system and ongoing militarization on women’s human rights.

Released to coincide with International Women’s Day, the 69th Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations, and the 80th year of Korea’s division, the report highlights key issues — including the presence of U.S. military bases, the gendered consequences of landmines and unexploded ordnance, and the enduring trauma of family separation — through personal narratives and expert analysis.

Among the key findings:

• Human rights issues exacerbated by the 80-year division: Landmines and unexploded ordnance remnants in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) continue to cause significant harm to civilians, particularly women.
• Militarization’s gendered impact: The ongoing U.S. military presence in South Korea and the expansion of military bases have significant human rights implications, particularly for women living in military camptowns, where they experience systemic sexual violence and exploitation. Furthermore, the expansion of U.S. military bases has displaced local farming communities.
• The ongoing trauma of family separation: Millions of Korean families remain divided by the Korean War, with opportunities for reunification dwindling as separated family members age. The ongoing division has a particular impact on women who have borne the brunt of the emotional, social, and economic burdens of separation.

The report calls for a more comprehensive approach to human rights that prioritizes the needs and agency of the Korean people, and women in particular, and urges the two Koreas and the international community to take immediate action to address the gendered impacts of Korea’s ongoing division and to work toward sustainable peace on the peninsula.

Read the report here!

Join our report launch webinar on Wednesday, March 5, at 5pm PT / 8 pm ET (Thursday, March 6, at 10 am KST). The event will offer Korean language interpretation and will feature report contributors and Korean women leaders:

• Youngmi Cho, Executive Committee Member, Christian Conference of Asia; Former Executive Director, Korean Women’s Movement for Peace
• Lee Jung Ah, Standing Representative, Gyeonggi Women’s Association United
• Lee Jae Jung, National Assembly member, ROK
• Cathi Choi, Executive Director, Women Cross DMZ (moderator)

Join us in New York at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women!

Women Cross DMZ will be at CSW! Join us for two key events:

March 12 | | Wednesday at 8:30am ET | 10th Floor of the Church Center of the United Nations, 777 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017

This joint session with Women Cross DMZ and the Education for Social Justice Foundation highlights the urgent need for accountability and global adoption of key Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) mechanisms, including UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the U.S. WPS Act. WCDMZ will also share  research and analysis from the newly released Women’s Rights Under the Division System in Korea report. This event is free and open to the public. Register to attend here.

March 13 | Launching the Feminist Peace Playbook: A Guide for Transforming U.S. Foreign Policy | Thursday at 2:30-4:00 pm ET | UN Church Center, 2nd Floor 777 UN Plaza East (44th St. & 1st Ave), New York City, NY

Just us for the launch of the Feminist Peace Playbook, a comprehensive guide for movements, researchers, policymakers, philanthropists, and journalists, released by the Feminist Peace Initiative — led by MADRE, Women Cross DMZ, and Grassroots Global Justice Alliance — and the Inclusive Global Leadership Initiative at the University of Denver.

Women Cross DMZ on the Hill

Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act is Reintroduced!

On Wednesday, Rep. Brad Sherman and dozens of other co-sponsors reintroduced the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act. There’s no bill number yet, but in the meantime, check out the list of cosponsors and urge your Congressional representative to become a Korea Peace Champion here. Stay tuned for updates about our annual Korea Peace Advocacy Week!

Stop Politicians Profiting From War Act

Women Cross DMZ endorsed the Stop Politicians Profiting From War Act, introduced by Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib to prohibit Members of Congress, their spouses, and their dependent children from having any financial interests in any company that does business with the Department of Defense and banning them from trading defense stocks. Sign on to become a grassroots supporter here.

Upcoming Events

March 6 | KPNGN’s March National Meeting | This Thursday at 5pm PT/8pm ET

We will debrief the official reintroduction of the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act (PKPA) and share advocacy efforts to push the bill forward. RSVP here.

March 8 | International Women’s Day: How Secure Aren’t We? | Saturday at 1pm ET

WCDMZ Executive Director Cathi Choi will join Ploughshares Fund alongside Elena Sokova, Executive Director of the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, and Dr. Emma Belcher, President of Ploughshares for a virtual webinar. RSVP here.

March 19 | The Far Right and the New Cold War: Transnational Organizing from Korea to the US | Wednesday at 2pm ET

University of Pennsylvania’s Asian American Across the Disciplines presents: The Far Right and the New Cold War: Transnational Organizing from Korea to the US in conversation with Cathi Choi, Executive Director of Women Cross DMZ. Hosted by Professor Mark Tseng-Putterman, Panda Express Postdoctoral Fellow in Asian American Studies in his course Yellow Peril, Red Scare: Cold War Asia in America. Please RSVP here to join us in person or register here to join by Zoom!

March 24 | New Hampshire Peace Action (NHPA) Peace & Justice Conversations: The Feminist Path to Peace in Korea | Monday at 7pm ET

How have women been leading the movement calling for a formal end to the Korean War? What does feminist leadership in peace movements look like? NHPA will hear from WCDMZ’s Echo and Solby on recent Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network activities and how Women Cross DMZ continues to advocate for peace in Korea and in the region, women’s leadership in the Korea peace process, and a feminist approach to U.S. foreign policy in this virtual presentation. RSVP here.

📚 READ: From the Education Committee:

• Preparations for US-North Korea talks ‘well underway’ in Washington: lawmaker considers the prospect of diplomatic talks between the new Trump administration and North Korea, with perspectives from South Korean lawmakers.
• Final witness examination cements case against Yoon reflects on Yoon Suk-yeol’s testimony at his impeachment trial and recommends that he be removed from office.
• Gender is, once again, determining the contours of South Korea’s most recent political upheaval. Why young South Korean men are at the forefront of the far right protests defending martial law and justifying authoritarianism, while leading the “national-flag brigade.”

Follow Korea Peace Now! on Bluesky! Say hello and check out our new account ✌️

Sincerely,

Cathi Choi

Happy Lunar New Year! Our next KPNGN meeting will happen Thursday, February 13, at 5pm PT/8pm ET. Coordinators of the KPNGN Steering Committee will present their work and discuss ways for you to deepen your knowledge about Korea peace issues and participate in strategy meetings and collective actions to advance our goals. We will also discuss our plans for 2025. RSVP at bit.ly/febkpngn

All committees (Advocacy, Education, Coalition Building, and Membership) are accepting new members! Please email Echo at echo@womencrossdmz.org to join a committee. And if you haven’t already, please sign up for our Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network here.

KPNGN Orientation Part II: Immediately after the national meeting, at 6pm PT/9pm ET, we’ll continue with Part II of our New Member Orientation. In Part II, our Education Committee will present a brief history of the Korean War, followed by a small group discussion. RSVP at bit.ly/febkpngn.

RSVP for Intergenerational Healing and Learning

KPN X GYOPO | The Stories We Bring to Bear: Flipping the Scripts on Adoption | Thursday, February 6 from 5-6:30pm PT/8-9:30pm ET | RSVP

What exists beyond, around, and throughout the lives of adopted people and their various families and communities? How can we uplift a multitude of narratives in addition to the oft-told “reunion” stories? Individuals adopted from Korea and their first families bring especially critical stories to bear on the topic of ending the Korean War and “tongil” (통일, “reunification of the Korean peninsula”). Join us to hear from award-winning filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem and aspiring director and community organizer Meejin Seol, in a conversation moderated by journalist Anna Kook. Speakers will talk about their work, families, the geopolitics of adoption, and why we cannot hope to understand the history of the Korean War, militarism, or division without understanding the history of transnational adoption. We will also discuss legacies of the ongoing Korean War and the present-day political landscape in South Korea, including impeachment and ongoing resistance by Korean civil society. ASL interpretation will be provided.

Deann Borshay Liem is an Emmy Award-winning documentarian known for exploring war, memory, family and identity. Her work on the Korean War, including Memory of Forgotten War, Crossings, and the oral history project Legacies of the Korean War, explores divided families and women’s role in peacemaking.

Meejin Seol is a queer Korean adoptee, aspiring documentary filmmaker, and dog mom. She currently lives in Seoul and plays with Solidarity Poongmul Pae Jangpoong (소수자연대풍물패 장풍). She moved to Korea with the goals of learning language, deepening her knowledge and practice of poongmul nori, spending time with family, and making a documentary film that pushes beyond traditional ideas about reunion, family and home.

Anna Kook is a multilingual, award-winning reporter who seeks to bring Asian faces and voices to mainstream media. She is currently a correspondent & producer at AJ+. Recently, a story from a series Anna produced and edited, “It’s Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive,” won a Peabody and national Emmy award.

For your reading

NEW! How MAGA Made Its Way to South Korea | Cathi Choi writes for In These Times about the influence of Trump’s MAGA in South Korea. “It would be easy to identify these apparent similarities and not interrogate further. But the connections between U.S. and South Korean far-right forces are both old and new, rooted in decades of U.S. and South Korean militarism, the ongoing Korean War, and the oligarchs who profit,” Cathi writes. “The ongoing events in South Korea should not just be a distant news item for U.S. readers with abstract lessons for “democracy.” We must understand that the United States has been involved with the Korean Peninsula for decades, and U.S. militarism has profoundly shaped South Korea’s political landscape.”

How Right-Wing Forces are Attempting to Undermine Democracy and Peace Activists | This recent political education thread explains the rising transnational, far-right campaign to smear pro-democracy and pro-peace activists, and how intergenerational Koreans (including KPNGN members) are pushing back.

Korea Peace Priorities Coalition Letter to the Trump Administration |The Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network joined over 40 national organizations in signing a letter urging the Trump administration to pursue a diplomatic, peace-first approach with North Korea focused on improving relations, ending the Korean War, and reducing nuclear risk. Several Korean news outlets covered the letter, including OhmyNews and Daum.

📚 READ: From the Education Committee:

1. How Memories of Struggle Spurred the Defense of South Korea’s Democracy | Journalist Yejin Gim draws connections between the struggles and lessons learned from the Gwangju Uprising in 1980 and the timely and powerful response of the Korean people to Yoon Suk Yeol’s imposition of martial law in S. Korea.
2. TO DRIVE FORWARD AT HIGH SPEED LOOK BACKWARDS | Peter Hayes and Leon Sigal provide thoughtful analysis of the political fallout from Yoon Suk Yeol’s attempted coup and consider the prospects for diplomatic engagement with the DPRK by the new Trump administration.
3. Behind the explosion of Korea’s far right, catalyzed by Yoon | Ji-hye Lee writes for Hankyoreh about the disturbing rise of the far right in South Korea, which strongly embraces Yoon, anti-communism, and anti-Chinese sentiments. Although Yoon failed in his attempt to establish martial rule, he has been successful in rallying his far-right supporters, which has contributed to the current state of political turmoil in the country.

Follow Korea Peace Now! on Bluesky! Say hello and check out our new account ✌️

🛍 Support the Korea Peace Movement: Show your support for Korea peace with one of our new tote bags, hats, baby onesies, and clothing, available here. All money raised will support Korea Peace Now!, our U.S.-based movement for peace in Korea led by Women Cross DMZ. Art by Peter Holland and lazy blender.

Looking forward to seeing you at these upcoming gatherings!

Sincerely,

Cathi Choi and Echo

Next week, join us for our last Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network gathering of 2024, where we will celebrate all the heart and energy we put towards advocating for peace on the Korean Peninsula and an end to U.S. wars and militarism this year. Come festive! Bring a drink!

RSVP: Thursday, December 12, at 5pm PT/8pm ET

🔔 UPDATE: Lift the Ban on Christine Ahn’s Travel to South Korea

Thank you to everyone who signed our petition demanding that the Yoon Suk Yeol government lift the ban on Christine Ahn’s travel to South Korea! We collected over 1,200 signatures (and counting) from prominent activists, academics, cultural workers, diplomats, and more. Despite many inquiries, Christine, WCDMZ’s Founder and Co-Director, still has not received any official response or explanation from South Korean officials on why she was recently denied entry to South Korea. We are continuing to gather signatures to keep pressuring the South Korean government to overturn the ban on Christine. A free press is crucial to prevent democratic backsliding, and we appreciate everyone who has covered this story, including in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Korean Quarterly, Japan Forward, Hyperallergic, and Hankyoreh.

Sign and share the petition at bit.ly/liftingtheban!

✍️UPCOMING EVENTS:

TOMORROW! What Does the Trump Presidency Mean for the Korean Peninsula? | Monday, December 2 at 5pm PT/8pm ET (Tuesday, December 3 at 10am KST)

Join us for a moderated panel discussion and strategy session on the incoming administration’s plans for Korea.

Under Biden, Washington engineered a new war alliance (JAKUS) between the U.S., Japan, and the R.O.K., with the aim of coordinating military aggression against the D.P.R.K. The number of U.S.-R.O.K. military exercises has significantly increased, with hundreds of days of war games conducted in Korea annually. This summer, these exercises included rehearsing plans for a nuclear strike on the Korean Peninsula. So what does a return to a Republican presidency under Donald Trump mean for Korea?

Co-hosted by Nodutdol and Korea Peace Now!, this panel will feature Cathi Choi (Women Cross DMZ), KJ Noh (Pivot to Peace), Colleen Moore (United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society), and Dae Han Song (International Strategy Center). The discussion will be in English and Korean interpretation will be provided.

In Hope with Palestinian Liberation Theology: A Delegation with Sabeel, hosted by KPN Faith-Based Caucus | Thursday, December 5 at 5pm PT/8pm ET

In August, twelve U.S. Christian leaders returned from Palestine-Israel as the first in a wave of delegations hosted by Sabeel, which is the grassroots, ecumenical Palestinian liberation theology movement rooted in the universal ethic of nonviolence. The goals of the trip were to:

1. Be with and encourage the people who are under attack
2. Expose human rights violations
3. Strengthen and encourage U.S. Christian advocacy for a just peace

From standing in the rubble of illegal home demolitions in East Jerusalem for which the Israeli Occupation Forces bill the indigenous Palestinians, to praying at the militarized Gaza border with the Israeli peace activist co-resistors Rabbis for Human Rights, to weeping in the charred homes where U.S. weapons precision bombed densely populated residential areas in the Balata Refugee Camp ghetto that holds eight generations of internally displaced Palestinian refugees, Pax Christi member Jessica Sun will be reporting back on the unspeakable horrors and violence she saw wreaked by the U.S.-funded, genocidal state of Israel, and the astounding tales of heroic Palestinian integrity and resilience in spite of it all. Join us on Thursday, December 5 at 5pm PT/8pm ET! RSVP at bit.ly/sabeel24.

📚 READ: From the Education Committee:

1. A contrived myth? North Korean troops battling the Ukrainians in Kursk | Tim Beal from the Korea Policy Institute offers critical analysis on the rumors of D.P.R.K. troops fighting in Ukraine.
2. Trump picks ex-N. Korea policy official as his principal deputy national security adviser | Song Sang-ho from Yonhap News Agency writes about Trump’s nomination of Alex Wong, who previously served as a lead negotiator in denuclearization talks with the D.P.R.K., to principal deputy national security adviser.

🛍️ NEW! Support the Korea Peace Movement: Show your support for Korea peace with one of our newly added tote bags, hats, baby onesies, and clothing available here. All money raised will support Korea Peace Now!, our U.S.-based movement for peace in Korea led by Women Cross DMZ. Art by Peter Holland and lazy blender.

Looking forward to seeing you at these upcoming gatherings!

Sincerely,

Cathi Choi and Echo

Like many of you, we are grieving the results of the U.S. elections and are deeply concerned about the most vulnerable in our communities, our democracy, and the potential consequences for the Korean Peninsula. Arguably no other U.S. president has had a more wildly unpredictable and extreme relationship with North Korea than Donald Trump. In his first year in office, Trump threatened North Korea with “fire and fury like the world has never seen.” He also instituted a travel ban on North Korea.

Trump squandered the opportunity for peace at the 2019 Hanoi summit by insisting that North Korea hand over its nuclear weapons program without any U.S. concessions or security guarantees, badly damaging relations with North Korea. Throughout his most recent campaign, he boasted that North Korea is “afraid” of him and said South Korea should be a “money machine” based on the U.S. troops stationed there.

As we look towards the future, we know that there is urgent and critical work to be done as U.S.-based peace activists to forge peace in Korea. Ultimately, this work will not bound to any one election cycle, but instead depends entirely on the political will that we, the people, build. Our growing Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network must organize our communities and build solidarity with fellow anti-war activists and movements across generations and national boundaries. Read our full statement here.

Join our November National Meeting this Thursday, November 14, at 5pm PT // 8pm ET where we’ll be joined by fellow organizers from Nodutdol, who will discuss their US Out of Korea Campaign, and Veterans for Peace, who will report back on their June trip to South Korea and the Hyosun MiSeon Peace Park Project. RSVP here.

TAKE ACTION

Sign the Petition: Lift the Ban on Christine Ahn’s Travel to South Korea

On October 30, 2024, Women Cross DMZ Founder and Co-Director Christine Ahn was barred from boarding an Asiana Airlines flight from Honolulu to the Republic of Korea, citing R.O.K. immigration authorities. Ahn was on her way to deliver the keynote address at the International Youth Peace Forum in Gyeonggi Province, set to be hosted by the provincial government on November 2, 2024.

We are outraged that Ahn – a respected Korean American peace activist – has been barred from traveling to South Korea without any reason or justification, which is a violation of her human rights. This restriction prevents her from participating in an important international civil society forum and violates her right to defend human rights.

The barring of Christine Ahn now is particularly concerning, given the current geopolitical tensions and the urgent need for dialogue. With the increasing likelihood of military confrontation on the Korean Peninsula, the voices of those advocating for peace must be heard, not silenced. Women Cross DMZ calls upon the Yoon government to uphold its democratic values by allowing Christine Ahn to freely travel to South Korea.

Sign and share the petition, available in English and Korean.

RSVP: Collaborative WARmerica Screening in Seattle

Join Nodutdol, Sông2Sea, Korea Peace Now!, and Resist US-Led War Seattle on Thursday, November 14, from 3:30-5:30pm PST for a screening and discussion of WARmerica’s Fate, a South Korean documentary by the filmmaker Kim Cheol-min 김철민. This film focuses on the impacts of American warmongering and imperialism, tracing connections between its settler-colonial roots and ongoing efforts to ensure economic and military dominance.

The event will be hosted near the University of Washington Seattle campus. There is a hybrid option available and snacks will be provided. RSVP here. Please contact Echo at echo@womencrossdmz.org if you want to organize a screening in your community.

RSVP: Post-Election Webinar Discussion on December 2, 5pm PT // 8 pm ET

Join us for a moderated panel discussion and strategy session on Monday, December 2 at 5pm PT // 8pm ET. Co-hosted by Nodutdol and Korea Peace Now, this panel will feature Cathi Choi (Women Cross DMZ), KJ Noh (Pivot to Peace), and Dae Han Song (International Strategy Center). The discussion will be in English and Korean interpretation will be provided. RSVP here.

READ

From the Education Committee:

• Dan Leaf and Christine Ahn: The next president must defuse the Korean crisis to avoid nuclear catastrophe: This op-ed highlights the need for diplomacy and engagement with North Korea and identifies concrete steps that can be taken to move away from the possibility of a nuclear arms race on the Korean Peninsula and towards a lasting peace.
• A recent article about the winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature – Korean author Han Kang. Kang’s most recent novel, We Do Not Part, portrays the tragic 1948 Jeju massacre through the perspective of three women. The English translation will be available in January 2025 and members of the Korea Peace Study group will read the book and later make a presentation. If you are interested in participating in the Han Kang study sub-group, please contact Tasha at tessen27@gmail.com.

Looking forward to seeing you this Thursday!

Sincerely,

Cathi Choi and Echo

Our October KPNGN Meeting will be taking place on Thursday, October 10 at 5pm PT/ 8pm ET! We will be joined by Becky Belcore, Co-Director of National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) and Executive Director of NAKASEC Action Fund, who will speak about the work of NAKASEC’s Action Fund Pennsylvania’s program for the upcoming November elections. Register here.

KPNGN Orientation Part II: Immediately after the national meeting, we’ll continue with Part II of our New Member Orientation at 6pm PT/9pm ET! This is the second session of our three-part series. In Part II, our Education Committee will present a brief history of the Korean War, followed by a small group discussion. Use the same Zoom link as above.

Upcoming events:

RSVP for “Memoir, Trauma, and Healing for the Korean Diaspora”: We are back with our ongoing Intergenerational Healing & Learning Series! On October 15, author and professor Grace M. Cho and journalist and writer Iris Yi Youn Kim will discuss their work and how memoirs can act as a vessel for unpacking and healing intergenerational trauma, especially for members of the Korean diaspora. This gathering will take place on Tuesday, October 15 at 5pm PT / 8pm ET. Register here.

RSVP for “Peacemaking Through Collaboration Between Christians in North Korea and South Korea: Marking the 40 Years of Tozanso Process”: Rev. Kurt Esslinger, who serves as a mission co-worker assigned to the National Council of Churches in Korea, will discuss ecumenical efforts for Korea peace through the Tozanso Process, which began in 1984 by the World Council of Churches in order to build relationships between Christians from North and South Korea. Charles Ryu will moderate the webinar discussion, which is taking place Thursday, October 24, 5pm PT / 8 pm ET. Register here. Hosted by KPNGN Faith-Based Caucus.

READ: From the Education Committee:

• On North Korea, Kamala Harris Should Prioritize Peace | Cathi Choi writes about the need for U.S. presidential candidates Harris and Trump to develop a new approach to North Korea that focuses on diplomatic engagement and reducing tensions in order to address the security crisis on the Korean peninsula.
• Hanging by a Thread: US-led War Drills in the Korean Peninsula and the Threat of Global Nuclear War | Dr. Simone Chun analyzes the destabilizing consequences of non-stop US-led war drills in South Korea and discusses the strategic interest for Washington to work towards regional de-escalation and normalizing US-North Korea relations.

Support the Korea Peace Movement: Show your support for Korea peace with one of our t-shirts, sweatshirts, or hoodies, available here. All money raised will support Korea Peace Now!, our U.S.-based movement for peace in Korea led by Women Cross DMZ. Art by Peter Holland and lazy blender.

New Korea Peace Champions: In better news, in the last two months we have had several new Korea Peace Champions! Thanks to the constituents of Reps. Donald Davis (D-NC-1), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5), James C. Moylan (R-GU-At Large), and Melanie A. Stansbury (D-NM-1) who helped make this happen! H.R.1369 now has 48 co-sponsors. Please help us get to 50!

Looking forward to seeing you this Thursday!

Sincerely,

Cathi Choi and Echo