Category: Newsletter

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

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]

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!

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: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!

Dear friend,

We’re excited to announce a special screening of Crossings in New York City on Thursday, April 20, including a Q&A with filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem, Women Cross DMZ Executive Director Christine Ahn, Women Cross DMZ Board Chair Aiyoung Choi, and filmmaker, philanthropist, and social justice activist Abigail Disney. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. RSVP now! Doors open at 6:30pm and light refreshments will be available.

On March 1, Rep. Brad Sherman, along with 20 co-sponsors, re-introduced the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act! (Watch the press conference here.) This marks the first time that Korea peace legislation has been re-introduced in Congress. The bill is now H.R.1369, and like H.R.3446 in the last Congress, has bipartisan support. If you haven’t done so already, please contact your member of Congress and ask them to support this important legislation here.

Why is this bill important? As Women Cross DMZ Advocacy Director Colleen Moore writes in Common Dreams, “While the President could formally end the Korean War through executive powers
alone, Congressional support is important to building the political
will for a long-lasting peace agreement and demonstrating that multiple
branches of the US government support a new relationship with North
Korea and an end to the war.” Read her entire op-ed in Common Dreams: “As Congress Once Again Calls for End of Korean War, It’s Time for Biden to Listen.”

Moore also wrote about why “The US must trade muscles for diplomacy to end the North Korean nuclear crisis” in an op-ed published by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: “…time and time again, the United States has insisted on North Korea’s unilateral and complete denuclearization without first reducing tensions and building trust. Continuing to press North Korea to dismantle arguably its most effective deterrent without resolving its underlying contentious relationship with the United States is certain to fail.” Read it here.

In other news, on March 1 we held a webinar, “Laying Out a Roadmap for Peace in Korea in 2023,” to discuss the current political context and our strategy for peace this year around the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act and the 70th anniversary of the Armistice agreement in July. Speakers included Rep. Andy Kim, Christine Ahn, Colleen Moore, and Professor J.J. Suh. If you missed it, you can watch it here.

And we’re delighted to announce Women Cross DMZ’s newest team
member, Cathi Choi! Cathi is an attorney and activist based in Los
Angeles who is our new Director of Policy and
Organizing. She has organized community gatherings and
written about progressive social movements spanning the Korean Peninsula
and the United States – including the Gwangju Uprising and the
activism of Diamond Kimm. You can read more about her here. Welcome, Cathi!

Here are upcoming Crossings screenings:

April 20: Manhattan Country School (New York, NY)

6:30 PM screening, followed by a Q&A with Abigail Disney, Deann Borshay Liem, Christine Ahn and Aiyoung Choi.

150 West 85th Street, New York City

RSVP here

April 21: Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)

2:00 – 6:30 PM screening, followed by a Q&A with Suzy Kim (Rutgers University), Daniel Kim (Brown University), Deann Borshay Liem and Christine Ahn.

Harris Hall (1881 Sheridan Road) Room 107 and 108

Get more info

April 22: University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI)

6:30 PM screening, followed by a Q&A with Deann Borshay Liem and Christine Ahn. Sponsored by UW-Madison Center for East Asian Studies.

Marquee Cinema (1308 West Dayton Street)

Host a Screening of Crossings This Year

Want to host a screening of Crossings in your community? Fill out this Google form and someone from Mu Films will get back to you. A film toolkit, viewer’s guide, social media kit, and an electronic press kit will be provided to help you promote your screening.

We look forward to seeing you at one of these upcoming events!

Dear Friend,

2023 has witnessed dangerously high tensions on the Korean Peninsula. How can the Biden administration bring North Korea back to the negotiating table and lay the foundation for peace?

On March 1, Rep. Brad Sherman will reintroduce the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act. This marks the first time that Korea peace legislation will be re-introduced in Congress!

Join us on Wednesday, March 1, at noon PT/3pm ET for “Laying Out a Roadmap for Peace in Korea in 2023.” We’ll discuss the current political context and geopolitical dynamics in Korea and the United States, how the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act provides a roadmap toward peace, and how you can take action.

REGISTER NOW!

Jimmy Carter’s Legacy on Korea

With President Jimmy Carter entering hospice care, many are reflecting on his legacy. One area where he perhaps made the biggest impact was the Korean Peninsula. Not only was Carter instrumental in preventing a U.S. attack on North Korea, he also was an advocate for replacing the 1953 ceasefire with a peace agreement to formally end the Korean War. Now, Carter’s legacy can provide the Biden administration with crucial insight of how to move forward with North Korea, especially as Pyongyang has become a de facto nuclear power. Read Christine Ahn’s op-ed in Responsible Statecraft, published today.

President Carter and Christine Ahn met at the Carter Center in Atlanta in 2018.

Upcoming ‘Crossings’ Screenings

We’re excited to announce several upcoming screenings of Crossings, the documentary by Emmy Award-winning director Deann Borshay Liem about our historic journey across the DMZ in 2015 and Women Cross DMZ’s work. Christine Ahn will also attend several of the events and participate in a Q&A afterward. Ticket links and details below.

DisOrient Asian American Film Festival Preview
February 24, 6pm, with Christine Ahn and Deann Borshay Liem in person
February 25-26: Virtual screening for Oregon residents
Get tickets | Watch online

Seattle Asian American Film Festival
February 25, 1:30pm, with Christine Ahn and Deann Borshay Liem in person
February 27-March 5: Virtual screening for Washington residents
Get tickets | Watch online

University of Colorado, Boulder
March 15, 7pm, followed by a discussion with Christine Ahn
CASE East, 4th Floor, CU Boulder
Get more info

Boston College Screening and Special Guest Panel
March 16, 5:30pm, Deann Borshay Liem will be discussing the film with a special guest panel organized by the Center for Human Rights and International Justice.
Register

Association of Asian Studies Film Expo Screening
March 18, 3:45pm, followed by Q&A with Deann Borshay Liem
Boston Sheraton Hotel, Hampton, 3rd Floor
Free and open to the public; no conference registration required.

University of Pennsylvania
March 22, 6pm, followed by a discussion with Deann Borshay Liem and special guests
Perelman Center for Political Science, 133 S. 36th St., Philadelphia
Get more info

Other Events

The New England Korea Peace Campaign and Massachusetts Peace Action will host an upcoming webinar, “The Roadmap to Unification of the Korean Peninsula,” on Monday, March 6, at 7pm ET.

Prof. Han S. Park will present a vision of reunification and a roadmap to make that dream a reality, including how to overcome the heterogeneity of North and South Korea. Register here.

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

Dear Friend,

I just got back from a trip to South Korea for the 18th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates Gangwon in Pyeongchang, where I was awarded the 2022 Peace Summit Medal for Social Activism by the Nobel Peace Laureates.

While there, I traveled with a group of 10 Nobel Peace Laureates to Gosung along the DMZ to learn about the ongoing Korean War, including hearing from a member of a separated family. The Korea Peace Now! campaign partnered with the Korea Peace Appeal campaign to help these international peacemakers understand the importance of ending the Korean War by replacing the Armistice with a peace agreement, especially as tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain dangerously high.

Pictured above: Nobel Peace Laureates and civil society leaders at the DMZ call for peace on December 11, 2022.

The following day, on December 12, Nobel Peace Laureates and South Korean civil society leaders held a press conference in Pyeongchang to call for an immediate de-escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula, a return to diplomatic talks, and, most crucially, replacing the 1953 Korean War Armistice with a formal peace agreement.

Speakers included Nobel Peace Laureate Ouided Bouchamaoui, whose organization National Dialogue Quartet won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015 for helping to halt a civil war in Tunisia; Ira Hefland, MD, chair of the Physicians for Social Responsibility’s Nuclear Weapons Abolition Committee; Ruth Mitchell, of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War; Yoon Jung Sook of the Korea Peace Appeal (ROK); and Ann Wright, a Board Member of Women Cross DMZ (USA) who crossed the DMZ in 2015 and a former U.S. Army Colonel and U.S. Diplomat who resigned in protest of the U.S. war on Iraq.

At the press conference, which was hosted by Korea Peace Appeal and the Korea Peace Now! Campaign (Women Cross DMZ, WILPF, and Korean Women’s Movement for Peace), the speakers announced a letter signed by civil society groups in the United States, South Korea, and around the world to be sent to President Joseph Biden, Chairman Kim Jong Un, and President Yoon Seok-Yeol urging them to stop the destructive arms race, take steps now to prevent a potentially catastrophic war, and set the table for peace talks. You can read the statement here.

You can watch the press conference here:

I was a featured speaker on a panel discussion, “Open Scars of War,” featuring Korea Peace Now! and WILPF Representative Youkyoung Ko. You can read my speech here.

Afterward, I was extremely honored to be presented with the 2022 Peace Summit Medal for Social Activism by my dear friend Leymah Gbowee. I’m grateful to the Nobel Peace committee for giving me this recognition, and all Korean women who have been boldly crossing boundaries for decades before me for peace in Korea. You can watch the award presentation here.

Pictured above: Christine Ahn receives the Peace Summit Medal for Social Activism, which is awarded every year during the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates to a human rights activist in recognition of the positive impact of social activism generated in communities throughout the world.

Another plenary session, “Women In Need / Need for Women,” included discussion with Nobel Peace Laureates and Dr. Chung Hyun-baek, former ROK Minister of Gender Equality, moderated by Youngmi Cho, Executive Director of Korean Women’s Movement for Peace.

After the Nobel Peace conference, we headed to Seoul for a packed screening of Crossings hosted by National Assembly Member Lee Jae-Jung, the Chairwoman of the Democratic Party Women’s Committee at CINE-Q.

In other news…

Earlier this month, Women Cross DMZ Advocacy Director Colleen Moore participated in a series of events in Washington, DC, attended by members of a South Korean delegation. On December 6, at a plenary hosted by the National Committee on North Korea (NCNK) and United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Colleen discussed our perspectives on peace and development on the Korean Peninsula: She talked about H.R.3446 and other Congressional work on the North Korea travel ban and recovery missions of US service member remains, the Biden administration’s Korea policy, our peace-first approach and the need to end the Korean War, and the uniqueness of our women-led movement.

Pictured above: US and South Korean civil society leaders met at Ploughshares Fund in Washington, DC, to share about their work and improve collaboration.

On December 7, ten members from the South Korean delegation (representing Korean Sharing Movement, KNCCK, Korea Women’s Movement for Peace, and Gyeonggi Province) and eight members of the DC North Korea Legislative coalition (Women Cross DMZ, Ploughshares Fund, ReThink Media, Win Without War, Council for a Livable World, American Friends Service Committee, Foreign Policy 4 America) held a meeting to increase understanding of each other’s activities and strengthen cooperation between South Korean and U.S. civil society working for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Afterward, we met with the House Foreign Affairs Committee where the South Korean delegation shared how US sanctions have created an enormous barrier to providing humanitarian assistance.

Finally…

Next year marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice.

We aim to garner more support for peace and normalizing relations with North Korea by educating the public, building and leading coalitions, and strengthening our grassroots chapters. We plan to organize 100 screenings of Crossings by the end of 2023 to mobilize grassroots communities and campus chapters in the work to motivate policymakers to support ending the Korean War. We will continue to work with Congressional Korea peace champions to reintroduce the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act in spring 2023. And we will launch several new campus chapters nationwide, including at Boston College, University of California at Santa Cruz, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and Spelman College.

Our ability to advocate for a peace-first approach to resolve the seven decade Korean War takes hard work, courage, perseverance and new thinking. It takes many hands working together to break through the inertia that justifies the dangerous stalemate. And our ability to continue to lead, in the United States and across the world, depends on donations from people like you to keep our work going. If you haven’t done so already, we hope you will consider donating to Women Cross DMZ before the end of the year. Click here to donate.

Thank you for your support, and happy holidays,

Christine Ahn

Executive Director

Dear Friend,

Tomorrow is the deadline to add your organization’s support to our letter calling on President Joseph Biden, Chairman Kim Jong Un, and President Yoon Suk-Yeol to immediately suspend all missile tests and war drills that escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

If you haven’t already, please fill out the Action Network form by Friday, December 9th, at 9 AM EST to support our urgent call for the United States, North Korea, and South Korea to return to the negotiating table and pursue a step-by-step diplomatic approach to build trust, address nuclear risk, and normalize relations.

We plan to send the statement to the Biden Administration, the Blue House (ROK/South Korea), and the DPRK Ambassador to the UN (North Korea) on Monday, December 12. We will also hold a press conference with Nobel Peace Laureates in South Korea on December 13 to highlight the urgent need for peace in Korea.

Please share this statement with your networks. Thank you!

안녕하세요,

Dear Friend,

Tensions are running dangerously high on the Korean Peninsula, with an unprecedented number of North Korean missile tests and provocative military exercises held by the United States, South Korea, and Japan.

The Korea Peace Now! campaign (led by Women Cross DMZ, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and the Korean Women’s Movement for Peace) have drafted a statement calling on President Joseph Biden, Chairman Kim Jong Un, and President Yoon Suk-Yeol to immediately suspend all missile tests and war drills that escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula and instead return to the negotiating table and pursue a step-by-step diplomatic approach to build trust, address nuclear risk, and normalize relations. Read the full text here.

We are requesting your support and solidarity by signing your organization onto our statement. Please fill out this form by Friday, December 9, 9am EST.

On Monday, December 12, we plan to send it to the Biden Administration, the Blue House (ROK/South Korea), and the DPRK Ambassador to the UN (North Korea).  We will also hold a press conference with Nobel Peace Laureates in South Korea on December 13 to highlight the urgent need for peace in Korea. We would greatly appreciate it if you could share it with your networks then as well.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Korea Peace Now!

Dear Friend,

Please join us for the October 2022 Week of Action for Peace in Korea! From October 11-14, we will be contacting members of Congress and urging them to support H.R. 3446, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act. This is our last collective push for H.R. 3446, so we hope you’ll join us!

Register now. The deadline is October 7, 2022.

In other updates, Korea Peace Now! campaign partner Women Cross DMZ released a statement today in response to Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent visit to the DMZ. Read the statement here.

Crossings continues to screen at venues around the world, including in South Korea (see below for details) and at the United Nations Association Film Festival in Palo Alto, California, on October 29. Tickets for the Oct. 29 in-person screening will go on sale Monday, October 3. Check here for more details.

Also, after we sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, expressing our disappointment about the renewal of the Trump-era travel ban on U.S. citizens traveling to North Korea, we produced a fact sheet on four reasons why the U.S. needs to end the North Korea travel ban. Read it here.

We also celebrated Chuseok this month, co-sponsoring Rosa Kwak’s virtual cookalong webinar for her award-winning kimchi buns with the LIFT campaign and tabling at the San Francisco Korean Center’s Bay Area Chuseok festival. It was great to meet so many of our followers in person and to talk to new people about our work!

Caption: Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network Bay Area chapter members Sung Sohn and Kathleen Richards

Finally, Women Cross DMZ’s Advocacy Director Colleen Moore was recently a featured guest on Ploughshares Fund’s Press the Button podcast to discuss the resumption of U.S.-South Korea war drills on the peninsula and the renewal of the U.S. travel ban to North Korea. You can listen here.

Upcoming Crossings Screenings

October 1, 2022, 1 PM KST, Imjingak Pyeonghwa-Nuri Park Art Stage 임진각 아트스테이지 / GV (관객과의 대화)

October 2, 2022, 4:30 PM KST, Imjingak Pyeonghwa-Nuri Park Art stage 임진각 아트스테이지

October 4, 2022, 2:00 PM KST, Cine Q Sindorim 씨네Q 신도림점 / 인사 나눔 with Deann Borshay Liem (Director 감독), Christine Ahn (Women Cross DMZ Executive Director 워민크로스디엠지 사무총장, 한미미 (World YWCA Vice President 세계YWCA 부회장)

October 4, 2022, 8:00 PM KST, Hantan River Spa Hotel 철원 한탄리버스파호텔 / GV 자유 대화

October 29, 2022, 1 pm PT: United Nations Association Film Festival, Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA