Midterms are over. Now what for Korea peace? | November KPNGN Newsletter

Trump’s warmaking and unpopular foreign policy played a decisive role at the polls. Now is the time to take stock of what the future holds for Korea peace. Join our November national meeting next Thursday, November 12, at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT!RSVP here.We will break down midterm election outcomes, prospects for Korea peace, and strategize together. Immediately after, we will resume our three-part Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network Orientation with a Q&A session on Korea peace. TAKE ACTION – Join our grassroots action to urge Congress to support diplomacy and de-escalation.

 

• EDUCATE – Bipartisan Stalemate: Why has U.S. Leadership on Korea Peace Failed? Read our analysis on how reactionary support for war drills harms efforts for Korea peace and diplomacy.

• Read this letter from 40+ leading civil society organizations calling on Congress to support efforts for dialogue with North Korea..

• Step in the Right Direction: Letter to the Editor. KPNGN and Education Committee leader Jennie Telfer’s letter to the editor in the Kansas City Star reflecting on the significance of scaling back joint U.S.-ROK military exercises.
• US Leaders Must Call for De-Escalation and Peace on the Korean Peninsula. WCDMZ Executive Director Cathi Choi and AFSC Coordinator Austin Headrick write in Common Dreams.

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October Recap

 

Intergenerational advocates from South Korea and the United States gathered to discuss division and reunification issues in New Jersey, Washington DC, and Los Angeles in October. Women Cross DMZ co-sponsored Action One Korea’s and the Korean American Peace Foundation’s event, “Peace Dialogue with Youth Seeking Wisdom to Overcome Division” at the Korean Community Center of New Jersey. WCDMZ Board Chair Emerita Aiyoung Choi shared her experiences visiting Pyongyang and walking across the DMZ, discussing collective hopes for an end to the Korean War and taking action for peace.

 

 

We also spoke at “1948 As Conjuncture: Revolution, Managed Decolonization, and World-Making in Asia-Pacific,” a two-day conference held at the UCLA Center for Korean Studies on the historical and political significance of the year 1948, exploring how revolutionary aspirations, decolonization, imperial transitions, and the emerging Cold War converged to shape institutions and perspectives that endure today. Topics included political violence in Greece, southern Korea, and the Philippines; the partitions of India, Korea, and Palestine; military occupation in Japan and the US military government in southern Korea; and the displacement and migration of peoples that accompanied these upheavals.

From the Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network Education Committee:

1. The Grief Keepers: Meet the community of survivors and activists behind South Korea’s first national war memorial for civilians. This article honors the grief keepers of Golryeonggol whose efforts permitted Daejeon Peace Park to open this November as the only memorial for civilian victims of the Korean War. KPNGN members of the Jaju Solidarity Brigade visited Golryeonggol in August.
2. Progressives Shouldn’t Call on Trump to Restore Military Exercises in Korea. This article opposes the decision of 22 House Democrats to call for the continuation of U.S.-ROK war drills following the shortening of Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises. The postponed drills will be completed during military exercises this year.
3. Seoul ‘fabricated’ landmine blast, North Korea tells UN in letter. This article reports on the exchanges between the DPRK and ROK in letters to the UN Security Council over the September 21st land mine explosions in the DMZ.
4. US troops in S. Korea must be ready for missions beyond peninsula, commander says. This article discusses recent comments by the Commander of US forces in Korea and responses from the South Korean government, as well as the asymmetrical relationship between the US and ROK and highlights ongoing demands for sovereignty and an end to economic subjugation for the Korean people.

Join us for an evening with Judge Denny Chin of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals; leading civil rights advocates and scholars, including Professor Bob Chang (UCI Law, Korematsu Center), Bethany Li (Asian American Legal Defense Fund); and local organizers including Danny Park (Korean Resource Center). We will discuss Oyama’s enduring legacies and examine the enduring relationship between national security, foreign policy, democracy, and Asian American civil rights. Attendance is free but RSVP is required. Reception with hors d’oeuvres to follow. RSVP here.