A Letter Jointly Addressed to:
Donald Trump, President of the United States of America
Moon Jae-In, President of the Republic of Korea
Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
May 24, 2019
Dear Presidents Trump and Moon and Chairman Kim:
We are from Korea Peace Now: Women Mobilizing to End the War, a global coalition of women’s peace organizations working for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. On International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament, we are writing to urge you to resume dialogue toward ending 70 years of war. Ending the most dangerous conflict in the world today will not only usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for Koreans and Americans, but for all those living in the Northeast Asia region.
However, this historic opportunity is presently threatened by rapidly escalating tensions resulting from recent military exercises and weapons testing. These events threaten to revive the acute risk of nuclear war that we faced in 2017.
We urge you to take these three concrete steps immediately:
- End the Korean War and declare a new era of peace. The failure to agree on a peaceful settlement to the war is the root cause of conflict today. Taking military conflict off the table is the single most effective trust-building measure you can take.
- Halt all escalatory military exercises and weapons testing. Contrary to commitments made in Panmunjom and Singapore, US-ROK war drills have resumed, and the DPRK has subsequently engaged in weapons testing. Such measures are destabilizing and directly undermine the necessary conditions for dialogue.
- Resume dialogue toward the demilitarization of the Korean Peninsula and region, and the removal of sanctions, which harm vulnerable citizens and threaten future generations.
Decades of studies have shown that peace agreements are more likely to be signed and succeed when there is meaningful participation by civil society representatives, including women’s groups. With decades of experience working with women in the Koreas and worldwide for peace, we offer our insight and expertise. We urge you to realize the people’s long-held desires for lasting peace on the Korean peninsula and to include women in the peace process.
With hope in peace,
Women Cross DMZ
Nobel Women’s Initiative
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
Korean Women’s Movement for Peace
Download a PDF copy of this letter here.