Dear Friend,
In honor of International Women’s Day, over 100 global women leaders and organizations have called on U.S. leaders to pursue accountability measures and redress for Korean women survivors of the U.S. militarized sex trade. Read the letter in full here.
On Saturday, the South Korean Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong issued a historic apology to these Korean women survivors whose rights were violated in “brothels built around U.S. military bases, marking the South Korean government’s first official apology.” Won said, “We will make every effort necessary to ensure that the history of human rights violations suffered by the victims is not forgotten and that they live the rest of their lives with dignity and fully restore their damaged honor.”
For more on International Women’s Day and the Korean War, read Executive Director Cathi Choi’s op-ed published today in Foreign Policy in Focus, “This International Women’s Day, Let’s Renew the Call to End Wars.” You can also learn more about the gendered impact of the Korean War here with analysis from Suzy Kim, Professor of Korean History at Rutgers University; Na-Young Lee, Professor at Chung-Ang University; and Women Cross DMZ Board Chair Ji-Yeon Yuh of Northwestern University.
Feminist Wins in a World on Fire: Stories of Power from Kenya, Korea and across Latin America | March 9, 2026 (TODAY) at 2pm EST | Virtual Event
Across the globe, feminists are confronting authoritarianism, gender backlash, and violence — and they are winning, even as backlash intensifies. From Kenya to Latin America to Korea, women organizers are changing laws, shifting public understanding, and building power for a more just future. In a world that often feels like it is on fire, join IGLI for an International Women’s Day webinar to hear these stories of hope, courage, and persistence. RSVP here.
Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network Meeting| March 12, 2026 at 5pm PT/8pm PT | Virtual EventWe’re celebrating International Women’s Day and excited to host Women Cross DMZ Board Chair and Professor Ji-Yeon Yuh to discuss the role of women in the Korea peace movement. Immediately after, we’ll have Part 3 of our orientation, including a Q&A session and discussion on current political affairs. RSVP here.
Social Healing through Advocacy: Women’s Leadership in Historical Redress | 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) Parallel Event | March 13, 2026 at 8:30am EST | In-Person Event
WCDMZ will be in New York at the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) hosting a parallel event: “Social Healing through Advocacy: Women’s Leadership in Historical Redress.” Register here.
Unbind Your Heart: Historical Grief Transmutation Ceremony | April 5, 2026 at 2:00-6:00 pm PST | Zucigim Farm, San Gregorio, CA | In-Person Event
WCDMZ is an organizational partner for Unbind Your Heart, a historical grief transmutation ceremony guided by trained healing practitioners with decades of ritual and clinical training. Join this afternoon of communal healing rituals by and for people whose lineages were forged in the violence of U.S. empire. Register here.
Take Action on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) now!
Congress is beginning to draft the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2027; this is the bill that funds the Department of Defense, and by extension the U.S. military, and dictates a large chunk of U.S. defense policy. The 2026 NDAA exacerbated conditions by: (1) Locking the U.S. from returning wartime operational control of South Korea’s military back to the South Korean government for the first time ever; (2) Preventing the reduction of 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea for the first time in 5 years. Members of the House Armed Services Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee are now fielding policy and budget requests from the public before they draft the first version of the bill. Our main goal right now is to push elected officials to adopt policy language that will not block efforts for Korea peace. Our demands include:
We must challenge these harmful, ineffective, and costly policies head-on. We can no longer spend endlessly to flame the fans of forever war in Korea. Urge your representatives to stop military escalation now.
Tell Congress: Stop Trump’s Reckless Plan to Restart Nuclear Weapons Tests
For the first time in decades, a U.S. president is threatening to restart nuclear weapons testing — a dangerous and unnecessary move that would put countless lives, communities, and even our planet at risk. Experts agree that there is no military or technical justification for explosive nuclear weapons testing, but there are potentially devastating consequences if we test again. Congress has the power to stop this — they can block any funding that would allow explosive nuclear weapons testing to resume. This issue is too important to our future for our elected officials to stay silent: let your elected representatives know that we cannot allow Trump to drag us further into a disastrous global arms race.
More than seventy years after the Armistice, the Korean War remains legally unresolved. With the U.S.–China summit expected this April, there is a rare opportunity for the United States to lead a diplomatic breakthrough and move from a ceasefire to lasting peace in Korea. We call on President Trump to take decisive action to formally end the Korean War and help secure lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. Add your name to urge the President to choose peace over perpetual conflict.
From the Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network Education Committee:
✌️Follow Women Cross DMZ and Korea Peace Now! on Instagram! Say hello and check out our accounts!
🛍 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.
In peace,
Women Cross DMZ
Dear Friend,
While so much is challenging in today’s political landscape, we received a hopeful update: a new poll shows that a growing majority in the United States support ending the Korean War, lifting sanctions, and diplomacy over escalation.
Last month, Women Cross DMZ hosted a program on the costs of the ongoing Korean War. Over 300 registrants and 200 attendees worldwide tuned in to learn about Korean women’s decades-long fight for justice and redress for human rights abuses in U.S. military camptowns! Watch the full recording here and read excerpts below:
“I am in awe of the bravery of the amazing women in Korea who are standing up for the truth and pursuing justice to hold the U.S. military accountable for these gender-based crimes. Our country is addicted to war, and we know that war and militarism leads to human rights abuses that disproportionately harm women and girls. I stand with survivors of sexual violence from the United States to Korea, and I am with you in your fight for truth and justice.” – U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)
“As members of the International Women’s Network Against Militarism, we honor and respect our Korean halmoni and demand that they receive their due. We also stand firmly to support all efforts to end militarized prostitution and violence against women in the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Okinawa, Guam, and wherever else it exists.” – Margo Okazawa-Rey, International Women’s Network Against Militarism Founding Member
“By bringing to light these human rights abuses from the darkness of history, you are not only fighting for full justice but also educating other Korean women and the general public about one of the many terrible effects of U.S. militarism and U.S. military bases. We wish you further success in your courageous struggle.” – Susan Schnall, Veterans For Peace National President
“We hope this process will provide ample opportunity to listen to the testimonies of the women who were forced into prostitution by the U.S. military. Unveiling the historical reality of the U.S. military’s actions in the base towns is not only a way to redress the harm suffered by these women, but also a way to expose how the military structurally exploits women and how a powerful nation treats the sovereignty and human rights of another country.” – Ha Ju Hee, human rights attorney (translated from Korean)
“Generations of women are being sacrificed to this war. It is long past time for us to put an end to the War and to the accompanying suffering and violence. Understanding camptowns and the militarized sex trade, and understanding why the survivors of this violent system have turned to the legal system to seek accountability is a crucial component of revealing past and current structures of militarism as we work together to build peace.” – Ji-Yeon Yuh, WCDMZ Board Chair and race, gender, and diaspora scholar
Community members also shared heartfelt reflections on the impact of our gathering:
“WCDMZ’s webinar was equal parts inspiring and harrowing: inspiring in its calls to action, and harrowing in its unapologetic indictment of the decades of sexual violence and human rights abuses committed by the U.S. against Korean women. Nothing will ever be enough to truly rectify the trauma endured by these women. But listening to and honoring their demands is the least the U.S. owes, and a necessary step toward accountability and justice. I call on all those in the diaspora to stand in solidarity with survivors and aid in their ongoing reclamation of their stories, dignity, and healing.” – Michelle Mijung Kim, writer and producer
“As a veteran who was stationed in Korea during the time these human rights violations were occurring, I was aware of some of the ‘bar’ culture and STD monitoring done in the military base camptowns. WCDMZ’s webinar further opened my eyes to the extent of the oppression and racism evident in these practices, and this knowledge was so important to hear as someone based in the United States. I hope that fellow veterans and all people in the United States join me in committing to support their fight to secure proper justice and reparations.” – Ellen Barfield, Veterans For Peace
Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network Monthly Meeting | February 12, 2026 at 5pm PT / 8pm ET | Virtual Event
In moments of uncertainty, having a neighbor who knows how to help can make all the difference. Youngwoon Han, Organizing Director at NAKASEC (National Korean American Service & Education Consortium) will join Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network to share a Immigration Enforcement Bystander Training to help us look out for one another with confidence and care. You’ll learn how to identify enforcement activity in our neighborhoods and discover gentle, effective ways to stand in solidarity. It’s a chance for us to learn how to be a steady presence for our neighbors, ensuring that in our community, no one has to stand alone. RSVP here.
Partition and Solidarity Symposium at the University of Washington | March 6, 2026 | In-Person Event
WCDMZ Executive Director Cathi Choi will speak on “Women’s Rights Under Division: Challenging U.S. Forever War and Militarism in Korea” at the Partition and Solidarity Symposium at the University of Washington. Register here.
70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) Parallel Event | March 13, 2026 at 8:30am EST | In-Person Event
WCDMZ will be in New York at the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) hosting a parallel event: “Social Healing through Advocacy: Women’s Leadership in Historical Redress.” Register here.
From the Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network Education Committee:
Congratulations to WCDMZ Advisory Council Member Elizabeth Son! Elizabeth’s article, “Stitching Korea Back Together”: Jogakbo Aesthetics of Care in Peace Advocacy,” was recognized at the Peace History Society’s 2025 biennial conference awards ceremony. “Stitching Korea Back Together” examines Women Cross DMZ’s Korean diasporic and women-led peace advocacy work on ending the Korean War and our historic 2015 crossing of the DMZ, focusing on WCDMZ’s use of the jogakbo, a traditional Korean patchwork-style cloth, and how such objects embody “technologies of care” through which people and collectives practice peace-building and care for one another. The article will be open access for 30 days here.
✌️Follow Women Cross DMZ and Korea Peace Now! on Instagram! Say hello and check out our accounts!
🛍 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.
In peace,
Women Cross DMZ & Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network
Like many of you, we are deeply outraged by the Trump administration’s actions in Venezuela, threats to strike Iran, and continued campaigns of state violence, including by ICE, across the U.S. It’s clear: U.S. militarism and forever wars are destroying lives, tearing apart families, and threatening the safety of communities at home and abroad.
We must understand that these recent events are part of an ongoing cycle of U.S. wars, militarism, and war profiteering. The Korean War, as the United States’ longest-running overseas conflict, set the precedent for much of what we see today. In 1950, President Truman bypassed Congress to begin what he called a “police action” in Korea, marking the first time a U.S. president authorized large-scale overseas combat without congressional approval. Over 70 years later, President Trump bypassed Congress to carry out what he called a “law enforcement operation” in Venezuela.
During the three years of active fighting in Korea, over 4 million Koreans died – over half civilians – and the U.S. quadrupled its military spending, inaugurating the modern-day military industrial complex. Today, the United States has a near $1 trillion military budget and nearly 800 military bases worldwide. Last July, President Trump’s budget bill tripled ICE’s budget, making it the 13th largest army in the world.
We must challenge the root causes of U.S. militarism and warmaking in Korea and across the globe!
Monday, January 26, 2026 at 8:30pm EST | Online Webinar | Register here
Join us for our first program of 2026! Studies have long shown that in war and militarism, women are disproportionately harmed and sustain severe human rights abuses. For decades in South Korea, military camptowns surrounding bases have been the site of harm and human rights abuses against Korean women.
We will hear from South Korean organizer Ko Mira, director of Sae-oom-teo, and human rights lawyer Ha Ju Hee, in a conversation moderated by Professor Ji-Yeon Yuh on the disproportionate impact and harm sustained by women in Korea as a result of U.S. militarism. U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and Veterans For Peace National President Susan Schnall will provide remarks. English and Korean translation will be provided.
Partition and Solidarity Symposium at the University of Washington | March 6, 2026 | In-Person Event
WCDMZ Executive Director Cathi Choi will speak on “Women’s Rights Under Division: Challenging U.S. Forever War and Militarism in Korea” at the Partition and Solidarity Symposium at the University of Washington on March 6, 2026. Time and location TBA.
70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) Parallel Event | March 13, 2026 at 8:30am EST | In-Person Event
WCDMZ will be in New York at the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) hosting a parallel event: “Social Healing through Advocacy: Women’s Leadership in Historical Redress.” Speakers and details to follow. Stay tuned!
From the Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network Education Committee:
✌️Follow Women Cross DMZ and Korea Peace Now! on Instagram! Say hello and check out our accounts!
🛍 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.
In peace,
Cathi Choi
Dear Friend,
The political landscape has drastically transformed this year and posed new challenges. However, thanks to your generous support, we made powerful strides towards peace, healing, and uplifting women’s leadership.
Whatever 2026 brings, Women Cross DMZ is ready to meet the moment. But we cannot do this work without the support of our generous donors. You have a few more days to make a tax-deductible contribution in 2025 to ensure this work continues!
Our plans for 2026 include:
70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) Parallel Event | In-Person Event | March 13, 2026 at 8:30am EST
WCDMZ will be in New York at the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) hosting a parallel event: “Social Healing through Advocacy: Women’s Leadership in Historical Redress.” Speakers and details to follow. Stay tuned!
Women and War: History of US Militarism and Camptowns in South Korea | Online Webinar | January 26, 2026 at 8:00pm EST
WCDMZ will host a webinar on the history of U.S. militarism and camptowns in Korea, and the impact on Korean women, with leading scholars, organizers, and legal experts. English and Korean translation will be provided. Register here.
Our work depends on our community’s support. Please help sustain our movement and make your tax-deductible donation here! If you cannot donate, please share this with someone in your life who can.
And in case you missed it, here’s our 2025 Year in Review.In peace,
Women Cross DMZ
Thank you for supporting Women Cross DMZ this year! Because of all our generous supporters, we powered through another year of advocacy, education, and organizing for Korea peace. Watch our 2025 Year in Review!
Women Cross DMZ depends on our community’s support. To ensure this work can continue for another year, please help sustain our movement and donate generously! Make your tax-deductible donation here before the end of the year. And if you cannot donate, please share this with someone in your life who can.
Read more about our year’s work in our 2024-2025 Annual Report. Here’s a recap of all we accomplished:
🪢 10-Year Anniversary Solidarity Trek to Korea: On the tenth anniversary of our historic 2015 crossing of the DMZ, we organized a solidarity trek to Korea with a delegation of U.S.-based feminist peacebuilders to meet with fellow peace and civic society activists, build transnational solidarity, and amplify our calls to end the Korean War. Watch clips here.
🪢 Advocacy: We successfully organized around the reintroduction of H.R.1841, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act for the 119th Congress. Our tenth annual Korea Peace Advocacy Week mobilized over 150 constituents from 29 states, with first-time advocates joining veteran Korea peace activists to educate Congressional representatives on the urgency of signing a peace agreement to end the Korean War.
🪢 Narrative Change and Grassroots Power: We reached over 28,000 readers and 300,000 views across our newsletter and social media platforms and organized dozens of in-person and virtual actions across the country. Our movement grows every day, from Las Vegas, the Pacific Northwest, Honolulu, LA, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. to Guåhan! We are multigenerational Korean Americans, faith leaders, anti-war activists, veterans, community organizers, and more.
🪢 Education: Our programming this year covered critical and emerging issues including thwarting martial law and the South Korean democracy movement, the first summit between Lee Jae Myung and Donald Trump, and feminist lessons on resisting authoritarianism and U.S. militarism. We also published Women’s Rights Under the Division System in Korea, a groundbreaking report that sheds light on the historical and ongoing consequences of a divided Korea on women, and an accompanying multimedia zine.
The year ahead will bring new opportunities and challenges. Whatever arises, we are ready to spring into action, mobilize with our communities, and advocate for peace. See you in 2026 — our fight continues!
70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) Parallel Event | March 13, 2026 at 8:30am EST
On March 13, 2026, WCDMZ will be in New York at the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) hosting a parallel event: “Social Healing through Advocacy: Women’s Leadership in Historical Redress.” Speakers and details to follow. Stay tuned!
We honor the life and legacy of Cora Weiss. Read WCDMZ Founder Christine Ahn’s tribute to her here.
In peace,
Women Cross DMZ
Dear Friend,
Join us next Thursday, October 30 at 11am PT/2pm ET for “Remembering Asian America: Unearthing Hidden Histories to Build Solidarity & Diasporic Power,” a virtual panel hosted by Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) Los Angeles.
WCDMZ Executive Director Cathi Choi will be joined by AAPI Women Lead’s Executive Director Dr. Connie Wun and UMD Asian American Studies Director Dr. Janelle Wong for a cross-regional dialogue on the importance of remembering the origins of Asian America and how communities are recontextualizing those histories to build power in solidarity. RSVP here.
On October 9, the Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network hosted a teach-in on the recent landmark lawsuit filed by a group of 117 South Korean women against the U.S. military for sex trafficking, sexual abuse, and human rights violations. The lawsuit intends to hold the U.S. military accountable for its role in managing networks of prostitution around bases in South Korea. Lawsuit organizers highlight human rights abuses against Korean women at bars and brothels catering to U.S. military personnel and at detention centers where women would be forcibly treated for sexually transmitted diseases with penicillin administration in harmful and deadly amounts. Read more here.
Stay tuned for a future webinar featuring lawsuit organizers, civil society advocates, and more. In the meantime, please share the following with your networks: Call for Veteran Outreach: Korean Women File Landmark Suit Over Sex Trafficking and Human Rights Violations Against the U.S. Military
Women’s Rights Under the Division System Report: Multi-Media Zine
Women Cross DMZ partnered with Tiny Tech Zines to create a multi-media zine version of our Women’s Rights Under the Division System report (March 2025), which sheds light on the overlooked impacts of Korea’s division and the militarization of the peninsula on women. This zine focuses on the experiences of the women central to the report, highlighting the women’s testimony with archival media and ephemera.
Challenging Militarism: Feminist Lessons from Korea
WCDMZ Executive Director Cathi Choi writes on how U.S. militarism impacts women everywhere and what we can learn from those challenging the violence of military occupation, authoritarianism, and state repression. “Korean women have offered examples of challenging militarism, confronting patriarchy, and building transnational solidarity,” Cathi writes. “Feminists all across the globe can follow suit. We must build stronger transnational coalitions to end forever wars; increase public awareness of militarism’s impact on our lives; and redefine security through the lens of safety, dignity, and well-being.”
Last Saturday, Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network members joined No Kings protests across the country, from Seattle, Washington, to Delaware. Members in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, rallied with Representative Sarah McBride (Delaware-at-large) (bottom left) and Delaware Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (top right).
Warmly,
Women Cross DMZ
Dear Friend,
Today, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and U.S. President Donald Trump hold their first summit in Washington DC.
Join us for a webinar debriefing the Lee-Trump summit on Sept. 2, 2025 at 8:00pm EST (Sept. 3, 2025 at 9:00am KST). Register here. 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).
In his August 15 Liberation Day address, President Lee Jae-myung vowed to ease tensions and restore diplomacy with North Korea. However, Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, rebuffed Lee’s statements stating that South Korea “cannot be a diplomatic partner” of North Korea.
Lee’s administration has also proposed transferring wartime operational control of its troops from the U.S. to South Korea by 2030. But in July, the U.S. Senate passed a bill barring spending on the transfer of wartime operational control and the reduction of U.S. troops in South Korea below 28,500. As Congress returns from August recess, the House will consider these issues in voting on the National Defense Authorization Act.
These coming weeks represent a critical time. Join our webinar to learn more!
Grassroots Advocacy
Earlier this month, we gained three first-time co-sponsors on Korea Peace legislation: Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA-21); Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI-2); and Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY-9). We celebrate the constituents who have persistently advocated to these representatives over the years. Take action for Korea peace today!
How Global U.S. Militarism Impacts Americans: Korea, War, and U.S. Domestic Policies, Chicago
In August, Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network Midwest members organized “How Global U.S. Militarism Impacts Americans: Korea, War, and U.S. Domestic Policies,” a panel discussion on the current state of the global war economy and Korea’s role in U.S. militarism. Echo presented lessons from our 10-Year Anniversary Korea Solidarity Trek, and WCDMZ Board Chair Ji-Yeon Yuh discussed ballooning war spending globally and consequences for the economy, social services, immigrants, health care, and education. Thank you to the HANA Center for providing their venue, and to KPNGN members KC Yoon, Echo, Ji-Yeon Yuh, Jeeyeon Lee, Inhe Choi, Alison Choi, and Nahmi Jones for putting this event together!
People’s Summit for Korea, New York City
In July, we convened with over 50 organizations, hundreds of community members, grassroots organizers, students, artists, scholars, and allies! Thank you to everyone who attended the “Policy and People Power: The Role of Advocacy in the Korean Liberation Movement” workshop. WCDMZ Executive Director Cathi Choi and KPNGN Advocacy Committee Leader Hayden Smith spoke alongside Iman Abid from US Campaign for Palestinian Rights and Arash Azizzada from Afghans for a Better Tomorrow in a conversation moderated by Yunmi C. from Nodutdol.
WCDMZ’s 10-Year Anniversary Korea Solidarity Trek Report Back, New York City
In July, we co-hosted a report back of WCDMZ’s 10-Year Anniversary Korea Solidarity Trek with Arash Azizzada from Afghans for a Better Tomorrow. Thank you to Jungwon Kim, Asen James, and Deep Dive BK for hosting us! We shared about our visits to the DMZ, Civilian Control Zone, Yongjugol, Pyeongtaek, Dongducheon, Gangjeong, and 4.3 Peace Park in Jeju Island. Read more about our trek 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.
✌️Follow Women Cross DMZ and Korea Peace Now! on Bluseky! Say hello and check out our accounts!
🛍 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,
Women Cross DMZ
Today marks the 72nd anniversary of the armistice that suspended—but did not permanently end—the Korean War. The ongoing war and division are the root cause of heightening tensions, extreme militarization, and deprivation of women’s human rights on the Korean peninsula. On this day, we reaffirm our commitment to ending the war with a peace agreement, reuniting families, and uplifting women’s leadership in peacebuilding.
In May, WCDMZ brought a delegation of anti-war activists on a 10-Year Anniversary Korea Trek to build transnational solidarity and amplify calls to end the Korean War. At the Civilian Control Zone, delegates restaged “Movement Towards” (2018) by Yong Soon Min, a revered Korean American artist whose lifelong work exposed the lasting reverberations of the ongoing Korean War and Korea’s division. Watch our restaging below.
Yong Soon Min first exhibited “Movement Towards” at the DMZ Museum in 2018 at a historic time for inter-Korean relations. But as WCDMZ Board Chair Ji-Yeon Yuh explains in a recent op-ed, prospects for diplomacy and engagement took a sharp downturn after Trump walked out of the 2019 Hanoi summit. Yong Soon Min wrote of her piece, “[W]hile suggesting the complete yin/yang circle, the line itself curving this and that way suggests that life can be dynamic yet mercurial and unpredictable, waiting perhaps if not for reunification, then at least peace.”
This year marks 80 years of Korea’s division and 75 years of the Korean War. As the political landscape continues to transform, WCDMZ and peace activists renew our call for lasting peace. Take action for Korea peace today.
Fairfax, VA Korea Trek Report Back: On June 15, Women Cross DMZ Director of Activism and Special Campaigns and Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network Organizer Echo spoke at the monthly Open Gathering meeting hosted by the Korean American community in Fairfax, VA. Echo discussed Women Cross DMZ’s 10-Year Anniversary Solidarity Trek to Korea, reflecting on learning, marching, and protesting together with fellow anti-war activists from the U.S. and South Korea. Read more about our trip here.
Conference of Asian Pacific American Law Faculty & Western Law Teachers of Color at William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa: On June 28, Women Cross DMZ Executive Director Cathi Choi presented at the conference, “Transformative Justice in a World on Fire” at the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with co-panelists Miyoko Pettit-Toledo (Professor, William S. Richardson School of Law) and Elizabeth “Kalei” Akau (William S. Richardson School of Law Graduate). Panelists discussed the Jeju 4.3 tragedy and U.S. reparative justice responsibility; Korea Peace Now’s Intergenerational Learning and Healing Series; and how activists are combatting right-wing forces seeking to undermine democracy and peace.
🗓️ Upcoming Events
There will be no Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network monthly meeting this August due to a short summer break. KPNGN will resume with its regularly scheduled meeting the second Thursday every month on September 11 at 5pm PT // 8 pm ET! Please mark your calendars! Registration link to follow.
July 29, 2025 | Women Cross DMZ 10-Year Anniversary Korea Trek NYC Report Back
Women Cross DMZ Executive Director Cathi Choi and Afghans for a Better Tomorrow Co-Director Arash Azizzada will be in New York on Tuesday, July 29, 2025 to give an in-person report back on our 10-Year Anniversary Solidarity Trek to Korea! Join us this Tuesday at 6pm at Deep Dive (246 Patchen, Brooklyn). RSVP here.
August 10, 2025 | How Global U.S. Militarism Impacts Americans: Korea, War, and U.S. Domestic Policies
Join Korea Peace Now! Midwest Region at the HANA Center in Chicago (4300 N. California Ave) on Sunday, August 10 at 5pm for a special discussion and networking event on the war, the economy, and its effects on communities and families. This event is free to the public and in-person only. Please RSVP here.
Two speakers from Women Cross DMZ will offer insights on the connections between US militarism, the war economy, and continuing assaults on the well-being of our communities and families:
KPNGN Midwest thanks event co-sponsors WCDMZ, HANA Center, and KAN-WIN for their support.
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.
Urge your Representatives to Support the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act
We have two new Korea Peace champions! Thank you to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) for co-sponsoring H.R.1841, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act. It’s long past time to end the longest-running U.S. conflict, the Korean War. Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network members and constituents met with Rep. Sewell’s office in 2024 and with Rep. Waters’ office this year to advocate support for the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act (PKPA), which calls for serious, urgent diplomacy in pursuit of a binding peace agreement to formally end the Korean War, and other peace-focused policies.
The PKPA currently has 40 total co-sponsors! Is your Representative a Korea Peace Champion? Contact your member of Congress now to urge them to support peace in Korea here.
✌️Follow Women Cross DMZ and Korea Peace Now! on Bluseky! 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,
Women Cross DMZ
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:
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 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.
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!
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,
Ten years ago today, a delegation of 30 women peace activists made a historic crossing of the Korean Demilitarized Zone to call for an official end to the Korean War, the reunion of separated families, and women’s leadership in peace-building. This bold act marked the founding of Women Cross DMZ — and the inauguration of a new era for women’s leadership for Korea peace.
Today, on International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament, we commemorated the ten-year anniversary of the DMZ crossing and renewed our calls for peace by joining South Korean women activists for a peace walk outside the U.S. Camp Humphreys military base in Pyeongtaek, Korea.
Our international delegation included diasporic peace leaders, including Afghan American, Indigenous, Korean American, and South Asian feminists based in the United States. Our transnational act of solidarity comes at a time when democracy is under attack in the United States, South Korea is on the cusp of electing a new president, and growing tensions between the U.S. and China raise the risk of war in Northeast Asia.
As we enter a new political climate of rising authoritarianism that threatens peace, stability, and democracy around the world, feminist leadership and solidarity are more important than ever.
Here’s how WCDMZ is fighting back:
But in order to continue our legacy, we need your 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.
Here are three more ways to support our feminist movement:
Here’s what some of the 2015 WCDMZ delegates have to say about the impact of the crossing on their work and why you should support Women Cross DMZ today!
Women Cross DMZ Founder Christine Ahn: “When we crossed the DMZ in 2015, I could have never imagined the incredible journey that would follow. I’m so proud of the powerful, diverse, and multigenerational feminist peace movement we’ve built over the last decade that now has the capacity and vision to realize a Korean Peninsula without war. At a time of so much geopolitical strife and uncertainty, we need Women Cross DMZ’s leadership more than ever. Please lend your support today!”
Feminist Activist Gloria Steineim: “From Korea to Liberia, women have often been the force most likely to defy current divisions, and come together in a new hope for peace. North and South Korea are one of those crucial places. I’m honored to have been part of a group of women to cross the militarized boundary in 2015, and I am honored to be a continuing part of this unifying and peaceful effort. This was the most well-organized and biggest adventure of my life.”
Nobel Laureate and Peace Activist Leymah Gbowee: “As a leader in the women’s peace movement in my home country of Liberia, I know firsthand how critical women’s leadership is in building peace. The crossing with Women Cross DMZ forever changed how I view Korea and the tragic 85-year division. For the past decade, Women Cross DMZ has brought new champions to Korea peace. They need our strong community support — now.”
Nobel Laureate and Peace Activist Mairead Maguire: “From Ireland to Korea, women have long led bold actions to forever shift political landscapes towards peace. Women Cross DMZ’s daring crossing showed what was possible when women peace leaders meet with each other across borders. We need their continued transnational feminist leadership to challenge state governments, facilitate people-to-people engagement, and ensure women’s leadership in the Korea peace process.”Abigail Disney: “If my last name represents mainstream America around the world, especially in a place like North Korea, then I was so grateful to have been there in Pyongyang listening to North Korean women. Women Cross DMZ created that opportunity for my listening, which is the first step towards healing and reconciliation. Please support them today.”
Again, thank you for your support. Together, we can realize peace in Korea in our lifetime!
In peace,
Cathi Choi