August 31, 2026
Dear Members of Congress,
We write to urge you to speak out in support of diplomacy aimed at de-escalation on the Korean Peninsula, including in support of South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung’s efforts to reopen dialogue with North Korea and advance a lasting peace. After more than 70 years without a formal end to the Korean War, the United States has an obligation to pursue every reasonable opportunity to reduce the threat of conflict, improve the lives of people on both sides of the DMZ, and move toward a durable resolution of this longstanding conflict.
On Sunday, August 16, President Trump announced on social media that he would “substantially reduce” joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea. In response to President Trump’s announcement, the South Korean presidential office stated that it “hopes that the friendly relationship between the leaders of the United States and North Korea will lead to meaningful US-North Korea dialogue and the start of discussions aimed at advancing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.” That statement came only days after President Lee announced his desire to “end hostilities” and laid out a policy of “peaceful coexistence” with North Korea. North Korea’s leadership dismissed the reduction of exercises on the basis that US policy remains “hostile,” though noted that the relationship between Trump and Kim “remains excellent.”
We have serious concerns about the timing and manner in which this decision was announced, and serious doubts regarding President Trump’s motivations. This moment may nonetheless represent a rare opening for long-overdue diplomatic progress, as scaling back joint exercises has long been seen as a potential confidence building step for diplomacy. We must take seriously the elected South Korean government’s judgment that this moment should be used to advance dialogue rather than renewed escalation, and Congress should support our ally’s efforts and encourage the administration to work closely with South Korea to pursue renewed engagement.
This is a crucial window and we urge Congress to help take advantage of this opportunity for diplomatic progress. North Korea has become increasingly skeptical of engagement with both Washington and Seoul in recent years, but there is still a small opening: Kim said in a September 2025 speech that North Korea would sit down with the US if Washington sets aside denuclearization as the condition for talks and accepts peaceful coexistence. If the current opening is lost, there is no guarantee that an equally favorable opportunity will be available to a future US administration. Future governments could instead inherit a more heavily armed North Korea, even deeper North Korean ties with Russia and China, and an even greater loss of confidence in the possibility of negotiations.
Congress should learn from the failures of the first Trump-Kim diplomatic process. Those efforts did not ultimately produce a durable nuclear or peace agreement, and former National Security Adviser John Bolton later acknowledged his relentless efforts to derail that diplomatic process and encourage President Trump to walk away from negotiations, including by demanding full denuclearization that no credible expert believed was achievable. This sabotage of diplomacy from within the White House illustrates the importance of Congress independently backing engagement and holding Trump and hawkish officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio to account.
More than 70 years after the Korean War began, it is past time to convert the armistice and frozen conflict into real peace that benefits Koreans and Americans alike. We urge Congress to seize this moment and push Trump towards meaningful diplomacy, including taking the following steps:
Thank you for any efforts you may take to end America’s oldest war.
Current Signatories:
Action Corps
Alliance of Baptists
American Friends Service Committee
Brooklyn For Peace
Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security
Coalition for Peace Action
Center for International Policy Advocacy
Coalition of Koreans in America
Dandelion Book Club
Demand Progress
Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution
Friends Committee on National Legislation
GA Peace Forum
Just Foreign Policy
Inclusive Global Leadership Initiative
International Strategy Center
Korean American Citizens for Democracy
Korean American National Coordinating Council
Korean American Peace Fund
Korean American Public Action Committee
Korea Policy Institute
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Massachusetts Peace Action
Mennonite Central Committee U.S.
Minnesota Peace Project
National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies
NH Peace Action
New Hampshire Veterans For Peace
The New York Catholic Worker
Pax Christi New York State
Pax Christi USA
Peace Action
Peace Action of Michigan
Peace Action New York State
Peace Catalyst International
Presbyterian Peace Network for Korea
Re’Generation Movement
RootsAction
Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
Seattle Evergreen Coalition
The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
United Church of Christ
Veterans For Peace’s Korea Peace Campaign
Washington Butterfly for Hope
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
Win Without War
Women Cross DMZ
World BEYOND War