What we accomplished in 2023

Dear Friend,

As 2023 comes to a close, we’re reflecting on everything we’ve been able to accomplish this year toward our goal of realizing lasting peace in Korea and a world without war, thanks in large part to your continued support and commitment. We know there are many important causes to support, but we hope you will consider making a tax-deductible donation to Women Cross DMZ before the end of the year, which will help us plan for 2024.

Here’s a roundup of some of our accomplishments this past year:

✅ In July, we organized Korea Peace Action, a historic national gathering of hundreds of Korea peace supporters in Washington, DC, on the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice. 

✅ We’re changing the narrative on the Korean War through Crossings, the documentary film by Deann Borshay Liem about our feminist movement for peace, which was broadcast nationally on PBS and, to date, has been screened over 75 times to thousands of people around the world. Crossings is now available to educational institutions and community organizations on Collective Eye Films.

✅ With our partners the American Friends Service Committee and Mennonite Central Committee, we organized Korea Peace Advocacy Week in June. We met with 82 offices in 19 states to advocate for H.R.1369, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act. We now have 35 Korea Peace Champions in Congress! 

✅ Throughout the year we continued our public and internal political education, hosting webinars on environmental justice and militarized spaces in Korea with Tony Cho and Juneseo Hwang; cultural organizing across borders with filmmaker Yoon Ra; busting harmful myths about the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act; and the history of the Korean American peace movement and looking forward to 2024.

✅ We are building and strengthening our grassroots network, especially among younger generations, who are taking leadership positions in our local chapters, tabling at events, participating in protests, and raising their voices for peace.

✅ We sent a letter to the State Department urging them to lift the ban on U.S. citizens traveling to North Korea, after which the State Department made revisions to their policies to allow family reunions.

✅ In November we hosted a joint advocacy training with our partner organizations to call our congressional representatives to urge them to support the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act (H.R. 1369) and the Ceasefire Resolution (H. Res. 786).

✅ On December 11, Women Cross DMZ Board Member Ann Wright spoke to the UN Security Council on weapons in conflict areas. While the topic was on Ukraine, she also made comments about Gaza and criticized the United States for vetoing the Ceasefire resolution and supplying weapons to Ukraine and Israel. “Fueling the conflicts with these enormous amounts of weapons that profit politicians and corporations inside and outside the conflicted countries must end,” she said.

✅ And we just published an op-ed in Foreign Policy in Focus on how a peace-first approach — not more sanctions and military pressure — can help improve human rights in North Korea.

In order to continue our vital work for peace in Korea, please consider making a tax-deductible donation by the end of the year.

Thank you again for your continued support. We hope you have a happy holiday and best wishes for the New Year!

Christine Ahn and everyone at Women Cross DMZ