What Korea teaches us about U.S. forever wars
January 21, 2026
Posted in: Newsletters
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!
🌐 Women and War: U.S. Militarism and Camptowns in South Korea (Online Webinar)
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.
🏵️ Upcoming Events
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!
📚 Recommended Viewings
From the Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network Education Committee:
- Moon Jae-in renews call for end-of-war declaration, peace treaty on Korean Peninsula details a recent conversation between the former South Korean president and former Japanese prime minister Yuko Hatoyama on geopolitical relationships in East Asia and a possible pathway to peace in Korea.
- All eyes on whether N. Korea’s Kim will meet Trump next year speculates on whether President Trump is planning a trip to China in April and the possibility for a new Trump-Kim summit.
- North Korean leader oversees construction of strategic submarine (Spanish-language) reports on Kim Jong-Un’s appearance in photos with a nuclear-powered submarine currently under construction and the nuclear submarine arms race under way on the Korean Peninsula.
- How Jeju People Live (Korean-language) features Korean peace activist Choi Seong-hee, who has been on Jeju Island for 15 years resisting the ever-increasing militarization of the island.
✌️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
