Happy New Year! I’m thrilled to be writing to you as the new Executive Director of Women Cross DMZ. This year marks a significant milestone for our organization as we celebrate our ten-year anniversary! Since crossing the DMZ in 2015, Women Cross DMZ has built grassroots power for Korea peace, created political will for policy change, and shifted the narrative of the Korean War from “forgotten” to the United States’ oldest “forever war.”
In the past month, we’ve witnessed the consequences of this unresolved conflict: President Yoon Suk Yeol instigated a “failed coup” by abruptly declaring emergency martial law in South Korea, citing “threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and … anti-state elements.”
Millions of South Koreans fought to defend their democracy, overturning martial law in just six hours. Since then, disturbing reports have revealed that Yoon intended to stoke war with North Korea as a pretext for martial law and justification for his authoritarianism. Yoon has also resisted arrest, with his legal team claiming immunity by pointing to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Trump. Meanwhile, right-wing South Korean demonstrators wave U.S. flags and have adopted Trump’s “Stop the Steal” slogan in protesting Yoon’s impeachment.
Not surprisingly, feminist leadership has been vital to countering these authoritarian and right-wing threats. Young women have led the people-powered movement to oust Yoon (who was elected on an antifeminist campaign), adopting as their unofficial anthem the song “Into the New World” by K-pop group Girls’ Generation.
We are reminded once again about the gendered impact of militarism and authoritarianism. Just weeks before all of this unfolded, I traveled to Korea to meet with leading women peace activists to learn firsthand how the unresolved Korean War has impacted women’s lives. Lee Jung Ah, president of Gyeonggi Women’s Association and a longtime peace activist, said that after years of interviewing women in her province bordering the DMZ, including defectors from North Korea, camptown sex workers (“kijichon”), “comfort women,” and landmine survivors, she realized that all women, regardless of their background, are “living in conditions of war.”
This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the division of the Korean Peninsula. Decades of division and war have harmed women, the environment, and the overall state of peace and democracy.
As we enter a second Trump administration in the United States, we face a challenging and uncertain road ahead. Our peace movement must become savvier and more creative in the coming years. Women Cross DMZ will continue building solidarity across movements and borders, as the movement for Korea peace is tied to efforts for gender equity, environmental justice, and peace globally. We will continue to stand together against the authoritarian regimes who would rather see us isolated and bereft.
We need your support! Here are ways you can plug into our work:
As one South Korean protester reminded us, “The country belongs to the people.” While authoritarianism adapts transnationally, we must organize to build more people power, claim our institutions, seed narratives to challenge militarism and war, and develop our analysis with even greater force. Through our resistance, healing, and joy, we can create a more peaceful and hopeful future for Korea and everyone around the globe. I am honored to walk with you all on the path into this new world.
In peace,
Cathi Choi
