Posted in: Newsletters
Dear friend,
Good news: The deadline to register for Korea Peace Advocacy Week has been extended to Monday, May 15!
During Korea Peace Advocacy Week, which will be held June 5-9, 2023, hundreds of people around the country meet with their members of Congress to advocate for legislation supporting peace in Korea.
Many members of our Korea peace movement say the experience of participating in Korea Peace Advocacy Week is extremely meaningful and cathartic for them:
When Korea was severed in two, so was my grandmother’s heart. Her parents, brothers, sister-in-laws, nephews, nieces, and so many of her beloveds were in northern Korea in Hwanghaedo province when our country was cast as lots and divided. The severance of land and political systems meant ripping and keeping apart families. Even into her 90s, my grandmother wept like a little girl when she would talk about her parents. I participate in advocacy week not just for my grandmother, but for the many halmonies and harabujies who long for stability within our severed countries, so that they could visit each other more. We hope actively for peace.
— Sulkiro Song (she/they), Suffolk, VA
Last year a friend of mine had invited me to participate in the Korea Peace Advocacy Week. The months following this invitation I had a chance to finally read some critical Korean history and having recently watched Memory of Forgotten War by Deann Borshay Liem, I felt I had to do something to externalize the sort of emotions that go into exploring this history that is so deeply tied to our being. I remember having written a short speech to make sure I would not forget everything I wanted to say to my representative, but upon entering the zoom and given the space to speak, I could feel my voice being held back, choked, and tears rolling down my face. Looking back, I think what I had forgotten and had to rediscover (about our shared history) was never actually forgotten, at least by my body. While I didn’t know what to think of this at the moment, I was excited to hear that our representative decided to sign the bill weeks later. I think what has inspired me and continues to inspire me to join KPN is the opportunity to explore the depth of our being together and that reclaiming our history will mean to work toward reclaiming the possibilities for peace in the Korean Peninsula.
— Tony Cho, student at UC San Diego
As you likely already know, July 27, 2023 will mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that halted but did not officially end the Korean War. We must use this moment to remind Congress about the human costs of this unresolved war and the urgent need to end it.
Participation will involve an optional training session and two to three 30-minute meetings with your Congressional offices during the week of June 5. All meetings will be held via Zoom.
Korea Peace Advocacy Week is organized by American Friends Service Committee, Mennonite Central Committee, and Women Cross DMZ. Register here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday, May 11, 5pm PT/8pm ET: Environmental Justice and Militarized Spaces. Join the Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network to learn about the massive and detrimental environmental impacts of US military bases in South Korea. Presented by KPNGN member Tony Cho in collaboration with Dr. Juneseo Hwang. | REGISTER
Saturday, May 13, 5:30pm PT: Crossings screening at CAAMFest 2023: Documentary about the 2015 crossing of the DMZ by 30 women peace activists. Filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem, Women Cross DMZ Executive Director Christine Ahn, and Producer Sarah S. Kim will be in attendance and participate in a post-screening Q&A. Great Star Theater, 636 Jackson St., San Francisco, CA | BUY TICKETS (use discount code RB784 for $2 off)
June 5-9: Korea Peace Advocacy Week: Every year, Korea Peace Advocacy Week brings together hundreds of people around the country to participate in meetings with their members of Congress to advocate for legislation supporting peace in Korea. Meetings held via Zoom | REGISTER
July 26-28: Korea Peace Action: National Mobilization to End the Korean War: For the 70th anniversary of the armistice, peace advocates from around the country will converge in Washington, D.C., to call on President Biden and Congress to officially end the Korean War and replace the armistice with a peace agreement. | REGISTER
RECENT MEDIA
How Koreans Feel About Japan [Christine Ahn’s letter to the editor published in The New York Times, April 19, 2023]
It’s High Time the US Signed a Peace Treaty with North Korea [Pressenza, 04/22/2023]
“Provocative & Dangerous”: Biden to Send Nuclear-Armed Subs to South Korea as Activists Demand Peace [Christine Ahn interviewed on Democracy Now, 4/28/23]
Nuclear Domination Isn’t the Answer to South Korea’s Insecurity [Colleen Moore’s op-ed in Inkstick Media, 5/2/23]
Colleen Moore on KPFA’s Flashpoints, 5/4/23 [starts at 25:56]