No democracy can thrive under militarism

June 11, 2025

Dear Friend,

Like many of you, we are alarmed by the escalation of militarized crackdowns against protestors in Los Angeles and across the U.S. this week. The Trump Administration’s decision to deploy the National Guard and the Marines to Los Angeles reminds us: No democracy can thrive under toxic patriarchy and militarism.

Korean feminists understood this when they led calls to impeach Yoon Suk-yeol after his surprise martial law declaration last December. Last week, South Koreans successfully held a snap presidential election, marking a hopeful new dawn. The new president Lee Jae-myung has pushed for a different approach to North Korea, calling for diplomacy and peace.

But, as I argue in a recent op-ed, the election revealed South Korea’s ongoing stark gender divide. This is why, in the week leading up to the presidential election, and on the 10-year anniversary of Women Cross DMZ’s founding crossing, we brought a delegation of feminist leaders to Korea to meet with leading peace activists and organizers.

Our resistance to militarism resonates: On the trip, we engaged hundreds of people in person, and our daily reels on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube racked up over 60,000 views online!

In addition to our historic peace march in Pyeongtaek, we:

Met with progressive South Korean National Assembly members in Seoul to discuss democracy and women’s peacebuilding in Korea, and the U.S. travel ban on North Korea;
Spoke with organizers at Pyeongtaek Peace Center about the legacy of villagers and farmers impacted by the expansion of the largest overseas U.S. military base, Camp Humphreys;
Visited organizers staging an encampment at Dongducheon’s “Monkey House” to prevent the destruction of this historic site, where the U.S. military and South Korean government forcibly detained and subjected thousands of Korean women to STD treatment in the 1960s and ‘70s;
Participated in a memorial at Jeju Island’s 4.3 Peace Park, recognizing the mass killings of over 30,000 Jeju civilians by U.S.-backed Korean forces in 1948-49;
Met with organizers resisting the South Korean naval base in Jeju Island’s Gangjeong Village due to its human and environmental impacts;
Joined BDS Korea at the “42nd Urgent Action by Korean Civil Society Condemning Israel’s Genocide in Gaza”; and
Met with organizers from Scarlet Cha Cha and Birch Tree Association in Yongjugol fighting for the basic social rights and livelihoods of sex workers resisting eviction, criminalization, and marginalization.

We saw glimmers of hope for what our future can look like. At every site, we learned how everyday people — especially women — are working to end the Korean War and reverse decades of harmful militarism. We met with leading organizers and communities caring for each other, investing in each others’ health, education, and well being. Our international delegation drew connections to their own struggles against U.S. militarism and forever wars in their respective homelands, from Afghanistan to Turtle Island.

We know that militarism and policing are not our only options; we deserve more from life.

✌️ Join Us

Join our monthly KPNGN meeting for analysis on South Korea’s presidential election with Daehan Song from the International Strategy Center. Afterwards, we’ll conclude the final chapter in our New Member Orientation series led by the Membership Committee! Thursday, June 12, 5pm PT/8pm ET. RSVP at bit.ly/junekpn.

🔔 Take Action

Do your part to end the Korean War! Our tenth annual Advocacy Week is now underway and we have already gained a new congressional co-sponsor, Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV)! While it’s too late to register, you can still contact your member of Congress to ask them to support H.R.1841, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act. Please take action today!

📚 For Further Learning

Under a New South Korean President, Can Peace Activists Push US Troops Out? WCDMZ Founder Christine Ahn’s latest op-ed in Truthout.
Global Trade at Gunpoint: WCDMZ Executive Director Cathi Choi is quoted on Trump’s tariff policy in In These Times.
It’s time for the US to end the Korean War: Cathi Choi and Dae-Han Song on this podcast with No Cold War.
Gaza Flotilla Sailboat with 12 Onboard Will Reach the “Danger Zone” and The Next 48-140 Hours Are Critical for the Movement to End the Gaza Genocide by WCDMZ Board member Ann Wright, just before the aid vessel and the activists aboard were illegally seized.

📖 KPNGN Education Committee Recommends

A Pivotal Moment for U.S. Foreign Policy: Why South Korea’s Democratic Uprising Demands a Rethink on the rise of far-right forces in East Asia and the opportunity the U.S. has to change its foreign policy in South Korea.
Brain Rot in the Blue House sheds light on the disturbing rise of far-right YouTube influencers in South Korea who continue to command a huge following and influence public opinion, even after Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment.

🌷Support

Sign up to become a monthly donor or make a single gift of $10, $100, or $1,000 to celebrate our 10-year anniversary — and ensure that our important work continues for another ten years. Did you know that leaving as little as 1 percent in your will would make a huge difference for our organization? If you are interested, please get in touch by emailing info@womencrossdmz.org.

In peace,

Cathi Choi