Spring Momentum for Korea Peace | April Newsletter
April 2, 2026
Posted in: Newsletters
Dear Friend,
Our April KPNGN meeting is happening on Thursday, April 9 at 5pm PT/8pm ET! We’ll share past and upcoming activities in our movement: come ready to share updates! We’ll also resume our three-part Orientation with a Korean War 101 presentation provided by the Education Committee. RVSP here.
🎐 March Recap
Thank you to everyone we met in Seattle, Washington DC, and NYC! This past weekend, KPNGN members mobilized at No Kings Protests in NYC, Washington DC, and across the country, joining millions of people around the country to protest immigration crackdowns, war, and authoritarianism.
In NYC, we held our parallel event at the UN 70th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), “Social Healing through Advocacy: Women’s Leadership in Historical Redress.” WCDMZ Executive Director Cathi Choi (moderator), WCDMZ Board Chair and scholar Ji-Yeon Yuh, MADRE Senior Director of Advocacy and Policy Diana Duarte, legal scholar Miyoko Pettit-Toledo, and Inclusive Global Leadership Initiative Program Manager Carly Paul explored women-led efforts to address historic wrongs through advocacy, legal recourse, community organizing, and creative practices across Korea, Haiti, Iraq, Colombia, and Guatemala.
In Washington DC, we organized a strategic planning retreat with our partner organizations in the Korea Peace Network where we cultivated a new path forward for a peace-first policy and legislative advocacy strategy to meet the current political moment. Partners included Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network, Women Cross DMZ, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, United Methodist Church Global Ministries, and the American Friends Service Committee.
And in Seattle, we attended the University of Washington’s Partition & Solidarity Symposium on March 6. WCDMZ Executive Director Cathi Choi spoke at the Anticolonial Struggles in the Colonial Present panel on “Women’s Rights Under Division: Challenging U.S. Forever War and Militarism in Korea.” We also held a spirited Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network regional gathering with local community members and grassroots organizers.
Thank you again and see you at our next programming!
🤝 Recent Anti-War Coalition Actions
- WCDMZ signed onto the Coalition on Human Needs and Public Citizen’s Letter opposing the DoD Topline Budget.
- WCDMZ endorsed Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s Resolution Standing with the People of Lebanon against the Illegal Invasion, War Crimes, and Ethnic Cleansing Perpetrated by the State of Israel.
- KPNGN Faith-Based Caucus joined the Friends Committee on National Legislation and 60+ national Ecumenical organizations to urge Congress to oppose Iran War funding.
- WCDMZ joined Public Citizen and 250+ Groups to oppose funding for Trump’s illegal Iran War.
📚 Recommended Readings
From the Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network Education Committee:
- South Korea calls for Korean War ‘peace declaration’ with North. This article reports on the ROK Unification Ministry’s calls for a peace agreement to end the Korean War in light of the US-ROK Freedom Shield military exercises.
- South, U.S. conclude key springtime military drills amid North Korean threats. This article reports on the annual US-ROK Freedom Shield military exercises, with this year’s testing ROK operational control, as well as the DPRK’s ballistic missile test launch in response.
- North’s Kim Jong-un formally calls South Korea the ‘most hostile state’. This article discusses Kim Jong-un’s recent remarks and vow to advance the DPRK’s nuclear deterrence at the first session of the Supreme People’s Assembly after re-election.
- What does THAAD redeployment by US Forces Korea signal to the ROK? This article discusses the recent relocation of THAAD without approval from the ROK to wage war on Iran whose interests US military deployments in Korea serve.
The Case for Enabling Nongovernmental Engagement with North Korea. This article argues for opening opportunities for humanitarian engagement with North Korea and discusses how U.S.-based NGOs are currently being blocked from engaging by administrative restrictions.
🏵️ Upcoming Events
April 23 at 8 pm ET | | KPNGN Faith-Based Caucus Presents Korean Christian Zionism: History, Theology, and Its Impact on Peace in Korea | Virtual Event
The Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network Faith-based Caucus will host a learning and discussion space on the history and theology of Korean Christian Zionism and its impact on the Korea peace movement. Professor Keunjoo Christine Pae will trace connections between Korea’s wartime collective memories and modern Israeli history, show how those memories have been politically mobilized, and discuss why some non-Christian Koreans embrace Zionism. Professor Keunjoo Christine Pae, Ph.D. is the Chair of the Department of Religion and Professor of Religion/Ethics and Women’s and Gender Studies at Denison University. RSVP here.
April 23-24 | “U.S.-China Rivalry and the Militarization of the Pacific” at the Futures Beyond Militarism conference | Thompson Conference Center, University of Texas Austin | In-Person Event
WCDMZ Executive Director Cathi Choi will be speaking at the Futures Beyond Militarism conference, a convening of scholars and activists to examine global alternatives to militarism and ways communities envision and enact sustainable and interdependent futures. Cathi will join WCDMZ Founder Christine Ahn (moderator), Kyle Kajihiro, and Mark Tseng-Putterman on the “U.S.-China Rivalry and the Militarization of the Pacific” panel event on Friday, April 24 at 9:45am. RSVP and learn more here.
Tuesday, April 21 at 7pm ET | “Have You Heard Our Cries?”: Program on Korea Peace Journey hosted by the Presbyterian Peace Network for Korea | Virtual Event
The Presbyterian Peace Network for Korea, a major partner of KPNGN Faith-Based Caucus, is hosting a special program for attendees to share reflections on their recent Korea Peace Journey.
Last October, over a dozen people joined the Korea Peace Journey to travel to Korea to meet peacemakers from churches in Korea and grassroots activists, hear their stories, and understand their support for peace. The group traveled to Seoul, Jeju Island, Pyeongtaek, and the DMZ, listening, learning, and discussing how best to be in solidarity with partners working for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Join the meeting here.
✌️Follow Korea Peace Now! and Women Cross DMZ 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,
Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network