2017-2018 ANNUAL REPORT From Peace Walks to Peace Talks Mobilizing Women for Peace in Korea LETTER FROM INTERNATIONAL COORDINATOR 2018 Steering Committee: Christine Ahn, International Coordinator Kozue Akibayashi, Women’s Int’l League for Peace & Freedom Aiyoung Choi, Nonprofit Management Consultant Dear Friends, Ewa Eriksson-Fortier, Retired Humanitarian Aid Worker Meri Joyce, Peace Boat, Global What a dramatic year it’s been. One year ago, Through talks, webinars, conferences, and the Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict Northeast Asia President Donald Trump threatened to unleash media, we reached millions with our calls for Regional Coordinator “fire and fury” on North Korea. Now, the prospect peace and diplomacy. We rallied our partners Gwyn Kirk, Women for Genuine Security Hye-Jung Park, Media Activist of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula in South Korea and North Korea, women’s, Ann Wright, Retired US Army looms on the horizon, and Women Cross DMZ is peace, faith-based, humanitarian, and Korean Colonel, Diplomat Nan Kim, Associate Professor, University poised to play a key role in the process. diaspora organizations around the world to call of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for an end to the Korean War. We deepened our 2015 Delegation Members: How did we get here? partnerships with the South Korean women’s Gloria Steinem, Author and Activist peace movement, the Nobel Women’s Initiative, Janis Alton, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace The reversal began with the Winter Olympics, and Women’s International League for Peace Medea Benjamin, Code Pink when the two Koreas marched together carrying and Freedom and strengthened the U.S.-based Deann Borshay Liem, Filmmaker Hyun-Kyung Chung, Union the One Korea flag. South Korean President Moon Korea Peace Network. We engaged government Theological Seminary Jae-In and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-Un officials in the United States, South Korea, Jean Chung, Action for One Korea Gay Dillingham, Filmmaker held three inter-Korean summits and signed two North Korea, Canada, other key countries, and Abigail Disney, Filmmaker and declarations, agreeing to family reunions, joint the United Nations. Philanthropist Jodie Evans, Code Pink athletic teams, civil society exchanges, and the Leymah Gbowee, 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate reopening of joint economic ventures. South In just three years, Women Cross DMZ has Erika Guevara Rosas, Korea opened a liaison office in Kaesong to become a formidable voice calling for peace. Amnesty International Patricia Guerrero, Liga facilitate year-round communications between Our analysis is sought regularly by MSNBC, de Mujeres Desplazadas Seoul and Pyongyang. BBC, CNN, and Democracy Now! and Jane Jin Kaisen, Artist and Filmmaker Vana Kim Hansen, Spiritual Teacher publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Suzy Kim, Rutgers University Then, in a landmark meeting in Singapore, Los Angeles Times, and TIME Magazine. M. Brinton Lykes, Boston University Liza Maza, Gabriela Women’s Alliance President Trump and Chairman Kim committed Mairead Maguire, 1976 to improving relations, establishing a peace Whether protesting outside the Foreign Nobel Peace Laureate Netsai Mushonga, Women’s process, and moving towards denuclearization. Ministers meeting in Vancouver or the U.S. Coalition of Zimbabwe Although Trump administration officials Embassy in Seoul, or breaking new ground Lisa Natividad, Guahan Coalition For Peace & Justice soon returned to their rhetoric of “maximum walking in the DMZ, we continue to call for Ann Patterson, Peace People, pressure,” imposing new sanctions, prolonging women’s inclusion in the peace process because Northern Ireland Suzuyo Takazato, Okinawa Women the U.S. travel ban to North Korea, and impeding we know that when women are involved, not Act Against Military Violence U.S. NGOs’ humanitarian operations, Korean only does it lead to an actual agreement, but a Advisors: leaders continue to advance the wishes of far more durable one. Charles Armstrong, Columbia University the Korean people to peacefully coexist. In Coleen Baik, Consultant Marie Berry, University of Denver September, the two Koreas signed a historic We have never been this close to ending the Bruce Cumings, University of Chicago military agreement to turn the DMZ into a peace Korean War. Let’s finish the job. Wendi Deetz, Global Fund for Women Cynthia Enloe, Clark University zone, end military exercises, and establish a no- Eve Ensler, Playwright and fly zone along the military line dividing Korea. Thanks to the generous support from our Founder of V-Day Henri Féron, Columbia Law School On October 1, engineers on both sides began to committed donors and the NoVo Foundation’s Kevin Gray, University of Sussex de-mine the DMZ. Radical Hope Fund, we will launch our 2020 Peter Hayes, Nautilus Institute Lois Herman, Women’s UN Women-Led Korea Peace Treaty Campaign with Report Network The Korean War is the longest standing U.S. our partners, mobilizing women worldwide to Victor Hsu, Presbyterian Church, Taiwan Eleana Kim, University of conflict. As a key party to the Korean War push towards a peace agreement by 2020. California, Irvine and a signatory to the Armistice Agreement, Nam-Hee Lee, University of California, Los Angeles the United States must come to the table to We believe in the power of women to bring Sung-ok Lee, United Methodist Women negotiate a permanent settlement by signing a peace, justice, and healing to the Korean Tim Shorrock, Journalist, The Nation Jay Song, University of Melbourne Korea Peace Treaty. Peninsula and the world. Thanks for helping us Alice Walker, Author and Activist end this war. Cora Weiss, International Peace Bureau Ji-Yeon Yuh, Northwestern University That’s where we come in. In the past year, Women Charissa Zehr, Mennonite Cross DMZ was at the center of mobilizing With gratitude and in peace, Central Committee opposition to Trump’s war on North Korea. Staff: Christine Ahn, International Coordinator Hyun Lee, U.S. National Organizer Jacquelyn Wells, Communications Coordinator CHRISTINE AHN Margaret Gerhart, Designer International Coordinator Volunteers: Heng Liu, Wellesley College Tae Lim, University of Michigan Deborah Kim, Rutgers University Erin VanMeter, Auburn University Cover Image: Women Cross DMZ protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Republic of Korea on May 25, 2018 following Trump’s cancellation of talks with Kim Jong-Un (Photo, Jeehyun Kwon). This Annual Report was created by Margaret Gerhart and Jacquelyn Wells. 2020 Women-Led Korea Peace Treaty Campaign “In 2015 when 30 women leaders from around the world formed Women Cross DMZ—and actually got permission from North Korea, South Korea and the US to cross that land-mined and desolate strip dividing Korea—it was a radical act of the imagination. Now, the NoVo Radical Hope Fund has contributed $2 million to this peace effort, and leaders on all sides are running to catch up with their followers.” — Gloria Steinem omen Cross DMZ Korean women’s peace groups, 2. Tangible de-militarization: has emerged as a the Nobel Women’s Initiative, denuclearization, removal leading voice in and Women’s International of landmines, and W calling for a Korea League for Peace and Freedom. reduction of bases/troops. Peace Treaty. With the formal 3. Women’s leadership and declaration to end the Korean gender-based analysis War on the horizon, we have (government & civil an unprecedented opportunity society) in peace processes. to mobilize women around the 4. Lift broad-based world to educate, organize, and sanctions against North advocate together for a Korea Korea, especially those Peace Treaty. impacting humanitarian conditions. Our dream of launching a 2020 OUR GOALS BY 2020: 5. Redefine security from Women-Led Korea Peace Treaty national security based Campaign was realized when 1. Peace-building process on war and militarism to the NoVo Foundation awarded including a formal ending a feminist understanding a $2 million, two-year grant of the Korean War, a of security centered on to Women Cross DMZ and Korea Peace Treaty, and basic human needs and our campaign partners: South normalized relations. ecological sustainability. L to R Top: 2015 DMZ Crossing, Paju, South Korea (Photo, Stephen Wunrow); Campaign partners retreat, Sonoma, CA, July 2018. L to R Bottom: 2020 Campaign meeting, New York City, September 2018; Washington, D.C. Working Group meeting, September 2018. WOMEN CROSS DMZ 03 OUR MISSION Women Cross DMZ mobilizes women globally for peace in Korea through education, advocacy & organizing EDUCATION to transform the ceasefire to a In Ottawa and Vancouver, peace treaty. with our Canadian sister Women Cross DMZ has organizations, we urged the educated millions worldwide Christine Ahn joined Senator Trudeau administration to through our talks, webinars, Bernie Sanders for a Move pursue a more constructive conferences, and appearances On teach-in commemorating approach that aligned with its in the media about the the 15th anniversary of the feminist foreign policy. urgency to resolve the Korean U.S. war on Iraq, with 80,000 War through peace and online viewers. We seized In Seoul, our delegation met diplomacy. every opportunity to open with diplomats at the U.S., people’s minds and hearts U.K., Japanese, Swedish, We led national efforts to that peace is the only solution and Canadian embassies to challenge President Trump’s for resolving the Korean discuss women’s critical role threats to “totally destroy” conflict. in supporting the Korea peace North Korea by organizing process. online teach-ins that provided ADVOCACY historical context and analysis With the Korea Peace to understand how the U.S. In the past year, Women Network, six WCDMZ and North Korea were on the Cross DMZ met with senior members gathered in brink of war. officials from the U.S., South Washington, D.C. on June Korea, North Korea, Canada, 13, a day after the Trump- We held webinars with global and other countries to Kim Summit in Singapore, to experts on a range of topics, advocate for diplomacy and a urge members of Congress including how sanctions peace agreement to permanently to support the peace process.