Peace Advocates from around the United States gathered in Pennsylvania to discuss goals and strategies for bringing about an end to the Korean War and peace with justice on the Korean Peninsula.
The following article was published in the January - February 2025 issue of NewsNotes.
Korea peace advocates are organizing for an uncertain future. The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined the Mennonite Central Committee, American Friends Service Committee, United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society, Women Cross DMZ, and members of various Korean-American churches and civil society groups at the Mennonite Welcoming Place in Akron, Pennsylvania, November 11-13 to discuss working together to help end the Korean War and address root causes of the conflict. Despite an armistice in 1953, the war has never officially ended.
Before the meeting, experts reflected with the group on possible opportunities for peace. Since the breakdown of the 2019 Hanoi Summit between the United States and North Korea, peace talks have been stalled. The election of hardline South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in 2022 made dialogue between the two Koreas a yet more distant goal. And in February of 2024, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un renounced the long-stated goal of unification, declaring South Korea a hostile foe. Provocative U.S. military exercises in the region exacerbate tensions. It is unclear how incoming President Trump might impact the situation.
Despite such a grim outlook, several speakers suggested Kim’s demand that North Korean sovereignty be respected and the demilitarized zone (DMZ) currently separating the two countries be replaced with an internationally recognized border could provide a new opportunity for an end to the war. In turn, peace between the two countries could one day lead to denuclearization and even unification. Advocates in the United States and Korea will continue to work for a just peace.
Faith in action
Join Women Cross DMZ’s Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network. https://koreapeacenow.org/us-grassroots/
Photo of Korean peace activists featured in documentary "Crossings" courtesy of womencrossdmz.org