Newsletter

December 6, 2024

Dear Friend,

On Tuesday, Yoon Suk Yeol issued a grave and serious threat to South Korea’s democracy.

By declaring martial law, South Korea’s president attempted to quash dissent, endangering the safety of ordinary people as well as peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The National Assembly voted swiftly to revoke the declaration and thousands of protesters took to the streets, forcing Yoon to rescind his decision.

In the days since, Women Cross DMZ has issued a statement and provided analysis in the media:

• What Americans should learn from South Korea (Democracy Now!)
• The power of South Korea’s mass, people-powered movement (KPFA)
• How democracy can survive in the face of authoritarianism (Truthout)
• Reckoning with the U.S. legacy of backing South Korean authoritarianism (In These Times)

We have also led and joined grassroots rallies across the country, from Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, all the way to Honolulu.

On Monday, we participated in the webinar “What Does the Trump Presidency Mean for the Korean Peninsula?” and discussed Trump and Yoon’s militaristic policies, the current U.S. legislative landscape, and the then-looming threat of martial law in South Korea. Tomorrow (Dec. 7), we’ll be on WBAI radio at 1pm ET for a roundtable discussion on Korea. On Sunday (Dec. 8), we’re co-sponsoring the webinar, “Martial Law Interrupted: Views from South Korea.” Follow more coverage of our analysis here, including an op-ed tomorrow in USA Today.

We are fighting back, educating, and building our mass grassroots movement of people power!

But, we need your support to continue. Here are some things you can do TODAY:

• Urge your member of Congress to condemn this illegal action and support the South Korean people and their elected officials calling for Yoon’s resignation — before he does more damage to South Korean democracy and further heightens the risk of war.
• Donate to our people-powered movement.
• Show your support for Korea peace by purchasing Korea peace action wear (all proceeds go toward our work).

Thank you for supporting this movement for peace and democracy!

In peace,

Cathi Choi