Civil Society and Faith based organizations call for peace on the 73rd Anniversary of the Korean Armistice

A network of organizations advocating for peace on the Korean Peninsula have signed onto a statement urging the U.S. administration to formally end the Korean War and engage with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) in good faith.

The statement notes that on July 27, 1953, the bullets on the Korean Peninsula stopped firing, but the war never ended. The armistice was always meant to be temporary. The ceasefire was intended to be followed by a peace agreement, but it has still yet to come more than 70 years later. Two generations of Koreans and Americans have grown up under the shadow of a war that was never resolved.

This year marks the 73th anniversary of the armistice that halted but did not officially end the Korean War, making it an especially important time to remind the administration and members of Congress about the human costs of this unresolved war and the urgent need to avoid a nuclear conflict on the Korean Peninsula. According to a  recent American Friends Service Committee-Harris poll, more than 55% of Americans support ending the war with a formal peace agreement.

"For over seven decades, the U.S. has remained at war with North Korea. But public opinion continues to show us that the U.S. public doesn't want continued war-they want peace. It's time for our government to listen to its people and end this forever war." - Austin Headrick, Asia Regional Advocacy Coordinator, American Friends Service Committee

The statement was delivered to the State Department and members of Congress on July 27 in remembrance of the signing of the Armistice Agreement that ended active fighting, but failed to officially end the war.   

"As a Korean American and member of a divided family, July 27 reminds me that a ceasefire is not necessarily peace. For over 70 years, the Korean War has extracted enormous human, environmental, and economic costs. U.S. taxpayers spend billions of dollars every year to sustain this forever war, while everyday people bear the greatest burdens - including constant threat of renewed fighting, militarized sexual violence, displacement, socio-economic insecurity, and lasting trauma. The United States has a duty to bring its longest war to a close. We deserve a future grounded in diplomacy, reconciliation, and lasting peace. Peace is not only possible-it is long overdue." - Cathi Choi, Women Cross DMZ Executive Director

The statement was drafted by members of the Korea Peace Network and signed by 73 organizations ranging from people of faith, Korean Americans, veterans, scholars, and advocates.

" The United Methodist Church stands in firm commitment with the Christians of Korea, both North and South, and around the world in faithful actions to work towards peace, healing, and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. Especially as the United States continues dangerous and unsustainable policies toward North Korea, we call on the U.S. government to change their approach," said Colleen Moore, Director of Peace With Justice at the General Board of Church and Society, the social justice and public witness agency of the United Methodist Church."It is pivotal that the Korea Peace Network and American civil society is standing up to call on the U.S. government to engage North Korea and end the Korean War once and for all."

The letter provides four recommendations the administration should take to "to honor the will of the American people and the cause of peace by taking concrete, achievable steps to formally end the Korean War." The steps include engaging in diplomacy, taking concrete and reciprocal steps to lower tensions, officially ending the war, and restoring people to people connections.

The letter can be read in full at https://afsc.org/newsroom/joint-statement-calling-end-korean-war. 

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The Korea Peace Network is dedicated to promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula. The steering committee for the network is: American Friends Service Committee, Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns, Mennonite Central Committee, Women Cross DMZ, and United Methodist Board of Mission, Church and Society.

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) promotes a world free of violence, inequality, and oppression. Guided by the Quaker belief in the divine light within each person, we nurture the seeds of change and the respect for human life to fundamentally transform our societies and institutions. We work with people and partners worldwide, of all faiths and backgrounds, to meet urgent community needs, challenge injustice, and build peace.