Marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, a coalition of organizations and peace advocates gathered in Washington, D.C., from July 26–28 to call on the U.S. government to formally end the Korean War with a peace agreement. Actions during these three days included a large grassroots rally in front of the White House, marching from the White House to the Lincoln Memorial, and a conference. Hundreds of people gathered. Bruce Cumings, an American historian, professor, lecturer, and author focused on East Asia, concluded his keynote speech saying that we (Americans) remain steeped in denial about a conflict that is almost 80 years old, yet always “within an inch” of breaking out again.
In recent years, the tension on the peninsula has increased sharply, and the possibility of war is higher than ever. A peace agreement would unlock the Korean Peninsula from a perpetual state of war and help thousands of Korean people visit their separated families. For decades, the U.S. has imposed sanctions and threats against North Korea, including joint military drills near the border with North Korea. In return, North Korea has developed a stronger nuclear weapons program. The old tactics have proven ineffective. U.S. House Resolution 1369, Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act, calls for a formal end to the Korean War (1950–53). Click here to urge your Congress member to support peace in Korea by cosponsoring House Resolution 1369. As seen in the case of the war in Ukraine, it is easy to begin a war but extremely difficult to end it. Also, an advancement of weapons has placed the human costs of war heavily on civilians. Considering Korea’s geopolitical situation, a war on the Korean Peninsula could be a global catastrophe. Big appreciation goes to the Korea Peace Action organizing team for the successful Korea Peace Action Week! ESJF’s own Sung Sohn participated in this mobilization.
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https://mailchi.mp/99570d5c40a8/june-2023-newsletter?e=[UNIQID]
ESJF’s decolonization study tour to Germany from June 19 to 23 was packed with important learning and experiences reflecting multiple perspectives on Germany’s colonization of countries in Africa from the late 19th to the early 20th century. Although they differ in approaches, the growing decolonization movement in Germany to address Germany’s past wrongs was eye-opening. In addition to visiting museums, historical sites, and neighborhoods, we met inspiring decolonization activist groups, educators, and other professionals.
Many activists and educators we met on this study tour closely connected the sexual violence their ancestors were forced to endure under German colonization with the Japanese military sexual slavery system, also known as the “comfort women” system, that numerous women and girls in Asia were forced to endure. ESJF thanks Korea Verband for making the necessary arrangements for this invaluable trip! Image credit: Julia-Carla Schmidt, Korea Verband, & ESJF https://mailchi.mp/b27805409598/may-2023-newsletter?e=9909c84291
On May 16, Sung visited Gijichon* Women’s Peace Museum-Seven Sisters and Sunlit Sisters’ Center in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. The survivors were busy preparing for the play, Off Limit, a story of their life journey, focusing on the present. The play will be held in July. During the discussion, referring to the Sept. 29 court case last year, one survivor said, “It was the happiest day of my life.”
On Sept. 29, 2022, South Korea’s highest court ordered the state to pay compensation to women who were forced or coerced into military sexual exploitation in so-called “camptowns” or Gijichon that developed around U.S. military bases. Recognizing the state’s responsibility for encouraging and justifying the military exploitation, the court ordered the state to pay between 3 million and 7 million won (approximately $2,100–$4,900) in compensation each to a total of 95 former Gijichon women. *South Korea is home to the largest U.S. foreign military installation. Structured sexual violence at so-called “camptowns” or Gijichon developed around U.S. military bases in South Korea after the Korean War (1950–53). To learn more about the connection between U.S. militarism and sexual exploitation in South Korea, read this article from ESJF’s intern, Esmé Lee-Gardner’s brief research, U.S. Militarism and the Asian Diaspora. In Osaka, home to the largest Korean Japanese community, Sung learned about ethnic discrimination against Korean descendants in Japan. The Osaka Korea Town Museum, which opened on April 29 last month, preserves the history of oppression and resistance of the Korean descendants in Japan.
Chungja Bang, from the Osaka-based Japanese Military “Comfort Women” Issue Kansai Network (in short, Kansai Network), provided a guided museum tour and other historical sites related to Japanese colonialism. The Kansai Network supported the effort to install the San Francisco “comfort women” memorial, Women’s Column of Strength. In November 2017, the Kansai Network led a petition campaign to support the adoption of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Resolution 415-17. This petition campaign demonstrated that the Osaka mayor’s intention to sever sister-city ties with SF and his opposition to the SF “comfort women” memorial did not reflect the wishes of all Osaka residents. More than a hundred Osaka residents and thirty-seven organizations endorsed the petition, which was then presented to Mayor Lee on Nov. 21, 2017, along with messages of support from more than twenty Osaka residents and major labor unions in Osaka, Tokyo, and Chiba. On Nov. 22, 2017, Mayor Lee signed Resolution No. 415-17, retroactively authorizing the San Francisco Arts Commission to accept a gift of the SF memorial, Women's Column of Strength. Sung met other activists in Osaka working to eliminate discrimination in Japan, including Chanyu Ko, a documentary filmmaker. Ko’s second documentary, We Are Human! (2022) was nominated for the March 2023 NY International Film Awards’ Best Documentary Feature finalist category. His first documentary, Korean Schools in Japan (2019), received the 24th YWCA Justice and Peace Award for great media content in South Korea in 2020. Thanks to Hyon Tae Kim, executive director of the Korea NGO Center, and Kwang Min Kim, an activist and scholar, for sharing the history of the Korean Japanese diaspora in Osaka and their tireless work. On May 10, Sung visited Chiba Korean Elementary and Middle School in Japan. Throughout the schools’ history, as with most Korean schools in Japan, this school has endured ongoing state-sanctioned educational injustices based on ethnicity. Since 2017, ESJF has been supporting Chiba Korean Elementary and Middle School. Marking our fifth consecutive year of support, beginning in 2021, ESJF has hosted a student art competition held solely for the school’s students, with prizes awarded.
At Korea University in Seoul, Sung gave a lecture during the graduate course Media Philosophy. The topic was pan-Asian collective activism in SF as the key factor in installing the SF “comfort women” memorial and educational initiatives. This course, taught by Assistant Professor Haerin Shin, examines various mechanisms of alienating people labeled as minorities and the effects of this process on the larger society. Many personal stories, questions, and critical insights made the discussion highly engaging.
https://mailchi.mp/01fa1d57100c/april-2023-newsletter?e=9408bfc1cd
https://mailchi.mp/550c5c01da06/march-2023-newsletter?e=eea39eb1ed
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