June 15, 2020, marks the 20th anniversary of the historic South-North Joint Declaration signed by the leaders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK). That landmark agreement committed the two Koreas to “promoting mutual understanding, developing South-North relations and realizing peaceful reunification.” Given the heightened tensions between the two Koreas, we, women from South Korea, the United States, Japan, Canada and across the world, urge the leaders of the Republic of Korea, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and the United States to immediately end hostilities and work toward officially ending the Korean War, which is now in its 70th year.
Three generations of Koreans have endured unspeakable violence and the trauma of division. How much longer will the Korean people remain separated and live under the constant threat of war?
Perpetuating tensions and hostilities undermines the Korean people’s right and long-held desire to live in peace. What we have learned from decades of engagement with our North Korean sisters is that fundamental to peacefully coexisting after 70 years of war and division is to stop vilifying and attempting to destroy each other’s systems and way of life.
The two Koreas must take all the necessary steps to implement the vision Chairman Kim and President Moon made in the Panmunjom Declaration on April 27, 2018, in which they declared that “there will be no more war and a new era of peace has begun on the Korean peninsula.” Furthermore, they must revive efforts as laid out in the Pyongyang Joint Declaration of September 2018 and joint military agreement that set forth a demilitarization process, including disarming soldiers in the Joint Security Area and demining portions of the DMZ. Both sides made bold commitments to revive cooperation, including establishing family reunions and linking the inter-Korean railroad. We urge Chairman Kim and President Moon to deliver on those promises, not rescind them.
The US and the DPRK must also continue to build on the steps President Trump and Chairman Kim made after three meetings and committing to “establish new U.S.-DPRK relations” and “build a lasting and stable peace regime.” Stalled talks between the US and the DPRK have not only delayed progress on denuclearization but have served to set back inter-Korean reconciliation.
Progress on inter-Korean cooperation has been further delayed by foreign powers. Sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council, for example, have impeded joint projects intended to help reunite families and improve humanitarian conditions in the DPRK. Given the urgent need for inter-Korean cooperation to respond to COVID-19, the UN Security Council must lift sanctions that impede these initiatives. Tomás Ojea Quintana , the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, recently called on the UN Security Council to seriously reconsider “any sanctions … that impact on the livelihood of people and hinder the Government’s capacity to respond to COVID-19.”
As people around the world face the triple threat of the coronavirus, economic crisis, and climate change, we must come together to create the world we envision for our children and grandchildren. We can either choose to continue the conflict that is militarizing every aspect of our lives and robbing us of our humanity, or step forward together and invest in a future where everyone is truly safe. Critical to building that just and secure future is to halt weapons tests and military exercises, abandon “maximum pressure” sanctions that harm innocent people, and sign a peace agreement to permanently eliminate the threat of nuclear war. To ensure that a peace agreement is signed and lasting, the process must include women.
We appeal to the world’s peoples to join our global movement working to end the Korean War. Seventy years is enough. Korea peace now!
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