This was the July 2025 session of the Korea Peace Study Group, which occurs virtually, on the second Friday evening of the month, USA time. In this session, Echo recaps her May visit to Korea, commemorating the 10th anniversary of an historic DMZ crossing.
In South Korea, she connected with many people in her travels to sites of historic and ongoing struggle against militarization, for the sovereignty of the Korean people, and for the end of the Korean War.
During the call, the following was shared in the chat:
- A South Korean Horror Story, Long Suppressed: The story of a brutal sex trade built for American soldiers shows how women have been exploited in service of political and economic goals
(2023, New York Times)
- Jeju 4.3 Uprising
The Jeju 4.3 Uprising began in 1948 as a protest against Korea’s division and U.S.-backed elections. In response, the South Korean military and police massacred up to 30,000 civilians, labeling them as Communist rebels. It was long suppressed but is now recognized as a state-led atrocity. - Gangjeong Village Struggle
Since 2007, Gangjeong villagers and peace activists opposed the construction of a naval base on Jeju Island. They resisted militarization, environmental destruction, and the violation of Jeju’s identity as an “Island of Peace.” Despite arrests and repression, their nonviolent resistance drew global solidarity. - Han Kang’s book, We Do Not Part
- “Which Korea are you from?”
(2025, Korea Times Opinion by Esther Kim)
- “Women commemorate crossing the DMZ, 10 Years On”
(2025, Iris Yi Youn Kim)
- “South Korea accepts 12 former U.S. military bases” (2020, UPI)
- Yongsan Base Return & U.S. Bases in Korea
The U.S. military has maintained bases in South Korea since 1945, expanding significantly after the Korean War and the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty. Yongsan Garrison, once the U.S. command center in Seoul, began its relocation in 2004 and officially closed in 2018, moving to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek. The land has been returned gradually since 2019, but environmental contamination has delayed full transfer. U.S. forces now number about 28,500, concentrated in fewer but larger bases. Civil society continues to raise concerns over sovereignty, pollution, and peace on the Korean Peninsula. - SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement)
The U.S.–ROK SOFA was signed in 1966, defining the legal status of U.S. troops in Korea. Initially, it gave broad protections to U.S. personnel, limiting Korea’s legal authority. After public outcry over crimes by U.S. soldiers (e.g., 1992 Yoon Geum-yi, 2002 incident), revisions were made to allow more Korea jurisdiction. - Catholic Priest, Father Moon Jung Hyun, is now living in GunSan, leading the struggle against expansion of an air force base.
- On AAPI education in Washington State
- Advice for a progressive peace advocacy organization:
- 1. U.S. military presence in Korea is rooted in the 1945 division and Cold War politics, not peacekeeping, and has long been upheld by the undemocratic National Security Law.
- 2. Peace advocacy should reclaim history and expose how militarism has harmed communities—from Jeju 4.3 to base contamination and gender-based violence.
- 3. Militarization must be named clearly as structural violence, not neutral “defense.”
- 4. Link Korea’s struggle with global anti-base movements in Okinawa, Guam, Hawai‘i, and the Philippines to build a regional vision of demilitarization.
- 5. Connect peace with ecological, and economic justice—showing how militarism steals resources and threatens real security.
- 6. Use cultural tools—art, storytelling, and memory—to move beyond protest and build a creative, people-centered peace vision.
- 7. Be bold: imagine a reunified, sovereign Korea free from foreign bases, rooted in justice, dignity, and life.
The Korean War, the cause of the unended militarization on the Korean Peninsula, has not ended. American citizens can urge our government to end this war and return sovereignty to the Korean people. One way to do this is by supporting the “Peace on the Korean Peninsula” bill in Congress (H.R. 1841). Contact your member of Congress today about the Peace on the Korean Peninsula bill.
More about the Korea Peace Study Group
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