On Sunday, a group of women from around the world crossed the DMZ – a hostile border known as the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea– in an attempt to encourage a formal peace contract between the long-warring countries. The demilitarized zone, is a lasting and violent reminder of the war that has separated families and the two countries for the last 60 years. An agreement for the two countries to sign a ceasefire was crafted near the war’s end in 1953 but to date, the treaty has not been signed.
Why is crossing the DMZ such a controversial issue?
Because a formal peace arrangement between North and South Korea has never been agreed upon, tranquility is never guaranteed and war could, and threatens to, resume at any moment. Soldiers and weaponry guard both sides of the border heavily, and throughout the decades, there have been both well documented and lesser-known cases of people being beaten, jailed, or killed for crossing without the proper permissions.
Because it is nearly impossible for Korean citizens to cross between the countries, millions of families who were separated when the two countries split decades ago have been unable to reunite. In rare moments of amnesty the two countries have hosted visits for such families but these meeting are often cancelled and postponed at the last minute.
Who are the women brave enough to cross the DMZ?
The 30 women or so who crossed the DMZ belong to a group of activists, feminists, and leaders called WomenCrossDMZ. Several of their members are famed public figures such as Nobel laureates Leymah Gbowee and Mairead Maguire and feminist Gloria Steinem. The group described crossing the DMZ as a “symbolic act of peace” and plans to hold peace symposiums in Pyongyang and Seoul, the capitals of the two countries. Their ultimate goal is to reunite the families separated by the war and to use the funds reserved for military and weapons upkeep to improve life for all Korean Citizens.
Why is WomenCrossDMZ facing criticism?
Not everyone has responded well to the WomenCrossDMZ’s peaceful crossing. Suzanne Scholte, leader of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, says crossing the DMZ encourages the world to condone the suffering of North Korean citizens. She maintains that the group would have done more good by crossing the China-North Korea border and bringing attention to the injustice North Korean women face while attempting to pass this border. There are indeed reports of North Korean women being raped, sold into sex slavery, or forced into marriages as they attempt to make their way into China.
The group–particularly Christine Ahn, one of WomenCrossDMZ organizers, has also been accused of sympathizing with North Korea by excusing their heads of government from most of the blame and faulting the US and South Korea instead. Ahn responded that she simply wants to see an end to war in Korea is for anything that leads to dialogue, peace, and the promotion of human rights. She believes crossing the DMZ is one of the things capable of doing just that.
