Women Cross DMZ is deeply concerned by the recent decision by the South Korean government to prohibit Women Cross DMZ Founder and Co-Director Christine Ahn, a longtime and prominent Korean American peace activist, from entering the country. This action raises serious questions about the Yoon Suk Yeol government’s commitment to democratic values and freedom of expression, especially at a time when tensions on the Korean Peninsula are running dangerously high.
Ahn — known for her tireless efforts advocating for peace on the Korean Peninsula, including organizing a high-profile crossing of the Demilitarized Zone in 2015 with a delegation of 30 international women peacemakers — was scheduled to attend a series of meetings with South Korean peace activists aimed at fostering dialogue and understanding on the issue of peace in Korea and the role of civil society, especially women. She was also scheduled to give a keynote address at the International Youth Peace Forum in Gyeonggi Province on November 2. However, upon arrival at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu on October 30, Ahn was denied a boarding pass by an Asiana Airlines employee, citing South Korean immigration authorities, without explanation or justification.
“The Yoon government’s decision to deny Christine Ahn from engaging in citizen diplomacy and peacebuilding at such a dangerous time for Korea and our world signals democratic backsliding that should alarm us all,” said Gloria Steinem, feminist author and activist. “When Christine Ahn and I crossed the DMZ together in 2015, we witnessed the deep wishes of the Korean people, in both North and South, for peaceful co-existence.”
“As someone who has traveled to South Korea with Women Cross DMZ several times, I am alarmed that the R.O.K. government refused to let Christine Ahn enter South Korea,” said Ann Wright, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and U.S. Diplomat, and a Board Member of Women Cross DMZ. “Hundreds of young people from South Korea and around the world who are expecting to hear Christine’s urgent calls for diplomacy will be deeply troubled to learn that President Yoon, who talks of democracy and freedom, is silencing voices for peace.”
“Christine’s courage, tenacity, and belief that a 74-year-old conflict can actually come to an end through citizen action is the light and hope we need now more than ever,” said Leymah Gbowee, the Liberian Nobel Peace Laureate who presented Ahn with the Peace Summit Medal for Social Activism at the 18th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Pyeongchang in 2022.
“Women’s voices and perspectives are essential to ending war and promoting peace, so I am deeply disturbed that Christine Ahn has been prohibited from entering South Korea,” said Lee Jae Jung, the third-term Parliamentarian and a member of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee who traveled to the U.S. in 2019 to meet with U.S. Congresswomen to discuss how to end the Korean War and ensure women’s leadership in the peacebuilding process. “The U.S.-R.O.K. alliance must not just be a military alliance, but one that champions democracy, nurtures peace, and empowers women to lead the way in healing and reconciliation.”
“The International Youth Peace Forum, which is being held with the support of the Gyeonggi government, invited Women Cross DMZ’s Founder Christine Ahn to deliver the keynote speech,” said Ahn Young-wook, the Secretary General of the Gyeonggi Peace Education Center. “We do not understand why she was not allowed to participate in a conference where the youth of South Korea and the world will gather to discuss peace on the Korean Peninsula and our world.”
Ahn has a long history of advocating for formally ending the Korean War, reuniting families, and including women in the peace process. The organization she founded in 2014, Women Cross DMZ, has released reports showing how sanctions, isolation, and military threats have not advanced peace and stability but only increased the risk of renewed conflict. Ahn and WCDMZ’s message advocating for diplomacy and people-to-people engagement have earned widespread support and recognition from Nobel Peace laureates, the former UN Special Rapporteur on DPRK human rights, humanitarian workers, prominent feminist activists, and even former military leaders.
Unfortunately, it is not the first time that South Korea has barred Christine Ahn from entering the country. During the “fire and fury” era of 2017, when tensions between the United States and North Korea were particularly high, Ahn was also denied entry.
The barring of Christine Ahn now is particularly concerning, given the current geopolitical tensions and the urgent need for dialogue. With the increasing likelihood of military confrontation on the Korean Peninsula, the voices of those advocating for peace must be heard, not silenced.
Women Cross DMZ calls upon the Yoon government to uphold its democratic values by allowing Christine Ahn to freely travel to South Korea in order to participate in important discussions with fellow peace activists. We believe that true progress can only be achieved through engagement, understanding, and dialogue.
About Women Cross DMZ
Women Cross DMZ is a leading feminist voice in the movement for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
About Christine Ahn
Christine Ahn is the Founder and Co-Director of Women Cross DMZ, a global movement of women mobilizing to end the Korean War and ensure women’s leadership in peace building. In 2015, she led 30 international women peacemakers across the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) from North Korea to South Korea. They walked with 10,000 Korean women on both sides of the DMZ and held women’s peace symposia in Pyongyang and Seoul. She was the International Coordinator of the Korea Peace Now! campaign, which Women Cross DMZ launched in 2019 with three feminist peace organizations: Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Nobel Women’s Initiative, and Korean Women’s Movement for Peace. She has addressed the United Nations, U.S. Congress, Canadian Parliament, and R.O.K. National Human Rights Commission. Her op-eds have appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post, and she is a regular contributor on MSNBC, Democracy Now!, and CNN. She is the recipient of multiple awards, including the 2022 Social Activist Award from the Nobel Peace Laureates at the 18th Annual Summit in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the 2020 Rotary International Peace Award, and the 2020 US Peace Prize from the US Peace Memorial Foundation for her bold activism to end the Korean War, heal the wounds from the war, and women’s leadership in peacebuilding. Ahn has a master’s degree in International Policy from Georgetown University and a certificate in ecological horticulture from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
