Be a Korea Peace Champion

June 25 marks the 75^th anniversary of the Korean War. Although an armistice was signed ending major combat operations three years later, a formal peace agreement was not signed, and the war never officially ended. Tensions and division on the Korean Peninsula have endured, heightened by the threat of nuclear war. For Korea Peace Advocacy Week, launched June 9, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined 150 advocates from 28 states rallying for peace on the Korean Peninsula, holding virtual meetings with their members of Congress. To the House of Representatives, advocates urged the passage of H.R. 1841, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act, and in the Senate, they urged the introduction of a companion bill.

Join Korea Peace Advocacy by writing to your members of Congress using the form below.

The Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act would call for diplomacy and negotiations with North Korea in pursuit of a binding peace agreement to formally end the Korean War, requiring the Secretary of State to report on a roadmap for achieving permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. It would also require review of the current ban on travel to North Korea, and the establishment of criteria for exceptions, including for family visits and humanitarian aid.

Maryknoll missioners have felt firsthand the pain of unending war and separation on the Korean Peninsula. Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers were commissioned by the Holy See to minister to Pyongyang 102 years ago and were present for the founding of the Diocese of Pyongyang. Maryknoll Sisters helped establish the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the first local Korean congregation of Catholic religious sisters. But during World War II, Maryknoll missioners and many of their parishioners were forced to flee southward. Maryknoll Bishop Patrick Byrne and Maryknoll Sister Agnes Chang were both martyred during the Korean War.

In recent decades, Maryknoll Fr. Gerry Hammond has made over 60 humanitarian trips to North Korea to visit tuberculosis patients, dreaming of peace between the people he has come to love on both sides of the DMZ. His work has been hindered after 2017, when the U.S. implemented a travel ban restricting U.S. citizens from traveling to North Korea.

Please join us in advocating for Korea Peace Now! Write to your members of Congress and urge them to support the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act today.