Photo: Bryan Vana/AFSC
This fall, AFSC is partnering with Women Cross DMZ and Mennonite Central Committee to drive congressional support for H.R.1369, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act. The bill calls for a formal end to the Korean War, a review of travel restrictions to North Korea, and the establishment of liaison offices in the U.S. and North Korea.
More than 30 members of Congress have co-sponsored this important bill, and we need your help to keep the pressure on the administration to resume diplomatic talks with North Korea.
Here’s what you can do:
1) Email your representatives to support H.R.1369, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act.
Let’s urge our leaders to take concrete steps toward peace in Korea and prioritize human needs over militarism in our federal budget—instead of continuing vicious cycles of military provocation, arms races, and wasteful spending.
Send messages to your members of Congress supporting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
2) While you’re at it, call your representatives, too!
Phone calls are an effective way to get your elected officials’ attention. Every week, Congressional offices compile the number of emails and calls they get on a bill, so your voice matters! You can call the House switchboard at 202-225-3121 and ask to be connected to your member’s office. If you’re not sure who your member is, you can look it up here. You can use this script:
Hello, my name is [insert your name] and I am a constituent from [insert city, state, zipcode]. I am calling to ask the representative to co-sponsor H.R.1369, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act. Pursuing diplomacy with North Korea is critical to breaking through the stalemate in U.S.-North Korea relations and supporting the people of North Korea. Thank you for your time and for considering my request.
3) Check out our polling data showing support for engagement with North Korea.
More than two-thirds of the U.S. public support talks between the U.S. and North Korea. That’s according to an AFSC-commissioned survey of 2,063 adults in the U.S., conducted by The Harris Poll in January 2023. Sixty-eight percent of respondents agreed that the U.S. president should offer to hold diplomatic talks with the North Korean leader. About half of respondents support ending the Korean War with a peace agreement. More than half, 52%, of respondents agreed that the U.S. government should end the Korean War with a peace agreement. This support has grown since our 2021 poll, which showed only 41% support.
4) Educate yourself and your community on the continued struggle for peace in Korea and continued humanitarian challenges.
For decades, humanitarian organizations and U.S. charities have supported the people of North Korea, yet U.S. regulations severely limit these groups’ ability to respond to critical needs. These organizations not only provide life-saving aid but are also the longest-standing channels for information from inside the country.
AFSC became the first U.S. public affairs organization to enter North Korea in 1980 when we sent a delegation to build mutual understanding and help reduce tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. Seventy years following the war, AFSC is still working to promote peace and engagement between the U.S. and North Korea. However, the unended war continues to serve as a barrier to the engagement needed to improve the relationship between the U.S. and North Korea. Isolation, sanctions, and travel restrictions have limited the people-to-people connections between Americans and North Koreans needed to build mutual understanding.
