Crossings

A group of international women peacemakers sets out on a risky journey across the DMZ between North and South Korea, calling for an end to the 70-year war that has divided the peninsula and its people. Comprised of Nobel Peace Laureates and renowned activists, the team faces daunting logistical and political challenges as they forge a path with their Korean sisters toward peace and reconciliation.

A group of international women peacemakers sets out on a risky journey across the DMZ between North and South Korea, calling for an end to the 70-year war that has divided the peninsula and its people. Comprised of Nobel Peace Laureates and renowned activists, the team faces daunting logistical and political challenges as they forge a path with their Korean sisters toward peace and reconciliation.

In 1910, Korea was annexed by Japan and occupied until the end of World War II in 1945. The Korean War began in 1950 with millions of civilians dying - the 1953 Armistice Agreement, signed by UN Command, North Korea and China, ended the battle but not the conflict. Today, as a result, the Korean peninsula remains divided between North and South by the demilitarized zone known as the DMZ.

Christine Ahn, executive director of Women Cross DMZ, talks about the spark behind the organization and their mission. She explains the decision to do a peace walk from North to South Korea in 2015, and why Gloria Steinem and 28 other women activists from around the globe were specifically recruited to join them.

Meet the activists and leaders of Women Cross DMZ, an organization for peace and reunification of the Korean peninsula. Executive director Christine Ahn, Gloria Steinem, Vana Kim Hansen, Kozue Akibayashi, Netsai Mushonga and other extraordinary women from around the world gather together to do a peace walk across the DMZ in 2015 with the power and influence of a women's movement in their minds.

Christine Ahn, executive director of Women Cross DMZ, outlines the three goals of their 2015 peace walk. Ahn also shares the journey that she and the 29 women activists will take from North Korea to South Korea while meeting Korean women on both sides of the DMZ.

On July 27, 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed by UN Command, the Korean People’s Army, and Chinese People’s Volunteer Army at Panmunjom - this ended the hostilities but not the war. Decades later, in 2015, the activists of Women Cross DMZ visit the site on their peace walk and speak about their frustrations as they witness the Joint Security Area shared by North and South Korea.

Abigail Disney, a filmmaker and philanthropist, talks about what she sees during a tour of a North Korean kindergarten in Pyongyang. She and the other activists of Women Cross DMZ watch performances and play time by the young students but also witness the production that the children put on; the situation leaves them with mixed feelings as they know it is a complicated one.

While on their tour of North Korea, the activists of Women Cross DMZ are presented with a mix of theatrical performances. From singing to dancing and live music, the deeper message conveyed is one of violence during the Korean War when the North was attacked. As Gloria Steinem states, "this fear is being kept carefully alive."

Located within Korea's Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is Panmunjom, also known as the Joint Security Area. Controlled by North Korea on the northern side and the U.S.-led United Nations Command on the southern side, the peninsula is divided here on the military demarcation line. The site has historical significance as it is where the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed in 1953.

Christine Ahn of Women Cross DMZ talks about her position and portrayal on the peninsula in both North Korea and South Korea. As the executive director of the organization, her truthful words have been misconstrued no matter how cautious she has been. For Ahn and her fellow activists, this has been one of many hurdles in their mission for peace and reconciliation.