One World, Many Wounds: My Prayer for Peace, Freedom, and a Better Tomorrow
I was born in Seoul, South Korea, and came to America at a young age. That single act changed my entire life. I grew up as a Korean American, grateful for the freedom, opportunity, and stability this country gave my family.
Korea remains one of the most painful examples of what happens when a nation cannot find a way to live peacefully with different ideas. One people, the same history, the same culture, split into two countries for more than seventy years with parents separated from children and entire families severed by borders they never chose. When the Korean War ended in 1953, it did not end with peace, only with an armistice. A ceasefire. A pause in violence, not a resolution. The border that was meant to be temporary hardened into one of the most militarized lines in the world. And on either side of that line, the same people were pushed into radically different futures.
South Korea embraced democracy, innovation, and global engagement. North Korea fell under totalitarian rule, isolation, and fear.
When I recently visited, the contrast was overwhelming. At night when standing in the demilitarization zone, you can see South Korea glowing with the light of a thriving democracy. North Korea is almost completely dark. That darkness symbolizes something deeper than a lack of electricity, it symbolizes a people cut off from freedom, opportunity, and even their own families.
Today, the world faces new divisions. Russia and Ukraine remain locked in a devastating war. Iran continues to fuel instability across the Middle East. These conflicts remind us how fragile peace is and how desperately the world needs strong leadership capable of de‑escalation and diplomacy.
If any president could bring people to the table and push for peace whether in Korea, Ukraine, or the Middle East, it would be President Donald J. Trump. Many people point to his willingness to engage directly, his recent success with bringing peace to many conflicts through bold negotiations, as signs of that potential. God be with President Trump as he tries to negotiate peace with these warring nations.
And then there is America. Many are talking about how divided we have become. But please remember that America once faced a division so deep it tore the nation apart. The Civil War split families, communities, and states. Yet under President Abraham Lincoln, a leader who believed in unity and human dignity, the country found a way forward. That history reminds us that even the deepest wounds can be healed.
As someone blessed by the opportunities America gave my family, I pray for a future where freedom and dignity prevail, not only in Korea, but for the people of Ukraine, Iran, and every nation suffering under conflict or oppression. I hope for lasting peace, for reunification where it is needed, and for a better tomorrow and I remain hopeful for the day when the lights shine across the entire Korean Peninsula and when people everywhere can live free, united, and at peace.
Carol Pefley
Candidate for Ca State Assembly
