Yoomi Jeong, one of the members of the ANSWER Coalition national steering committee, has died after a two-year battle with cancer. Yoomi was the leader of the Korea Truth Commission, a member group of the ANSWER’s steering committee. She was 46 years old.
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Yoomi’s life work and her tremendous effort to fight this disease became a source of inspiration for thousands of Korean people in the south, north and overseas. Her friends, comrades and supporters included people of all nationalities.
On July 29, the movement for Korean reunification in Seoul will hold a ceremony and remembrance and celebration of the life and work of Yoomi Jeong. Representatives of the ANSWER Coalition could not attend in person but sent the following message to that gathering.
The message conveys our deep sense of loss and our appreciation for the life of this wonderful comrade.
Message of Eulogy for Yoomi Jeong from Brian Becker, National Coordinator of International ANSWER Coalition
Our sister and comrade Yoomi Jeong devoted her life not only to the reunification of the Korean people but to the overall struggle against war and colonialism.
She was a member of the National Steering Committee of the ANSWER Coalition in the United States between September 2001 and her tragic death.
As hundreds of thousands of people marched to oppose the U.S. war of aggression against the Iraqi people starting in 2002, Yoomi was a powerful voice from the Korean Truth Commission in the ANSWER Coalition leading these protests opposing the imperialist occupation of Iraq. She always drew a sharp parallel between the bitter lesson of foreign occupation in Korea with the struggle of the Iraqi people to protect their sovereignty and independence.
Her wonderful personality, easy smile and friendly demeanor were coupled with a rock hard determination to political principle and selfless capacity for hard work. These characteristics are what made Yoomi so appreciated and loved by people in Korea and in the United States.
We will miss her so deeply but her memory will always be with us. She is part of a great tradition of selfless fighters who devote their life to the struggle for justice. She has nourished that international movement just as she too gained personal strength from the movement of the millions who struggle for justice, equality and human dignity.
Yoomi Jeong is present in our hearts and minds!
Brian Becker
National Coordinator on behalf of the ANSWER Coalition
