We Accuse!

Introduction

In 1951, the Women's International Democratic Federation - an international group consisting of women from around the world - formed a coalition that traveled to North Korea in the first stages of the Korean War.

In May of that year, this committee submitted a report to the United Nations, alleging that several war crimes had been committed throughout North Korea by Southern and American troops.

This incendiary report was met with dismissal or denial, as evidenced by this New York Times article published shortly after the release of the WIDF's Report.

Over time, this report has become increasingly difficult to find - and while much is known about North Korean violations of human rights, very little is remembered about those on the opposite side.

As the North Korean regime has continued to cement its role in geopolitics, other perspectives have been lost in the conversation, as has the history that shaped this complex regime.

There is no "concrete" evidence for the allegations presented in this report. Still, the witness testimonies, photographs, mass graves, and multiple accounts remain. Now, in 2025, the IB History class of 2026 at Headwaters School brings this document back to life, modernizing it for the 21st century through an interactive map.

In order to provide some balance, students have also studied a nuanced Western perspective of the war through Bruce Cuming's The Korean War: A History, examples from which will be included here.

Everything on this page has been studied, curated, and designed by the class of 2026.

Sources

• Women's International Democratic Federation. We Accuse!: Report of the Commission of the Women's International Democratic Federation in Korea, May 16 to 27, 1951. Women's International Democratic Federation, 1951.
• Cumings, Bruce. The Korean War: A History. First edition, Modern Library, 2010.
• Image: Massacre in Korea, Pablo Picasso, 1951.

Map Mode

Students

Access this activity via the 'Edit Mode' login page.

Guests

View this in a read-only format from the 'View Mode' page.

Questions?

Email Lei for more assistance: l.alor@headwaters.org