WUNRN
Women News Network
SOUTH KOREA - WOMEN CALL
FOR NUCLEAR-FREE PEACEFUL WORLD
In an impassioned plea for peace,
twenty-two women’s organizations in
(WNN)
We Korean women remember the tragic atomic
bombings of
We Korean women feel an enormous sense of crisis
as we witness the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in March
2011. We are shocked once again at the destructive power of radiation seen in
the loss of human lives, environmental pollution and contamination of food. We
are even more shocked at the foolishness of those who continued to build
nuclear reactors even after the danger of nuclear power generation was demonstrated
at Three Mile Island and
The Seoul Nuclear Security Summit will be held
from March 26-27, 2012. We South Korean women question the rationale behind
this
We South Korean women want to announce our stance
before the Sherpa meeting is held from January 16-17, 2012 in
1. Nuclear security must start with the
elimination of nuclear weapons.
At the 2010 Washington Nuclear Security Summit, leaders focused on the security
of nuclear materials, but did not discuss the reduction or elimination of
nuclear weapons or reactors, which should be the core issues of any nuclear
talks. Consequently, participating 5 nuclear-weapon states (NWS) were
criticized for imposing non-proliferation and nuclear security regulations on
non-NWS, while NWS themselves did not carry out their responsibility of
eliminating nuclear weapons. Although non-NPT nuclear weapon states (
We South Korean women call all nuclear weapon countries including the
2. Nuclear power generators must be phased out and
their export must be suspended.
The South Korean government has announced that the Seoul Nuclear Security
Summit will promote nuclear energy safety and its peaceful use, and that the
Nuclear Industry Summit, preceding the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, will
provide a place to formulate measures for safe use of nuclear power. However,
we believe that the government sees the
The
3. To build a nuclear-free world, governments must
cooperate with the women and civil society.
A nuclear-free world is possible only when governments around the world walk in
step with their citizens, including women. The South Korean government has
announced that it will consult its people in preparation for the Seoul Nuclear
Security Summit. So far, however, the government has cooperated only with those
from industry, academia and social organizations which support nuclear energy.
The South Korean government must listen to the voices of all those in society
who are interested in a nuclear-free world. We call the government to build a
mechanism for cooperation with the women and civil society on peace-related
issues, including nuclear issues, as called for by the UN Security Council’s
Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
Furthermore, in preparation for the
Proactive negotiations by the six-party nations, including the
In order to achieve peaceful coexistence of all
living things, we must stop producing nuclear materials and begin using
renewable energy. By doing so, we can realize a nuclear-free world and resolve
the contradiction of the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, which claims to seek
solutions to nuclear terror even as nuclear materials continue to be produced.
We Korean women, in solidarity with women around the world, call for new forms
of cooperation with governments in order to realize a nuclear-free world in the
near future.
This formal statement was released officially
by twenty-two women’s organizations in
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Authors of this release include the Organizing
Committee of the Northeast Asian Women’s Peace Conference, Korean Women’s
Association United, Women Making Peace, The Women’s Committee of the Korean
Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, Kyunggi Women’s Association United,
Korea Church Women United, Korea Differently Abled Women United, Jeju
Association for Women’s Rights, Daegu Women’s Association, Daegu Kyungbuk’s
Women’s Association United, Korea Women Migrants’ Human Rights Center, Pohang
Women’s Association, Korea Women Workers Association, Daejeon Women’s
Association for Peace, Korea Women’s Political Solidarity, Korean Association
of Women Theologians, Gwanggju Jonnam Women’s Association United, Korean
Association of Christian Women for Women Minjung, Jeju Women’s Association,
Korea Women’s Studies Institute, Cheonan Women’s Association, Korean Womenlink
(a total 22 women’s organizations in South Korea).