WUNRN
Website Link Includes Video.
2015 Women’s Walk for Peace in Korea
On May 24,
2015, thirty international women peacemakers from around the world will
walk with Korean women, north and south, to call for an end to the Korean War
and for a new beginning for a reunified Korea. We will hold international peace
symposiums in Pyongyang and Seoul where we can listen to Korean women and share
our experiences and ideas of mobilizing women to bring an end to violent
conflict. Our hope is to cross the 2-mile wide De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) that
separates millions of Korean families as a symbolic act of peace.
2015 marks the
70th anniversary of Korea’s division into two separate states by Cold War
powers, which precipitated the 1950-53 Korean War. After nearly 4 million
people were killed, mostly Korean civilians, fighting was halted when North
Korea, China, and the United States representing the UN Command signed a
ceasefire agreement. They promised within three months to sign a peace treaty;
over 60 years later, we’re still waiting.
Meanwhile,
thousands of Korean elders die every year waiting on a government list to see
their children or siblings after being separated by the DMZ. In North Korea,
crippling sanctions against the government make it difficult for ordinary
people to access the basics needed for survival. The unresolved Korean conflict
gives all governments in the region justification to further militarize and
prepare for war, depriving funds for schools, hospitals, and the welfare of the
people and the environment. That’s why women are walking for peace, to reunite
families, and end the state of war in Korea.