Rain or Shine: Dispatch from South Korea
As the political situation on the Korean peninsula continues to shift, our #WomenPeaceKorea: A New Era delegation with Women Cross DMZ spent the day demonstrating for peace and women’s representation in the process.
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During the opening ceremonies we heard from Young-Soo Han, President of the National YWCA of Korea, about the significance of the march. The 5.5 km Peace Walk began by crossing the Tongildaegyo (Unification Bridge). As we walked we were told that this was the first time civilians had actually crossed the bridge on foot.
“This strip of land symbolizes the longest division of a people, and it feels so amazing to be walking with 1,200 women to erase this division.” – Christine Ahn.
The march came just hours before it was announced that, despite American President Donald Trump’s Thursday cancellation of June’s Korea peace summit, South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un on the North side of the DMZ to continue talks.
“The time for peace has come. Peace can only come if the people build it. But peace also needs political leaders. So we call on Kim, Moon and Trump to sign a peace treaty for the people of Korea and for the world.” – Mairead Maguire.
The Peace Walk ended in Dorasan Peace Park with a Women’s Peace Walk Declaration reading and Peace Festival. Nobel peace laureate, Mairead Maguire, also spoke at the festival to highlight the power of civilian peacebuilders and call world leaders back to the negotiating table.
TAKE ACTION:
Sign our petition to President Moon, Chairman Kim, President Trump, and President Xi to remind them of their countries’ commitments to UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, and call on them to ensure that women’s movements are included in the Korean peace process.
Show your support by taking a picture of yourself with one of our posters, and tweeting it out with the hashtag #WomenPeaceKorea.
*SOURCE: Nobel’s Women Initiative — Go to ORIGINAL.
