{"id":721,"date":"2019-09-17T05:00:24","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T09:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapeacenow.org\/?p=721"},"modified":"2019-09-26T15:15:30","modified_gmt":"2019-09-26T19:15:30","slug":"prominent-feminist-gloria-steinem-and-women-leaders-to-call-for-an-end-to-the-korean-war-at-the-dmz-and-near-u-s-embassy-in-seoul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapeacenow.org\/prominent-feminist-gloria-steinem-and-women-leaders-to-call-for-an-end-to-the-korean-war-at-the-dmz-and-near-u-s-embassy-in-seoul\/","title":{"rendered":"Prominent Feminist Gloria Steinem and Women Leaders to Call for an End to the Korean War at the DMZ and Near U.S. Embassy in Seoul"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For immediate release<\/strong>
September 16, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seoul, South Korea<\/em> \u2014 Feminist pioneer Gloria Steinem and a delegation of women leaders from the United States, South Korea, and Japan will deliver a message of peace across from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019. Their demands are that the U.S. must get out of the way of inter-Korean economic cooperation, move forward on ending the war, and work toward a peace agreement. And for the Korea peace process to be successful, women must be involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs one of the thirty women from around the world who defied naysayers by crossing the DMZ in 2015, I witnessed the impact of this unresolved war on Korean lives,\u201d said Gloria Steinem. \u201cWe need a peace process to end this longest war, and we know from every example that peace is more likely and lasting if women are at the table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs talks appear to advance between the United States and North Korea, it\u2019s crucial that women play a central role in the peace process,\u201d said Christine Ahn, Executive Director of U.S.-based Women Cross DMZ. \u201cWomen are disproportionately impacted by this ongoing conflict \u2014 from sanctions that harm North Korean women\u2019s health and livelihoods to sexual violence against South Korean women around U.S. military bases. Women must have a say in how to end it.\u201d In 2015, Women Cross DMZ organized a crossing of the DMZ with 30 women peacemakers, including Steinem and two Nobel Peace laureates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is well substantiated that women\u2019s participation leads to more durable peace agreements,\u201d said Mimi Han, an Executive Board Member of The National YWCA of Korea<\/a>. \u201cThe United States and South Korea have national laws committing to women\u2019s inclusion in conflict management and resolution. Now is the time for implementation and action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s at stake is the security of those living on the Korean Peninsula and all of Northeast Asia,\u201d said Kozue Akibayashi, the former international President of WILPF and a researcher and activist who specializes in a feminist analysis of peace and security. \u201cThe current tensions between Japan and South Korea are rooted in Japanese colonial rule, so a peace agreement will go a long way toward healing decades of pain and mistrust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The delegation of women leaders will be in South Korea for \u201cLet\u2019s DMZ,\u201d<\/a> a peace forum in Gyeonggi, South Korea to commemorate the first anniversary of the Pyongyang Joint Statement between North Korea and South Korea. Steinem will deliver one of three keynote speeches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a session titled \u201cWomen Crossing Borders: From the DMZ to the women\u2019s peace movement,\u201d Steinem and leaders from Korea Peace Now! \u2014 a global campaign of women mobilizing end the Korean War \u2014 will discuss the gender implications of the unresolved war and how women\u2019s inclusion is vital for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This delegation of women is part of Korea Peace Now! Women Mobilizing to End the War<\/a>, a global campaign to educate, organize, and advocate for a Korea peace agreement by 2020. Women Cross DMZ<\/a>, Nobel Women\u2019s Initiative<\/a>, Women\u2019s International League for Peace and Freedom<\/a>(WILPF), and Korean Women\u2019s Movement for Peace<\/a>launched the campaign in March 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schedule of events:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To schedule an in-person interview and\/or obtain photos, please contact Kathleen Richards<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT: Press conference featuring women leaders calling for an end to the Korean War and the creation of a peace process that includes women<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHEN: Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, 11:30 a.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHERE: Across the street from the U.S. Embassy in Gwanghwamun Plaza, 172 Sejong-daero, Sejongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SPEAKERS:<\/p>\n\n\n\n