Women Making Peace

I. WHO ARE WE?

Women Making Peace is a specialized movement organization formed to realize reunification and peace on the Korean peninsula and to make peace in Asia and the world. Women Making Peace was founded on March 28 1997. Since its inception the organisation has been committed to building a just and peaceful society through nonviolent means – a society based on respect for each individual, and having at its core the highest standard of human rights.

Korea has been divided since 1945 and the people have suffered the deep pain of division. The two Koreas are technically still at war because the Korean War of 1950-53 ended with only an armistice agreement rather than a peace treaty. Reconciliation and cooperation between the two Koreas is urgent, and the people have a strong desire for the unification of the two Koreas.

We promote tolerance and peace of mind as general values in society, promote citizens’ peace-making skills, and in general cultivate a life-centered culture of peace for the world. We carry out concrete social actions to facilitate Korean reunification and peace. We try to facilitate the equal participation of women in the settlement of conflicts and disputes, and promote women’s leadership in peace-making at home and abroad. We work in solidarity with international peace groups, exchanging information concerning peace and security and thus expanding international women’s peace-making networks. Women Making Peace looks forward to a 21st century where justice and love, tolerance and cooperation, respect and care, peace and hope will flower in place of tension and confrontation, hatred and exclusion.

We should not underestimate the extent of the problem. But neither should we give up hope. The time for making peace – peace that will last – is now. Women Making Peace believe that by working together we can build a just and peaceful society for all.

II. THE HISTORY BEHIND WOMEN MAKING PEACE

Korea was liberated from Japanese colonization and divided into the two countries of South and North Korea in 1945. The Korean war broke out in 1950, resulting in 6 million injuries and deaths, 3 million refugees, and 10 million separated family members. After, an armistice was declared, prolonging the division of Korea. An arms race ensued; the mistrust, slander and hostility of both sides increased; and exchanges of people, letters and other forms of communication were cut off in 1953.

Women stood up for reunification and peace through their participation in movements such as: support for atomic bomb victims, anti-war anti-nuclear campaigns, movements for the reduction of defence expenditures, anti-Gulf war campaigns, countermeasure activities for the victims of sexual slavery under the Japanese military, and the Jubilee-reunification movement.

South and North Korean women met in Tokyo and held a conference on “Peace in Asia and Women’s Role” with Japanese women. It was the first meeting between the women of South and North Korea on the civilian level since the division of Korea in May in 1991. The 2nd conference was held in Seoul, Korea in November 1991. Fifteen North Korean women leaders set foot on South Korean soil for the first time since the division. The 3rd conference was held in Pyongyang, North Korea. Thirty women leaders from South Korea visited Pyongyang for the first time since the division. At this time, executive committees for the organizing and continuing of the “Peace in Asia and Women’s Role” conferences were formed in South Korea, North Korea, and Japan in September 1992. The 4th conference was held in April in Tokyo in 1993. The 5th conference was scheduled to be held in Seoul but this was not possible due to political disagreements between the South and North Korean governments in 1993. The Korean executive committee for the “Peace in Asia and Women’s role” conference gave up hope for the continuation of the conferences and began to discuss alternatives. Finally in 1996 it decided to create a specialized women’s peace movement organization which will maintain the aspirations and activities of the conference and develop them toward reunification.

III. WHAT DO WE DO?

1. Social Action for Peace and Reunification in Korea

■ Peace

Women Making Peace works for peace-related activities and participates in demonstrations and other movements to promote the peaceful resolution of conflict.

* Antiwar/Peace Movement

Women Making Peace has worked very hard against war and for peace after the terrible event of 9.11. First, Women Making Peace took action against terrorism and war and for peace, such as peaceful demonstrations, a position statement to G.W. Bush and Kim Dae Jung, and joint actions with women’s groups after 9.11. We stand firmly opposed to terror, violence, and war. Women Making Peace and the other 35 women’s groups believed that acts of terror should be eradicated. At the same time, the means to eradicate terror cannot be violent. Any retaliatory warlike act would surely bring pain to innocent victims. Various conflicts can best be resolved through peaceful means such as dialogue, understanding, negotiation and mediation based on justice and trust. These actions resulted in the organization of the Women’s Action against War and for Peace with 21 women’s groups.

Second, Women Making Peace started a “Peace Flier Campaign” to demand the suspension of terrorism and war in favor of peaceful resolution of differences on September 17, 2001. This campaign was organized by Women Making Peace and Ohmynews. This is a campaign to collect expressions for peace from all people who are against terrorism and war. The campaign stands in support of peaceful resolution. Websites of Women Making Peace and Ohmynews are gathering messages. The peace messages collected were sent to the US embassy in Seoul every week. Over 4,000 people joined the “Peace Flier Campaign” till December 2001. In particular, many school students and women in general joined the campaign.

Third, Women Making Peace worked against war with civil NGOs. Five hundred and fifty three groups, including women’s, workers’, farmers’, environmental, peace, and local groups made a statement against the war. We urged the US government to stop the retaliatory war, the South Korean government to cancel its support for the war, and were really worried about Japanese remilitarization. These efforts resulted in the Anti-War For Peace Building campaign. The Anti-War For Peace Building campaign works for supporting Afghanistan refugees.

* People’s Action for Reform of the Unjust ROK-USA SOFA Campaign

Women Making Peace joined with other NGOs in the People’s Action for Reform of the Unjust ROK-USA SOFA campaign in 1999. SOFA is the Status of Forces Agreement between the ROK and the USA, which governs US troops in Korea. Under SOFA, the US military is not responsible for environmental pollution or the destruction it causes, US bases use the land free of charge and US soldiers receive only minimal punishment for crimes against Korean citizens. The campaign also calls for the closure of the US Air Force bombing range at Maehyang-ri, where 12 Korean civilians have been killed and others injured. WMP has worked with groups that support women who work near US bases, including prostitutes. The SOFA reform campaign had great media coverage and helped raise public awareness on the injustice of SOFA in 2000. Women Making Peace made a statement regarding the reform of SOFA pertaining to women’s rights issues with two groups in 2000. The statement urged that a clause protecting women’s rights be established during the ninth reform process of the SOFA to be held in Washington in the end of September 1999. The statement was sent to President Clinton of the US.

■ Reunification

Purpose:

* Facilitate women’s participation in activities concerning reunification and international affairs.

* Organize exchanges and dialogue between North and South Korean women

* Organize meetings with Korean women abroad to seek ways for reunification

(1) Helping North Korean Women and Children

*”Share Food and Share Love” Campaign

Upon inauguration of the WMP in 1997, it initiated a campaign of “sharing food, sharing love” in order to help North Korean women and children who were suffering from severe starvation. It also issued a statement requesting the South Korean government to immediately and unconditionally supply grain to North Korea. March 28 – June 28, 1997. This campaign spread to other women’s organizations, and the WMP developed it with others. Women’s organizations, including the WMP, sent 26 tons of powered milk to the North Korean Women’s Association on Aug 1997.

– Second Campaign

Women Making Peace and the Korea Women’s Association United collected funds and sent inner wear to children and women in North Korea in December 2001.

* Women’s Forum for Peace and Unification

Women Making Peace has held the “Women’s Forum for Peace and Unification” in order to raise women’s awareness, develop policies, and organize women for reunification and peace since May 2000. Sometimes statements were adopted and sent to the administration at the forum. The main themes which were discussed included “The North-South Korea Summit: What Should Women do to Support the Summit?”, How to develop exchanges of women in North and South Korea, Reunification of Germany and Women, and so on.

2. Education

To foster people’s peacemaking abilities and form a culture of peace:

* Tolerance and peace education towards the formation of “new human beings” ready to build a unified Korea and a peaceful world in the 21st century

* Training of peace-makers

* Training for tolerance and conflict resolution

* Peace journeys to visit areas in Korea

1) Women’s Academy for Peace

This academy has been held twice a year since the inception of the WMP. It is to raise peace sensibility and educate women activists and members of the WMP. It includes women and human rights, women and reunification, and women and peace. In October 2001, the WMP organized an academy titled of “North Korean women’s lives in the transition period”.

2) Conflict Resolution Program

Anticipating conflicts between people from the North and the South in the course of reunification at the grass roots, Women Making Peace, the Korean National Congress for Reunification, and the Korean Women’s Association cooperated to organize “Conflict Resolution Train-the Trainers Program”, which was sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee. Fourteen activists who work with women’s, peace, local, reunification, and civil organizations joined the program.

The Conflict Resolution Training Program included: a) Study Tour to the United States (May 25 – June 6, 2001); b) Conflict Resolution Training Program Case Studies: Labor, Criminal Justice, Environment, April 2001; c) Conflict Resolution Training Program: Development of a Manual, March, 2001; 4) Conflict Resolution Training Program Mid-training Retreat, February, 2001; 5) Conflict Resolution Methodologies and Peace Education, December, 2000; 6) Conflict Resolution Training Program Orientation, June 2000; 7) Gender and Conflict Resolution Seoul, Korea, November, 2000; 8) Conflict Resolution Skills Training Seoul, Korea, September, 2000; 9) Conflict Resolution & Unification: a German-Korean Dialogue, July 2000.

Women Making Peace organized “conflict resolution program in schools” in December 2001. Twelve middle school female teachers joined the program and gave a great response to the program. Women Making Peace was encouraged by their active participation, and has a plan to develop the conflict resolution program in schools continuously.

3) Puppet Show on Reunification for Children

In order to educate and promote peace in the minds of children, Women Making Peace played a puppet show on reunification for children in 10 cities in South Korea in 2000. Children were very moved by the show.

3. Solidarity Activities

For the settlement of disputes and the realization of peace:

* Networking with peace-related groups at home and abroad

* Peace support activities and pressure activities for conflict solution

* Support for the peace related activities of other groups and participation in demonstrations and other movements to promote the peaceful resolution of conflict

Women Making Peace joins several networks such as the Korean Council for the Women drafted by Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, the Korean Campaign Ban to Landmines, and Korean Committee against Missile Defense and for Peace etc. The WMP was a key member of the peace division of the ‘ASEM 2000 People’s Forum’. The ASEM 2000 People’s Forum was organized to coincide with the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM III), which was a governmental meeting held on 20-21 October 2000. Korean peace NGOs had a plan to use the ASEM 2000 People’s Forum as an opportunity 1) to learn lessons from other countries’ experiences on peace-making and unification so as to develop strategies and methods for the peace movement in Asia and Europe; 2) to build networks among peace NGOs in the two regions; 3) raise people’s awareness on peace matter; and 4) to strengthen women’s abilities in promoting peaceful cultural initiatives from a feminist perspective. There were three workshops regarding peace and security: 1. How to build Peace in Asia and Europe – US strategies and Human security; 2. Peace in Asia and the Reunification of Korea; 3. Gender and Peace.

4. Research Activities

The Korea Women’s Institute for Peace Studies is under Women Making Peace. The Institute has conducted research on the conditions and methods necessary for the peaceful reunification of Korea, and presented policies toward that goal from a feminist perspective. ‘Domestic and International Peace Education and the Possiblilty of applying it to for Reunification Education’ was a research project which was sponsored by the Ministry of Unification in 2001. “Research on Women’s Conciousness and Attitudes about Reunification and Strategies for Promoting Women’s Conciousness”, which was sponsored by the Presidential Special Committee on Women in 1999.

Women Making Peace

The Women’s House of Peace 4th floor

38-84 Jangchoong-Dong1ga, Joong-Ku

Seoul, 100-391, Korea

Tel : 82-2-2275-4860 Fax : 82-2-2275-4861

E-mail : WMP@Chollian.net

http://www.peacewomen.com