Women De-Militarize the Zone
On the 70th anniversary of Korea’s tragic division by the United States and the former Soviet Union, thirty women peacemakers walked in support of the peaceful reunification of Korea. Women De-Militarize the Zone’s delegation included Nobel Peace laureates, authors, artists, retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright, academics, humanitarian aid workers, faith leaders, and mothers and grandmothers from a dozen countries, including several nations that fought in the 1950-53 Korean War. They walked to invite all concerned to imagine a new chapter in Korean history and to help unite Korean families tragically separated by an artificial, manmade division. They aimed to end the Korean War by replacing the 1953 Armistice Agreement with a permanent peace treaty and to ensure that women are involved at all levels of the peace-building process, including at the peace-making table when that historic treaty is negotiated and finally signed.
A 2015 grant from the Cultures of Resistance Network funded a full-time organizer in South Korea. The organizer did the significant legwork of preparing the press conference, organizing the rally and music festival, and putting together a program for the international peace symposium.
Website: www.womencrossdmz.org
