Opening Remarks

By Ms. Seon-Jong Lee

Co-Representative of Organizing Committee

The head of Seoul Parish, One-Buddhism

Now I declare the opening of the Northeast Asian Women's Peace Conference?Women's Six-Party Conference. I would like to send my special thanks to guests from home and abroad who attend this conference for the reunification of Korea and a lasting peace on the Korean peninsula. Today, instead of military coercion, we are here together with compassionate, motherly hearts for women’s peace in Northeast Asia.

Over time, we have undergone colonial rule, wars, the Cold War and division and have reaffirmed the importance of peace on the Korean Peninsula time and again. All these experiences help us realize that peace is not separate from life, and that peace is the fundamental wish of humanity and a universal human right. Every time we actively make efforts to maintain peace, promote human rights, and resolve and prevent conflicts, we are one step closer to the realization of dignity in women’s lives. This is a universal truth we all share.

During the three-day conference beginning today, we women in Northeast Asia will share our experiences and wisdom and look to a concrete, workable role women can play in building peace on the Korean peninsula and the region. Cooperation from women and women leaders from the six countries---South and North Korea, China, the USA, Japan and Russia---will enable us to transcend race, ethnicity, religion, history and national boundaries and promote reconciliation and peace. This conference will be the first stride in the long journey.

This international coalition provides the following vision: involvement of women, half of the world’s population, in establishing peace on the Korean peninsula and in Northeast Asia can be a great guide for future social action and a central idea for sustainable peace.

Women Committee of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, Women Making Peace, Korean Women’s Association United, and other peace organizations have striven to make this conference a success and their commitments have been a supreme sacrifice. I believe that, when women utilize a variety of experiences,talents and insights, such efforts will serve as a stepping stone for women to enhance policy decision-making, leadership and educational opportunities for peace in the region.

As a way to go beyond the experiences of living under colonial rule and during the Cold-War to transcend culture and political systems, this meeting will offer a venue for trust-building among women and encourage women’s participation in the peace process in Northeast Asia to establish a peaceful regime on the Korean peninsula. It will also motivate women to make contributions to the peace process on the Peninsula and in the region. Once again, I wish for this conference to get off to a good and cooperative start. Thank you.