Four of us from the International Women’s Network were part of a delegation who visited North Korea and crossed the Demilitarized Zone on May 24, 2015: Kozue Akibayashi (Japan), Gwyn Kirk (continental US), Lisa Natividad (Guahan/Guam), and Suzuyo Takazato (Okinawa).
The 30-woman delegation came from 15 nations and included big names like Gloria Steinem, and Nobel Peace Laureates Leymah Gbowee and Mairead Maguire. Other members were artists, scholars, humanitarian aid workers, and faith leaders.
We walked with Korean women, north and south, to call for an end to the Korean War and for a new beginning for a reunified Korea. We held international peace symposiums in Pyongyang and Seoul where we listened to Korean women, and members of the international delegation shared their experiences of women’s activism for peace and disarmament. We stitched together quilts as a symbol of our responsibility and commitment to stitch Korea back together.
For more information see: www.womencrossdmz.org