wfn.org | Ecumenical women seek contacts in North Korea

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

July 20, 2000  News media contact: Linda Bloom·(212) 870-3803·New York
10-21-33-71B{335}

NEW YORK (UMNS) - An ecumenical delegation of women will travel to North
Korea on Aug. 23 in hopes of establishing direct relationships with
Christian women there.

The five-person delegation is sponsored by the Partnership with Women Task
Group of the National Council of Churches' (NCC) Church World Service unit.

Peggy Billings, who has had extensive experience with Korea issues, will be
the United Methodist representative. Now retired from the United Methodist
Board of Global Ministries, she was a member of the NCC's first official
delegation to North Korea in 1987. She also was chairperson of the North
American Coalition for Human Rights in Korea from 1975-88.

The goal, she said, is to make contact with women in the Korean Christian
Federation and eventually set up a network among women in the United States,
Canada, North Korea and South Korea. "As women who are part of the
denominations, we wanted to try to meet more women and see what their lives
are really like right now," she added.

The Partnership with Women Task Group grew out of a 1997 consultation that
included the NCC, Korean Christian Federation in the North and the National
Council of Churches of Korea in the South. "At that time, there was a
luncheon for women," explained Mia Adjali, a Women's Division executive with
the Board of Global Ministries who is co-chairwoman of the task group with
Pat Patterson, another United Methodist. "We thought it would be a great
idea if we could get the women to actually set up a consultation on
reunification and solidarity."

After the task group was organized, it postponed the idea of a consultation
and instead decided that providing assistance for the growing famine would
offer a way of connecting with North Korean women. "The way to meet them was
to actually go to North Korea...and bring humanitarian aid as we entered
into the discussion," Adjali said.

As a result of that decision, the delegation will accompany by a shipment of
$96,000 worth of cooking oil, rice and other supplies. In addition to Church
World Service, donors of the aid include the United Methodist Church,
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Presbyterian Church (USA), United
Church of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, United Church of
Christ, Franciscan International and Korean American Church Women United.

The most important task, Adjali said, "is to get dialogue going among
Christian women in all four countries."

The delegation will arrive during a hopeful period of reconciliation,
according to Billings. In June, the leaders of North and South Korea met for
talks for the first time since the outbreak of the Korean War 50 years ago.
The talks resulted in a broad agreement to work toward peace and unity and
set up a plan for a reunion of divided family members in August.

"We certainly hope that all of this positive change will show in
relationships between all people going into Korea," Billings said. 

Other delegation members are Nancy Anne Hudson, United Church of Canada;
Kathy Anne Jeffries, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); Wilma Samuella
Kucharek, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; and Carmen Alicia Nebot,
United Church of Christ.    

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United Methodist News Service
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