ISO: PRK *************************************************************************** The electronic version of this document has been prepared at the Fourth World Conference on Women by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women Secretariat. *************************************************************************** AS WRITTEN STATEMENT BY HER EXCELLENCY YUN GI JONG, MINISTER OF FINANCE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA AT THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN Beijing, September 6, 1995 (Translation) Mrs. Chairperson, Distinguished delegates, I would like, first of all, to congratulate Mrs. Chen, FWCW President, on behalf of the Government Delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on your election to the Chairmanship of the Fourth World Conference on Women. I would also like to express my deep thanks and appreciations to the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Secretariat of the Conference for their great efforts for the preparations and success of this Conference. Mrs. Chairperson, It is of great significance that this Conference is reviewing the efforts made by the United Nations and the international community toward the settlement of the women's problem, an issue of worldwide serious concern, and discussing ways of promoting gender-equality, development and peace on the eve of the 21st century. Under the wise leadership of the Respected and Beloved Leader Comrade KIM IL SUNG and the Great Leader Comrade KIM JONG IL, great successes have been made in the efforts of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to resolve the women's problem. On November of 1945 right after Korea's liberation, the Respected and Beloved Leader established the Democratic Women's Union of Korea involving all strata of women in Korea, and rallied them into the struggle for the building of a new fatherland and achieving the social emancipation of women and the equality of sexes. The proclamation of the "Law on Equality of Sexes" in July 1946 has legally guaranteed the social emancipation of women. Today, the women's movement in our country has ushered in a new historical turning point under the wise leadership of the Great Leader Comrade KIM JONG IL, who is successfully carrying forward to accomplishment the revolutionary cause pioneered by the Respected and Beloved Leader. Women in our country are playing a great role in all fields of social life, political economic and cultural, with equal rights with men. In our country all the women are taking part in the social activities, free from any concerns of worry, thanks to the State measures and policies for protection of and privileges for women, including the system of free medical service and the system of the paid maternity leave, plus the superior Law on Education and Upbringing of Children and the free education under which the State is responsible for the education and upbringing of the children. Committed to upholding the lifetime teaching of the Fatherly Leader, and rallied closely in the single-hearted unity around the Great Leader Comrade KIM JONG IL, we will consolidate and further follow up with the successes already achieved in the solution of women's problem, and make an active contribution to the common cause of gender-equality, development and peace worldwide. Mrs. Chairperson, The women's problem is, in essence, a political question of realizing the social and political emancipation of women and their independence. It is our view that a smooth solution of the women's problem, both at the national and international level, should not only require the social emancipation of women and legal enactment of the equality of sexes but also prioritize the social measures and conditions necessary for the effective achievement of the above goals. On the other hand, we believe that top priority should be accorded to the international efforts for an early elimination of poverty, unemployment, diseases and illiteracy which threaten the survival of mankind and remain a big stumbling-block in the solution of the women's problem, so as to promote the political position of women in their State and social life and to enable them to truly enjoy their rights, economic, social and cultural. This problem is all the more urgent in the developing countries that had long remained as colonies in the past. The developed countries, who have due responsibilities for the origination of such critical situation in the developing countries, should respond to the calls for economic cooperation with these countries without any political strings attached thereto. We believe in the urgency of effective countermeasures aimed at ending and preventing all forms of armed conflicts, disputes, arms race and the ever-growing violence on women, which have adverse effect on world peace and security and on the worldwide solution of the women's problem. In particular, international measures should be worked out to save women from all forms of violences, as part of efforts to protect and improve the human rights of the women. As the issue of violence against women is bringing on strong international condemnation as a grave violation of human rights and under debate at the United Nations, I am now recalling the criminal act of the so-called "comfort women for the Japanese Imperial Army", that occurred during World War II, a fact that had remained in oblivion of history for as long as half a century. As is widely known to the world, the issue of the "comfort women" is an anti-ethical and anti-human rights crime, the precedent for which can never be found in the history of mankind, a crime committed by the Japanese war-time government which pursued its state policy of forcing as many as 200,000 women, mainly from Korea and from the rest of Asia and Europe, to serve as sex slaves for the Japanese "Imperial Army." However, the Japanese authorities, at this point of time of mounting international demand for compensations and restitution for such criminal acts, are trying to substitute these compensations and restitution with a non-governmental recompense in the form of a "consolation money" collected from its ordinary citizens through a so-called "citizen's fund." We strongly urge the Japanese government to honestly accept the criminality of its acts, fully disclose the whole truth behind their crimes, bring to justice those responsible for them, and make State- level compensations to all the victims including the surviving victims. Mrs. Chairperson, I would like to express my conviction that the current Conference taking place amidst great expectations and concern of all women and people of the world will mark an important opportunity in setting forth the correct directions and ways for the solution of the women's problem and adopting effective measures to that end. Thank you.