A Journey Toward Healing at the DMZ S. Korea — Women's Federation For World Peace International

By Hongju Lee

WFWP Korea

In early summer, about 80 women gathered for the “Wellness Peace Journey,” an immersive experience that was far more than a field trip. Beginning at Camp Greaves in Paju, the program combined dialogue, reflection, and wellness practices to help participants reimagine unification not as a distant ideal but as a lived process of empathy and connection.

On the first day, participants joined the “Unification Empathy Classroom,” engaging in spirited debates on the theme “Pro vs. Con: Unification.”

A young activist in her 30s reflected, “I realized it’s not about insisting on my own views but about listening to others. It felt like practicing how to communicate and persuade about unification in real life.”

The following day, the group visited the National Memorial Hall of the Korean War Abductees, Camp Greaves, and the DMZ Peace Forest. Standing amid stark reminders of division and war, participants also encountered the resilience of life in nature’s renewal.

A member in her 60s shared, “At the Memorial Hall, I felt the pain of division in my body. But in the DMZ forest, I saw life growing over scars. Peace must be built on memory and healing.”

The DMZ Peace Forest offered a serene setting, with sunlight streaming through a glass ceiling and birdsong filling the air. Yoga and walking meditation helped participants connect deeply with the present moment.

A woman in her 40s commented, “While doing yoga near the DMZ, I realized peace isn’t something far away—it can start right here, in the calmness of this moment.”

Through meditation, dialogue, and shared reflection, participants discovered that the land once marked only by confrontation could now embody peace and reconciliation. The experience reaffirmed that healing and unification are intertwined journeys—beginning within everyone.

The “Wellness Unification School” and “Wellness Peace Journey” enlightened that peace begins in the heart, wellness refines that peace, and unification grows through empathy and shared experience. For the women who participated, these programs were not only educational but also deeply transformative—linking personal well-being to the vision of a peaceful future for the Korean peninsula.

The program was WFWP Korea's continued commitment to peace and unification by hosting the “Wellness Unification School” as part of a public service project supported by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Building on last year’s success, this year’s program ran for four weeks—on May 15, May 22, May 29, and June 5—drawing enthusiastic participation from more than 50 attendees each session through an online platform.

The 'Wellness Unification School' offered three-hour lectures every Thursday afternoon, covering diverse topics that bridged personal well-being and the broader vision of peace on the Korean peninsula.

May 15 – Jeong Seo-yoon, defector-turned-youth leader and author of "An Accidental Landing," spoke on “Our Efforts to Overcome Division.” Drawing lessons from German unification, she urged participants to break away from stereotyped views of North Koreans and continue working for reconciliation.

May 22 – Lee Hwa-jeong, a middle school teacher and co-author of "Empathic Communication That Works," led a session titled “Empathy Recovery Classroom.”

She emphasized the importance of expressing and listening to feelings and needs, introducing conflict mediation methods through empathic dialogue.

May 29 – Ryu Hyun-min, CEO of O₂ Footprint and meditation instructor, presented “From Inner Peace to World Peace!” Participants learned mindfulness techniques, yoga, and compassion meditation, experiencing wellness practices firsthand.

June 5 – Ra Hoon-il, a North Korean Studies scholar at Dongguk University, delivered “Unification Humanities Classroom.” Drawing on his books Stories of Unification for Teenagers and Stories of War and Peace, he guided participants through Korea’s history of division and reconciliation, concluding with a film screening that resonated deeply with the audience.

Participants of the four-week program went to a special experiential trip: the “Wellness Peace Journey” on June 11–12, held at Camp Greaves near the DMZ and the DMZ Peace Forest.