A group of South Korean female business leaders said Friday they are planning to provide assistance to women and children in the areas hit by the March 11 quake and tsunami.
The aid will take the form of a cash donation of $100,000, goods worth $150,000 and other assistance, including business advice for women living there and psychological care for victims over the next five years.
"We regard Japanese as our closest neighbor. Of course, Japanese ladies are like our sisters," Sung Joo Kim, a leader of the group named Women Help Women, said during a news conference at the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo. "When we heard about the disaster, we felt we have to do something about it."
The 10-member South Korean delegation came to Tokyo on Thursday to discuss with their Japanese counterparts what they can do for women and children victimized by the natural calamity.
Women share a lot of common features in their lives, Kim said.
"When women are happy and healthy, their family members will be healthy and happy," she said, explaining the reason why the group is focused on assisting women and children.
Park Kyung Ah, president of the Korean Medical Women's Association, said the most important need at evacuation shelters is mental health care.
She said her group will arrange for psychologists and psychiatrists to provide mental care to victims in the affected areas.
All of these may be small steps, but women should hold hands together to move forward to overcome the tragic history between the two nations, Kim said.
The group is hoping to visit the quake zone sometime after November, Kim and her Japanese counterparts said. "Our hearts (are) with them. We will be with them for the future," she said.
