SEOUL – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, taking a break from nuclear disarmament issues, discussed women's rights and her love for husband Bill during a visit Friday to a South Korean women's university.
Some 2,000 students at Seoul's Ewha University gave Clinton a standing ovation as she entered the hall and frequently interrupted her speech with applause.
"No country has yet achieved full equality for women. There is still a lot ahead for us to make sure that gender equality becomes reality," Clinton said in her speech.
"Part of my mission as the secretary of state is (making sure) the United States is committed to enhancing the rights of women."
Clinton said society still makes it very hard for women to balance family and work, and called for more flexible working hours.
She recalled her own experience working for a law firm when male colleagues pretended not to know she was pregnant.
When she gave birth to Chelsea, she received a call from a colleague asking when she was coming back to work. Instead, she said, she proposed maternity leave and he failed to understand the concept.
Asked how she knew that ex-president Bill was and is her one true love, Clinton responded: "How does anybody know about love? If you can describe it, you may not fully be experiencing it.
"My husband is my best friend," she added. "We have an endless conversation...we never get bored.
"I just feel very fortunate...that I have a relationship that's been so meaningful to me in my adult life."
Clinton urged the students to pursue love, saying "personal relationships are really what's important in life."
She recalled how a scientist friend who was dying had summed up her life.
"I've loved and been loved. And all the rest is background music," she quoted her friend as saying.
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