The Korean War began on 25 June 1950 and an armistice was signed on 27 July
1953, although the two sides have never agreed a peace treaty.
Currently, a period of tension exists between North and South Korea
following the sinking of a South Korean navy ship in March. The Seoul
government says the ship was sunk by a North Korean torpedo attack but
Pyongyang denies this.
Prayers in Seoul will be said for national reconciliation, the National
Council of Churches in Korea said on 16 June. The council added that its
president, the Rev. Byung-Ho Jeon, would also preach on the theme of, “just
peace”, and the council would issue, “The Declaration of South Korean
Churches for the Peace and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula” on 17
June.
“Today, the North and South are once again heading toward the path of
distrust and confrontation by abandoning the fruits of reconciliation and
cooperation brought about through long and hard work,” the already prepared
text says. “To make thing worse, the crossfire of vilification and
demonstrations of strength are threatening not only the peace and security
of the Korean peninsula but also [the rest of] Northeast Asia.
“South Korean churches reaffirm their mission to let justice roll . and
peace spread to all nations . by proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom of
God to the Korean peninsula and the world,” says the declaration, alluding,
in part, to a biblical verse from Amos 5:24. The statement adds that the
churches look forward to the time when they can, “welcome the day of peace
and reunification, when the barbed wire and the wall that divides the North
and South will be dismantled”.
The council has also announced that the Korean Christian Federation, the
council’s North Korean counterpart, has sent it a letter saying that the
federation is preparing a special worship service to pray for the
implementation of an October 2007 joint pledge by the leaders of the two
Korean states to bring peace to their countries.
The council adds that in its letter, the North Korean federation expressed
full support for the South Korean council’s decision to hold its Week of
National Reconciliation, and the special prayer service.
On 3 June, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, the Rev.
Olav Fykse Tveit, had expressed, “concern” over the “precarious” situation
in the Korean peninsula. This was echoed in a 7 June statement by Prawate
Khid-arn, general secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia based in
Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The Korean War was fought between South Korea, supported by Western powers
and the United Nations, and North Korea and China, with air support from the
Soviet Union.
In 1984, the WCC initiated efforts to help bring peace and reconciliation to
the region through the “Tozanso Process”, which brings together Christians
from the two Koreas and other nations.
