Feature story
When Korean church leaders think about reconciliation, they speak of a strategy—not a “one-stop” event—that must be driven by the consciousness and consensus of the Korean people.
Rev. Changju Kim, general secretary of the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, believes that reconciliation is a really good message—and that reconciling starts with respect, and recognizing each other.
Rev. Hong-Jung Lee, general secretary, of the National Council of Churches in Korea, said he believes reconciliation and unity are the strategy to save the world. But “strategy” is an important defining term, he said, because reconciliation indeed is not a one-stop event. “Because of that, we need to somehow enhance our spirituality and carefully design a strategy to achieve reconciliation and unity,” Lee said.
“And the people’s power should be main strategy,” added Lee. “The people’s consciousness and the people’s consensus are the fundamental driving forces.”
One peninsula, divided people
Kim recalled that, though North and South Korea share the same peninsula, they are still divided and that currently there is great tension between the two nations.
“Sometimes we have a dialogue with each other,” he said, looking back over the decades that have passed since the 1953 Armistice Agreement suspended hostilities in the Korean War.
Next year will be the 70th anniversary of the armistice—and still the war has not ended, Kim said. In fact, despite efforts at dialogue, prayer campaigns, and peace-building forums over the years, dialogue between North and South Korea has hit a pause.
“We have to open again the dialogue between the two countries, not only at the political level but at the level of human beings and as people,” said Kim. “The conflict between our two countries is not our own problem—it is largely controlled by the world powers.”
Citing the U.S. government and others engaged in the Korean conflict, Kim reflected that the world’s most powerful governments have too much control over peace on the Korean Peninsula. “We are not solving our problem by ourselves,” he said. “The World Council of Churches can support us a lot in many different ways.”
There are all kinds of situations in the world in which people are facing roadblocks to reconciliation, Kim said. “I think the theme of the World Council of Churches 11th Assembly—‘Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity,’ is a really good message—reconciliation first, then we can make a solution,” he said.
Keep peace prayers going
Lee stresses that the Korean Peninsula has been in a never-ending, “forever war” situation since 1953.
Like Kim, Lee described times since then when there was dialogue—even face-to-face—between North and South Korea, and that ecumenical delegations have visited North Korea on several occasions over the years.
“Then, particularly, from [2006] we organized the Ecumenical Forum for Peace, Reunification & Cooperation on the Korean Peninsula—which is an actual programme of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs—and [the Korean Christian Federation] is a member,” said Lee. “In particular, I remember when there was a 70th anniversary of WCC in Geneva; at the time WCC invited both Korean Christian Federation [from North Korea] and National Council of Churches in Korea [from South Korea] representatives to attend the central committee meeting, and we were able to have a small session together and send greetings to the central committee, and there we were also able to meet Pope Francis and also the Ecumenical Patriarch.”
Lee believes, to reach an era of peace-building again, the peace prayer movement needs to be strengthened. “We can awaken our spirituality and then create a spirit of solidarity among the world’s Christian churches, so that also we can theologize this reconciliation process in a more deep sense.”
WCC 11th Assembly Minute on ending the war and building peace on the Korean Peninsula
