Mission life: THE KUKMIN DAILY

WCC Formally Announces Conference for Peace on Korean Peninsula To Be Held in Switzerland

2014-04-10 16:07


Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), formally announced at his April 9 press conference in the Korea Christian Building on Daehak-no, Jongno-gu, Seoul, that the WCC, together with the churches of South and North Korea, will hold an “International Conference for Peace and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula” in Geneva, Switzerland, this coming June 16~19.

“Following the Busan Assembly last year, WCC decided to begin a ‘pilgrimage for justice and peace,” General Secretary Tveit explained. “The June meeting in Geneva is one of the follow-up projects that the Busan Assembly resolved to implement for peace and reunification of the Korean Peninsula.”

The director of the WCC Churches’ Commission on International Affairs (CCIA), Peter Prove, said, “Though there is not much time left before the June meeting, we will do our best to achieve meaningful results, together with persons who have been working with us for peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula, but also inviting many other partners with diverse experiences and abilities from around the world.” He added, “For this, we will cooperate closely with the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) and the Joseon Christian Federation (JCF).”

NCCK General Secretary Kim Young-ju announced that from this year, the week before August 15 will be designated as the “Week of Prayer for Peace and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula,” with the churches of the world joining Koreans in prayer. “The June meeting will discuss how the churches of South and North Korea and the world church can implement the Declaration for Peace on the Korean Peninsula, which came out of the WCC Busan Assembly,” he said. “The results of the June meeting will be reported to the WCC Central Committee in mid July, and we will cooperate ever more closely for peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.”

Recalling the Busan Assembly, WCC General Secretary Tveit said, “Speaking for the world church, I want to thank the Korean church and its members for their abundant help, enabling the Assembly to proceed successfully to its conclusion.” He asserted, “The Busan Assembly left a ‘monumental footprint’ in the history of the ecumenical movement and the world church.”

Reporter Choi Seung Wook (applesu@kmib.co.kr), with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)


Click here for the original article in Korean

Related Article

Popular Articles

Total Mission Kuki
Yoido Full Gospel Church

Banners

2013 WCC Myungsung church