THE KUKMIN DAILY

The World Council of Churches sent an open letter to President Park Geun-hye on April 22, calling for dialogue and meetings between South Korea and North Korea. The letter also urged that the Unification Ministry rescind the fines it levied on NCCK in retaliation for its working-level talks with North Korean church leaders.

“We are deeply worried and disappointed over the South Korean government’s decision to impose fines and sanctions on the NCCK representatives who met with persons related to the (North) Korean Christians Federation this past February,” the WCC said. “We do not believe that penalizing encounter and dialogue between South Korean and North Korean Christians is a necessary or effective measure for reducing tensions and advancing the cause of peace; on the contrary.”

The letter continued, “Considering the situation of extreme militarization and nuclear arms on the Korean peninsula, the alleviation of tensions on the peninsula has become an existential problem not just for the North East Asian region but for all the people of the world…To this extent, North-South dialogue and encounter are urgently needed.”

WCC asked President Park “not to close channels of communication and encounter, but to intensify efforts to promote dialogue at all levels,” and expressed the hope that through Park’s leadership, Korea might be turned “away from this precipice, towards peaceful co-existence and an end to the suspended state of war.”

Earlier, on April 14, 18 church denominations in South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan, all of which belong to the North East Asia Church Forum, sent an open letter to President Park, warning that the Korean government’s penalties may hamper North-South civilian exchanges, and urging immediate revocation of the measure.

NCCK Peace and Reunification Committee members Dr. Noh Jung-sun (who chairs the committee) and committee members Rev. Jeon Yong-ho, Rev. Cho Heon-jeong, Rev. Han Gi-yang and Rev. Shin Seung-min were in Shenyang, China, this past February 28~29 for a working-level meeting together with Kang Yeong-cheol, who chairs the Korean Christian Federation, and four other persons from KCF, to discuss the North-South Common Prayer used this Easter, and to seek ways of cooperating for North-South reconciliation. They reported their meeting to the Unification Ministry following their return to Korea. The Unification Ministry, however, for the reason that they had not received prior approval for the meeting, levied a fine of 10 million won on the group, requiring each of the five persons to pay 2 million won.

Reporter Narae Kim (narae@kmib.co.kr), with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)


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