07384
June 27, 2007

North and South Korean Christians pray for reunification

by Kwon Hyeok-Ryul
Ecumenical News International

SEOUL — Christians from both parts of divided Korea have prayed together for the reunification of their country, which has been split in two by a militarized demarcation line since the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War.

The National Council of Churches in (South) Korea and the (North) Korean Christian Federation organized the joint prayer meeting in advance of the seventh anniversary of the North-South Korea joint declaration of  June 15, 2000. This statement proclaimed the two sides’ intent to work towards peaceful reunification.

The head of the Salvation Army in South Korea, General Chun Kwang-pyo, said, “The two Koreas have been divided for 62 years ... the joint declaration is our hope for reunification, and churches in the North and the South will do their best to make it happen.”

The June 4-6 combined prayer meeting took place at Mount Geumgang in North Korea, which the communist authorities have opened up as a tourist resort for South Koreans.

The chairperson of the Korean Christian Federation, the Rev. Kang Yong-Sub, described the 2000 reunification declaration as a “watershed” for his people in North Korea. “After the declaration, amazing things like trains from North and South crossing the fortified boarder have happened,” he said.

In May, for the first time since the country was divided, trains crossed between the South and the North. The trains traveled over two rail lines. One runs along the east coast, and the other connects Seoul, the capital of South Korea, with Sinuiju, a North Korean city near the North's border with China.

Still, a June 15 editorial, posted on the Web site of the Hankyoreh newspaper, noted, “Relations are clearly limited, however, despite the accomplishments. The main reason is that the North Korean nuclear issue has yet to enter a phase where it is really being resolved, but the lack of a proactive approach by both governments is also part of the problem. It is time North and South start anew with a framework unlike the one they have worked with in the past.”

In a joint declaration, participants at the June prayer meeting urged further cooperation between the two Koreas in order to achieve unification. The gathering also discussed ways of giving practical assistance to the North. Representatives from the Assemblies of God denomination at the meeting offered support to 40 local churches in the North, while the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea discussed the possibility of building a public nursery. The Korean Christian Federation also asked for support to provide medical equipment for a hospital that treats heart complaints.