PROK PEACE INITIATIVE_?xml_:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
May, 2010
2010 is the sixtieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War which cruelly divided our peninsula and people. The PROK initiated a signature campaign to call to our government’s attention the need for a Peace Treaty to promote peace in the Korean peninsula, indeed, in all of north-east Asia. These documents outline the initiative which we invite our partners to share. World Communion of Reformed Churches, Christian Conference of Asia and Evangelishes Missionwerk in Sudwestdeutschland have already joined us and adopted the resolution which we summit as below.
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Signature Campaign for a Peace Treaty
in the Korean Peninsula
“. . .To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79)
This year we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Korean War which broke out in 1950 and we do not want to repeat the tragic experiences and devastating effects of war. We urge the signatory governments to repeal the 1953 Armistice Agreement and replace it with a Peace Treaty that will ensure peace and security in the Korean Peninsula. The Peace Treaty should substantiate the June 15, 2000 and the October 4, 2007 North-South Joint Declarations signed by the leaders of the two Koreas. The replacement of the Armistice Agreement with a Peace Treaty will de-escalate the threats of imminent conflict between North and South Korea and would ensure peace and security not only in Northeast Asia but the whole world.
We are doing this signature campaign to gather support for the making of a Peace Treaty. You are encouraged to support this move through your signature. Thank you.
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Resolution on Peace in the Korean Peninsula
May 17, 2010
To: Rev. Setri Nyomi
General Secretary, WARC
On behalf of the PROK, we bring warm greetings to all members of the newly formed WCRC.
First of all, we would like to express a heartfelt gratitude to the whole community of the reformed churches for their continuing support and prayers for peace and reconciliation in the Korean peninsula. On June 25, this year we Koreans will commemorate the 60 years’ anniversary of the Korean War. Even after 60 years of the tragic war, the Korean peninsula still remains a flashpoint exposing the great potential to ignite a major conflagration in the region and beyond. Therefore, PROK a member church of the WCRC would like to request the General Assembly of the WCRC in 2010 to adopt the following resolution on peace in the Korean peninsula. The prayers and actions of the WCRC will empower us Korean as well as the entire ecumenical community to transform the Korean peninsula into a peaceful place where the miracle of reconciliation and healing becomes a reality.
1. Economic sanctions against North Korea must be lifted and humanitarian assistance must be resumed.
Innumerable people in North Korea have died of dire famine and malnutrition in the past years. The Economic difficulties in the North Korea have resulted from the continuing poor harvests and natural disasters as well as the dysfunctional economic system. The more fundamental root cause, however, is the economic sanctions against North Korea that have been imposed on the country since the Korean War under the US leadership. Economic sanctions against a country of the chronic shortage of food and resources are to enforce death on the country. In this urgent situation, Asian churches must develop wisdom to persuade the international community to lift the economic sanctions against North Korea and to resolve the conflicts with sincere dialogue. At the same time we, Korean delegation, appeal to the churches, governments and NGO community in Asia and world to provide humanitarian support for the suffering people, particularly for children, women, and the elderly in the North Korea.
2. The armistice must be replaced with peace treaty.
This year we commemorate 60 years’ anniversary of the Korean War. In the Korean War, more than 2.5 million Koreans were killed and more than 5 million people were separated from their families. But technically the Korean War, which devastated the entire Korean Peninsula, has not yet ended. In other word, North and South Korea are still in a state of armistice as the war involved countries have not signed a peace treaty. As the tension and confrontation between two Koreas intensifies, there is high possibility of another war which will severely threaten peace in the Korean peninsula. Therefore, we strongly urge that the armistice must be replaced with peace treaty that will eventually initiate significant steps towards peace in the Korean Peninsula.
Rev. Bae Tae-Jin
General Secretary
Rev. Shin Seung-Min
Ecumenical Officer
EMS Mission Council Member
