The Presbyterian Peace Network for Korea rejoices at the significant developments during these first months of 2018 that have reduced tensions in the Korean Peninsula and raised hopes for peace in that region.
A six-person international ecumenical delegation, comprised of representatives of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) and led by WCC general secretary the Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit and WCRC general secretary the Rev. Dr. Chris Ferguson, visited Pyongyang on 3-7 May, at the invitation of the Korean Christian Federation (KCF) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) released a statement on April 27 in response to the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity, and Unification of the Korean Peninsula.
Presbyterians and other interested people will get a chance to learn about the Korean culture in person later this year.
The Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, in partnership with World Mission, will host a travel study seminar to Korea from Nov. 5–17.
All eyes have been on the Korean peninsula in recent weeks as the 2018 Winter Olympics have taken place. Presbyterians and other interested people will get a chance to see and learn about the Korean culture in person later this year.
Concerned Presbyterians have started a new network to contribute to current efforts to reconcile all sides of the Korean conflict through peaceful efforts. The Presbyterian Peace Network for Korea, related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), was launched in October 2017 by a group of Presbyterians with a passion for seeking peaceful reconciliation in the Korean peninsula.
War has a human face. Every shadow, every line, every wrinkle is part of the story. In a recent visit to South Korea, a PC(USA) peace delegation witnessed firsthand the human face of war. The delegation visited the War & Women’s Human Rights Museum. There they watched video interviews with “comfort women” — women kidnapped or lured by the promise of jobs and forced into sexual slavery in what were known as “comfort stations” for Japanese soldiers during World War II. The women in the video spoke no English. There were English subtitles to help translate. The subtitles, though, weren’t necessary. The women’s faces said it all.
