Against a backdrop of recent news events involving North Korea, members of an ecumenical delegation are reflecting on their recent trip to that country.
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.
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.
I need you to work late translating again tonight, Kurt,” Rev. Seung Min Shin told me at the end of the day. He handed me a statement written in Korean by Christians from North and South Korea in consultation. “We need the English version to send to the World Council of Churches tomorrow, and then we can use it for our peace treaty campaign,” he explained.