Churches throughout the world are calling for a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War that started 70 years ago today.They are also calling for the normalization of relations between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States, in the quest for a peaceful future for the Korean Peninsula.
Seventy years ago, today, the war began in northeast Asia and left the Korean Peninsula devastated. Fighting was suspended by a ceasefire – the Armistice Agreement of 1953 – but the war has never been formally declared over or a peace treaty concluded. Special prayers and efforts are needed for a shared peaceful future on the Korean Peninsula future on this anniversary occasion, say the churches.
An renewed escalation of tensions in the region has recently put the world on edge again. A Joint Ecumenical Peace Message for the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War was publicly delivered on 22 June during a live-streamed event which acknowledged these tensions but described them as evidence of the urgent need for new initiatives for peace.
Co-sponsored by churches and councils of churches around the world, especially from countries that participated in the Korean War, the message describes the war as an “appallingly destructive conflict”.
They are calling for healing wounds for a shared future for the long-divided Korean people.
Sombre anniversary
“On this sombre 70th-anniversary occasion, we, as churches and councils of churches from countries that played a role in the division and conflict on the Korean Peninsula, join in calling for: An immediate formal declaration of the end of the Korean War.”
They are also calling for swift steps towards the adoption of a peace treaty to replace the 1953 Armistice Agreement, as a starting point for further progress towards the realization of a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
They note that “Seven decades after this war began, it is time to acknowledge that it ended long ago. New challenges to peace and stability in the region have arisen in the meantime, but we do not believe that the resolution of those challenges will be facilitated by keeping that 70-year-old conflict open.”
“On the contrary, we believe that the conditions for pragmatic dialogue and negotiation on current realities on the Peninsula could be greatly enhanced by recognizing the end of the war.”
They urge resumption of dialogue between the Republic of Korea and the DPRK, and between the USA and the DPRK, with the encouragement and support of other states who were involved in the Korean War.
They call for the normalization of diplomatic relations between the DPRK and the USA. The churches are also calling for the suspension and cancellation of any further military exercises in the region.
“We appeal for the fulfilment of the letter and spirit of all the agreements that had given so much hope of progress towards peace on the Korean Peninsula – in particular the Panmunjom Declaration of April 2018, the Pyongyang Joint Declaration of September 2018, and the Singapore Joint Statement of June 2018.”
The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania.
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