Urge your Representative to Support Peace for the Korean Peninsula!

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has been in mission partnership on the Korean Peninsula for over 130 years. And, since the signing of the armistice agreement that merely paused open warfare on the Korean Peninsula, the church has advocated for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and reconciliation across the division on the Korean Peninsula.  We refer to the Korean War as a “forgotten war” in the United States, but it is lived as a “forever war” on the Korean Peninsula.    Because the Korean War did not end with a peace treaty but was merely paused with an armistice treaty signed by China, the UN Command headed by the US, and North Korea, the two Koreas are essentially still at war, and the United States plays a leading role in perpetuating the conflict as it exercises wartime command authority (OPCON) over the South Korean military.  The ongoing state of war has led to continuous suffering throughout the peninsula as millions of families remain separated, resources are directed to tools of destruction, and human rights are sacrificed in the name of security in both South and North Korea.  As the US and South Korea refuse to end and plan on expanding joint military drills that promote hostility in the name of defense, North Korea has responded with the resumption of missile tests. The recent outbreak of COVID infections in North Korea further threatens the stability of the entire region, and humanitarian cooperation would otherwise address the problem, but humanitarian projects are hampered by US and UN sanctions.  The 2018 General Assembly directed the offices of the PC(USA) to communicate with domestic and international governments and agencies to encourage the peaceful resolution of the divisions on the Korean Peninsula, lift sanctions threatening the lives of North Koreans, and seek expansion of people-to-people exchanges across the divide. Two bills proposed to the House of Representatives further these initiatives: the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act, H.R. 3446, which calls for serious, urgent diplomacy in pursuit of a binding peace agreement to formally end the Korean War; and the Enhancing North Korea Humanitarian Assistance Act, H.R. 1504 which expedites the provision of humanitarian assistance, including life-saving medical care, to the people of North Korea. It is critically important that the U.S. government and the international community commence a new process of peace-building across the Korean peninsula.   With so many lives at stake, the United States, as a major party to the ongoing war, has a moral imperative to proactively seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Please contact your member of Congress and urge them to cosponsor HR 3446 and HR 1504. Urge your Representative to Support Peace for the Korean Peninsula! Our partners in the National Council of Churches of Korea (NCCK) are also asking for people to sign the Korea Peace Appeal. The campaign aims to end the Korean War and achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula by collecting 100 million signatures of the Korea Peace before July 2023, the 70th anniversary of the armistice agreement. More than 370 South Korean civil society organizations, religious groups, individual supporters, and international partner organizations are participating in the Korea Peace Appeal Click here to sign on to the appeal, and please indicate “Presbyterian Church U.S.A.” in the affiliation field. Click here to view the Stated Clerk's video message supporting the Korea Peace Appeal.