Korean missiles launch: WCC writes to churches
Furor in Seoul over North Korea's threat to test its missiles (June 2006)
On behalf of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which has a two-decades-long record of supporting the peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula, its general secretary Rev. Dr Sam Kobia, today wrote to WCC member churches and the national council of churches in South Korea condemning the test launching of seven missiles, including the long-range Daepodong- missile 2, by the People's Republic of Korea on 4 July 2006.
"The Korean peninsula remains a flashpoint in the region and has the potential to ignite a major conflagration," WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia warns in his 7 July letter. "The belligerent and perilous tactics of brinkmanship by North Korea have needlessly heightened military tension in the Korean peninsula, endangering the peace and security of the people in the region," he adds.
The WCC letter underlines the importance of reviving stalled Six-Party Talks on peace and reconciliation of the Korean peninsula, and endorses a 7 July appeal by the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PROK) urging "all concerned countries to normalize diplomatic relations with North Korea and transform the current situation of conflict into a constructive process towards peace".
