Churches support Korean reunification at Hong Kong consultation
The Rev. Kang Yong Sop, chairman of the Korea Christian Federation of North Korea, and the Rev. Tae Jin Bae, of the National Council of Churches of Korea (South Korea) - bridged more than 60 years of separation in jointly presiding over a celebration of the Eucharist.
In a momentary foretaste of Korean reunification, two Korean pastors - one from the north, one from the south - bridged more than 60 years of separation in jointly presiding over a celebration of the Eucharist during a worship service commemorating more than 25 years of work toward bringing peace and reconciliation to the divided Korean peninsula. The “Tozanso Process”, which brings together Christians from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the north and the Republic of Korea in the south, as well as representatives of partner churches from other nations, was initiated by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in 1984.
The Rev. Kang Yong Sop, chairman of the Korea Christian Federation of North Korea, and the Rev. Tae Jin Bae, of the National Council of Churches of Korea (South Korea), shared in reading the prayers of holy communion before offering the Eucharist to an ecumenical congregation.
The service was part of an international consultation organized by the WCC and the Christian Conference of Asia, called to celebrate 25 years of churches and ecumenical bodies from around the globe working to pave the way for further cooperation on the issue of Korean reunification.
The three-day consultation on “Peace, Reconciliation and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula: An Ecumenical Vision beyond the Tozanso Process” includes nearly 140 church leaders from 30 countries. Four church leaders from North Korea are among those attending. The consultation is being held in Hong Kong from 21 to 23 October. At least 10 of these same church leaders were participants at the 1984 consultation in Tozanso, Japan, which initiated the Tozanso Process.
The Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the WCC, said in an opening presentation that the people of the entire Korean peninsula are yearning for peace and reconciliation.
“There has been substantial progress achieved in terms of advocacy on Korea during the years since the 1984 Tozanso consultation,” Kobia said. He then called on the group in Hong Kong to move the process forward by reflecting “more carefully on what is our vision of peace, justice and reconciliation in its totality”.
“We need to envision peace based on the concept of shalom, a vision of justice, peace and reconciliation”, he said.
Subsequent gatherings of what was then called the Tozanso Process Consultations have been held with Christians from North and South Korea in Switzerland, China, Japan and Germany, and also during other WCC conferences and assemblies in Moscow, Canberra, Harare and Porto Alegre, Brazil.
While the separation of Korea remains and may be even more tense than it was 25 years ago, the process, at the least, has kept the discussions going within the church and between Christians from North and South Korea.
The goal of this consultation is to set a course for continuing the Christian involvement of the ecumenical community in the reunification of Korea.
The continuation of the separation of Korea means continued instability in northeast Asia. China, Russia, Japan and the U.S. all have regional interests at stake in the Korean situation.
Through 23 October the group plans to look at the issues of peace, reconciliation and reunification from a variety of perspectives, including presentations from China, Russia, Japan, the U.S. and both Korean republics.
Full text of the opening address by the Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia at the International Consultation on Peace, Reconciliation, Reunification of the Korean Peninsula
"Kobia and WCC delegation meet North Korean president Kim Yong-nam"
"Nurture our unity in Christ, Kobia tells North Korean congregation"
WCC programme on Public witness: addressing power, affirming peace
