International Conference for Peace

and Reunification on the 10th Anniversary

of the '88 Declaration

Theme : Advance Toward the New Millenium of Peace

Date : 18 - 20 June

Venue : Yong-In  Hanwha Resort

Host : NCCK Reunification Committee

Greetings

Rev. Kim Dong Wan

General Secretary of NCCK

It was an unforgettable moment back in 1988 when the Korean Church Declaration for National Peace and Reunification was proclaimed to a standing ovation.

No less intense than the chairman's tears as he read the manifesto was the impact which the '88 Declaration had on Korean church and society: many Korean churches without hesitation blasted NCCK as a pro-communist organization, and the government also criticized our reunification movement as a sentimental activity.

Being a true confession of faith, however, the Declaration was strong enough to persuade church and society, and even the authoritarian military government could not avoid altering its unification policy through the July 7 Declaration.

Indeed, the '88 Declaration has played a major role in "guiding" the peaceful reunification movement for the past 10 years. In the meantime, the environment for North-South reunification has shifted enormously in the vortex of political and economic changes at home and abroad. In 1992, the governments of South and North adopted the "South-North Basic Agreement," the contents of which were greatly influenced by the '88 Declaration. This is why the "South-North Basic Agreement" is the major agenda of this conference.

The above-mentioned achievements are all due to the church leaders, at home and abroad, who have supported and cooperated for the reunification of the Korean peninsula in spite of all the problems. On the anniversary of the '88 Declaration, on behalf of NCCK, I want to express our warm gratitude and love to all of you.

What we expect from this conference is to bring out a reunification policy that can be applied to the changed environment as we face a hopeful 21st century. As is well known, both Koreas are suffering under economic distress: North Korea is in a severe food crisis, and South Korea is suffering under the IMF bailout program. For now, the only method by which Korea can conquer this crisis is to be found  through reduction of military defenses, inter-Korean reconciliation and mutual trust.

Facing the new century, we should come up with an appropriate solution to the present structure with its unbalanced distribution of wealth. With the vision of the Jubilee, and the new millenium, it is also necessary to develop new movements such as reduction of international debts.

May God bless all of you who, irrespective of distance, have come here with the passionate desire for the reunification of South and North Korea.

Thank you.

Schedule

18(Thur.)                                               Remark

13:00-14:00      Registration

14:00-15:00      Opening Worship                   Sermon: Rev. Kim Hyung Tai

15:00-16:00      Key Presentation                   Rev. Lee Sang-Chul

16:00-16:30      Tea Break

16:30-18:00     4 Panel Presentations           peace/ inviolability /exchanges and                                                                   cooperations / Missions

18:00-19:30      10th Anniversary Reception

of the '88 Declaration

19:30-21:00     Special Forum : Peace and Collective Security on the Korean Peninsula

21:00-21:30      Announcement and Closing Prayer

21:30-           Rest

19(Fri.)

07:00-08:30      Breakfast

09:00-09:30      Morning Prayer

09:30-10:30      Special Presentation (1) : North-South Economic Systems and

the Future of the United Economy

Yoo Jong Kun, Advisor to President Kim Dae Jung

10:30-11:00     Tea Break

11:00-12:30     Panel Discussions (4)

12:30-14:00     Lunch

14:00-16:00     Sub-panel Discussions (!2)

16:00-16:30     Tea Break

16:30-17:30     Panel discussion (4)

17:30-19:30     Dinner

19:30-20:30     Special Presentation (2) : Government Unification Policy and

Private Expectation

Kang In Duk, Minister of Unification

20:30-21:30     Plenary/Panel Reports

21:30-          Announcements and Closing Prayer

20(Sat.)

07:00-08:30     Breakfast

08:30-09:00     Morning Prayer

Bible Study : Rev. Kenichi Otsu, General Secretary of NCCJ

09:00-10:30     Plenary Discussion(Adoption of Statement

10:20-11:30     Closing Worship

11:30-          Lunch

CONTENTS

Greeting    -------------------------------------------------

Schedule    -------------------------------------------------

Key Presentation    ------------------------------------------

Theme : Advance Toward the New Millenium of Peace  --------

- Rev. Lee Sang Chul

Presentations by 4 Panels

First Panel: Reconciliation  ---------------------------

1) Rev. Park Chong Wha

2) Prof. Lee Jang Hee

Second Panel: Non-aggression --------------------------

1) Prof. Roh Chung Sun

2) Dr. Chi Man Won

3) Vikctor Petlyuchenko

Third Panel : Exchanges and Cooperations  --------------

1) President Oh Jae Shik

2) Prof. Lee Young Son

3) Dr. Park Kyung Soh

Fourth Panel : Mission -----------------------------

1) Dr. Cho Wha Soon

2) Rev. Son Eun Ha

3) Victor W.C. Hsu

Special Forum: Peace and Collective Security on the Korean

Peninsula

Special Presentation 1 -------------------------------

Theme : North -South Economic Systems in the IMF era

and the Future of the United Economy

- Yoo Jong Kun, Governor of Chonbuk Province

12 Sub-Panel

Special Presentation 2 ---------------------------

Theme: The New Government's Policy Objectives Toward

North Korea

-Kang In Duk, Minister of Unification Board

Panel Report

Plenary

International Conference for Peace and Reunification on the 10th Anniversary of the '88 Declaration

1. Them : Advance Toward the New Millenium of Peace

2. Date : June 18(Thur.) - June 20(Sat.), 1998

3. Location : Hanwha Resort, Yongin

4. Opening Worship Sermon : Rev. Mim Hyung Tai,

Chairman of NCCK Reunification Committee	(at time of the '88 Declaration)

5. Key Presentation : "Advance Toward the New Millenium of Peace"

Rev. Lee Sang Chul,

Honorary President, Victoria University in Canada

6. Special Presentation 1 : "South-North Economy in the IMF era and

the Future of the United Economy"

Yoo Jong Kun,

Governor of Chunbuk Province

Special Presentation 2 : "Objectives of the New Government's Policy

Toward North Korea

Kang In Duk, Minister of Unification Board

7. Special Forum - Under the theme of "Peace and Collective Security on

the Korean Peninsula" (Northeast Asian Church                             representatives will announce their own stands.

South Korea - Park Jong Wha(NCC)

World Church - Dr. Park Kyung Seo(WCC)

Russia - Archpriest Viktor Petlyuchenko(Russian Orthodox Church)

Japan - Rev. Kenichi Otsu(General Secretary of NCCJ)

USA - Mr. Victor W.C. Hsu

8. The panels are divided according to the basic framework of                the South-North Basic Agreement, with the issue of mission added.

9. 1) Church specialists, 2) specialists, and 3) foreign church leaders will

make presentations

A. Reconciliation

- Dr. Park Jong Wha(NCCK)

- Prof. Lee Jang Hie(Specialist, Professor of Law, Hankuk Foreign

Languages University)

B. Non-aggression

- Dr. Noh Jong Sun(NCCK)

- Dr. Chi Man Won(Specialist, Cocial Developement

Resaerch Institute)

- Archpriest Viktor Petlyuchenko(Foreign Church,

Russian Orthodox Church)

C. Exchange and Cooperation

- Chairman : Oh Jae Sik(NCCK)

- Prof. Lee Young Sun(Specialist, Yonsei University Reunification

Problem Research Institute)

- Dr. Park Kyung Seo(Foreign Church, WCC-Asia desk)

D. Mission

- Rev. Cho Wha Soon(NCCK)

- Rev. Son Eun Ha(Specialist, General secretary of

Yongdungpo Industrial Mission Center)

- Mr. Victor W.C. Hsu(Foreign Church, NCCC-USA)

10. Method of Panel Operation

A. All discussions are divided into 4 panels (Reconciliation /

Non-aggression / Exchanges and Cooperation / Mission).

Each panel is subdivided into 3 sub-panels.

B. The procedure of the conference is as followings:

1) The Presentation of each panel is done in an the assembly hall.

2) Discussion related to each panel

3) Discussion by sup-panels

4) Reports from each panel

5) Plenary discussion

6) Conclusion

Peace March Toward the New Millenium

Rev. Lee Sang Chul

Former Moderator of

the United Church of Canada

I. Looking Back on the 20th Century

1. We could say the 20th century is a revolutionary era in all aspects of human life.  At the same time, humankind has experienced joy and sadness, war and peace, hope and frustration, and life and destruction.

A lot of old things have disappeared and new things have emerged.  The world once found itself shivering, 5 minutes before complete destruction.  The world community became tongue-tied at the news that we could see cloned humans by the end of this century.  The final evaluation of the 20th century can be summarized as an era of "Good & Bad".

2. We have been proud of the 20th century which has been controlled by sharp reason and accurate scientific theories, but there were also miracles which could not be explained by any theory.

After WWII almost all colonies became independent.  Polarization under the Cold War system had already crossed "the bridge of no return", but Mikhail Gorbachev's Perestroika contributed to the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the world witnessed the end of the Cold War era.

In a short time, the world came to share technology, a worldwide communication network and a trade system, with the establishment of a global market developed by the superpowers to ensure their wealth and power.  Dreams of the era of globalization and humanity living together have become the visible life style of humankind.

In addition, there have occasionally been happenings and phenomena which could not be explained by traditional thinking and dominant theories.  We would say, "It's a miracle" whenever we witnessed these phenomena.  In the 20th century, human beings have utilized their maximum creative ability.  But at the same time, we have learnt that human history has been developed by the Creator's providence and intervention beyond human wisdom.  We therefore should face the 21st century with an appreciation of out Creator's providence and gift of creative ability which brings together all knowledge of human beings.

II. Preparation toward the 21st Century

I will here mention a few things which are regarded by futurists as preparations toward the 21st century, and are related to the future of our nation in conflict.

1. Futurists say we should repent of our life in the 20th century before we meet the 21st century.  They mention mainly the materialistic civilization and the imbalance of spiritual culture.  They say we have used new knowledge negatively.

2. Futurists say the new paradigms of the 21st century will force humankind to abandon many of the things they possess at present.  According to their assertion, therefore, human beings should change their attitude of living for possessions into the attitude of possessing for living.

3. There are several assignments which the 20th century gives to the 21st century.

a. We should educate people so that they can cope with the rapidly changing world, implementing preparations for the 21st century in a wide range.

b. We will live together: mutual dependence, shared life and co-existence will be the foundations of 21st century social order.

c. We should keep in mind that the life-sharing concept will be important not only for relations among human beings but also for relations between humankind and nature.

d. In the 21st century, the slogan of globalization will be visibly adapted to the life of humankind.

e. The 21st century will be a decisive opportunity for humankind to achieve world peace.  Yitzhak Rabin, the former Israeli Prime Minister, said, "There is no alternative but Shalom."

Final speech of Yitzhak Rabin

f. The world-renowned Catholic theologian Hans Kung warned, "There can be no peace among the nations without peace among religions.  In short, there can be no world peace without religious peace."□

III. Korean People's Agenda in the 21st Century

The 21st century will be a challenge to Koreans.  The signs of the new paradigm which will lead the 21st century seems to focus on the agenda faced by the Korean people.

1. We Koreans, in our divided situation, should carefully consider the advice to "repent before you meet the new millenium".  Korean history of the past 100 years is spotted with shame.  It is especially tragic that we have not yet overcome the national division.  The people of the North and the South, especially those in the leadership, should take responsibility for the national division, repent, clear away the hatred from their minds and recover the nation's identity.

2. We should seriously consider the reality of the national division, remembering that the division of a community of humankind violates the creation principles of our Creator.  The Indian holy man Mahatma Gandhi said, "I am a part and parcel of the whole, and I cannot find God apart from the rest of humanity." That is, a person in division cannot live a human life.

Oriental Blessing, Matthew Fox, Bear & Company, 1983, New Mexico, p. 277.

The division of the nation is destroying all the beautiful human character of the Korean people.  It has caused the lament that "the North is insane and the South is spoiled."  What is worse, our division does not remain as merely Korea's problem, but threatens the peace of Asia and the world.  Furthermore, it could endanger the dream of humankind to live together in the 21st century, supporting one another, under the new paradigm which will make all of humanity one family.

3. The new paradigm of mutual dependence, co-existence and mutual prosperity is the best gift from God to humankind, which has miraculously survived the fatal threat of nuclear war so far.  Therefore, the most important task of humankind in the 21st century is the achievement of a co-existing human community.  Economic connections, communications networks, technology and trade are no longer independent but have become globalized spheres.  So it is said no nation can independently survive outside of the human community system.

At this point, the future which we are envisioning is not the future of an individual nation or state but the common future to be shared with the world community.

Our nation cannot survive in exclusion from the whole human community.  The same principle warns that if the South and the North do not achieve a "living-together" relationship, neither can survive.  We should create such a living-together society through peaceful co-existence and peaceful exchange, even though we cannot immediately accomplish political reunification.

A life-sharing paradigm should also be applied to the relations between human beings and nature.  The beautiful Korean peninsula is wounded throughout by all kinds of pollution.  We need bold policies to heal the suffering of nature and make it full of life again.

4. "Globalization" has become the most used word in the world, along with verbal images of the human community of shared life.  Globalization is the slogan of all nations which regard the world as a common community and desire mutual support, protection and growth.  If one nation pursues only its own interests regardless of measures and methods that cannot be called globalization.  When a nation or a state shapes economic policies, it should consider neighboring countries' benefits as well as its own prosperity, on the basis of the spirit of globalization.  In the globalized community we can live well only when we also support our neighboring countries' well-being.

5. During the 20th century, a political philosophy was justified which assumed world peace could only be sustained by strong military power.  This philosophy succeeded Rome's "Pax Romana" policy of conquering the world.  But peace has not yet come, even though the world now has nuclear arms enough to destroy the whole earth dozens of times.  Ironically, peace began to come upon the world's courageous decision to give up enormous amounts of nuclear arms.

One again, the world should keep in mind the warning of the former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, "Conflict between nations can be settled not by military power but by Shalom."

Our nation also should recognize and admit that the idea of reunification by military power is the way to common destruction; there is no choice but peaceful reunification.  We should recognize that the world is full of the energy needed to reunify our nation, and should seek the wisdom to use that energy 100%.

6.  Nobody denies that religions have to play their own role in accomplishing national reconciliation and world peace.  I believe the religious sector in South Korea also can contribute to reunification in various aspects.  But it is worrisome that the religious sector is exposed too much to complex conflicts.  Some ask how the religious sector, which cannot even overcome its inner conflicts, can promote national reunification.  I call on the Korean churches, especially the Protestant churches, to repent of the conflicts among themselves and do their best to find a way to be one community.

Hans Kung lays emphasis on talks among diverse religions.  He asserts that world peace cannot be achieved without conversations among different faiths.  His words seem like a warning to our nation.  Active dialogues among religions are under way in many countries in the world.  But as a matter of fact,  Western Christianity was begun and grew on the basis of a position which did not recognize the existence of other faiths, especially the Asian religions.  So it is not desirable that we entrust the western churches, which have only limited knowledge of oriental religions, with the duty of inter-faith talks.  The Asian churches should take on the responsibility for inter-faith talks because the Asian churches accepted Christianity when other religions already existed, and Asian Christians still meet people of other faiths and live with them.  The Asian churches should overcome their passive attitude, which leads them to avoid meetings with other faiths.  They need to consider the reality that they can be stronger when they deal with diverse secular agenda in cooperation with other faiths.  Therefore, they should seek ways to understand other faiths through dialogue and cooperation with one another.  It is likewise their duty to teach the Western churches the results, because the Western churches regard inter-faith talks as one of the important agenda to be dealt with in the 21st century.

IV. Our nation should make a decision for reunification on the basis of our desire and passion for it, even though the world tendency and new paradigm are favorable to us.  During the past half century, the two Koreas have hated, cursed, wished for the collapse of each other and even slaughtered each other with weapons.  In spite of the reality, there have been some miraculous events during the past 50 years, which could not have been expected under the circumstances, and which expressed the will for reunification.

First, the South Korean and North Korean governments suggested some measures for reunification and agreed on a few things, as follows.

. Ministry of Unification, White Paper on South-North Talks

- Koryo Federation System Reunification Proposal announced by North Korea

in 1960

- 7.4 (July 4) Common Declaration agreed upon by the two Koreas in 1972

- Reunification Proposal on National Reconciliation and Democracy announced by

the South in February 1982

- Basic Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-aggression and Exchange and

Cooperation between South and North Korea in February 1992

- Three Step Reunification Proposal announced by Kim Dae-jung in 1971

. Korea in the 21st Century and Kim Dae-jung's Vision, One Nation Culture Institute, Chungpa, Seoul, 1997, p. 237.

Most people who have framed proposals related to Korean reunification thought that peaceful reunification was just emotional thinking, and that in fact reunification was only possible by military power and assimilation.  When we think of this, all their proposals were miraculous.

Those proposals first were regarded as insincere propaganda.  But as time went by, we came to admit that they implied a strong desire for reunification and the contents were worth practical use in shaping the reunification process.  The generation who experienced national division lamented that nobody would think of reunification after their generation was gone.  But we have witnessed over the past years that the younger generations also are eager to accomplish reunification.

During the past several years, there have been aid campaigns inside and outside Korea for the starving North Korean people, and we have witnessed with pleasure the people's strong desire for reunification.  We should not neglect the people's desire for reunification, which has emerged in diverse shapes; we must distinguish jewels from mud when preparing the ground for reunification.

At the end of the 20th century, there have been many events in the international community and between the divided two Koreas.  We just called them miracles because it was not possible to explain them with general theories.  Through these miraculous events we could envisage the future of the world and our nation.  We know the future of humankind and our nation depends on the Creator's providence: the future of humanity and our nation will be developed by creative energy.  And we have come to realize that problems among countries are very political, but if we cautiously look at those problems, we can find they are closely related to problems among people.  Relations among people imply more basic problems than do ideologies and political systems have.  They concern various agenda such as human dignity, mutual respect, exchange and cooperation, love, hope, mutual cooperation, justice and peace, and all these concerns can be contact points.  In particular, when a nation is in a divided situation, family relations, longing, love, and hope to live together can be main contact points.

For the past half century, we have tried to justify our position that the South and North cannot co-exist because of differences of political ideologies and systems, and therefore, we can hate each other like enemies.  Both the South and the North have maintained such positions.  Now we are living in the post-Cold War era, and should admit that the people on the other side are people of the same blood who share culture and tradition with us.  We should demand our basic rights to meet, love each other, share possessions, live together and grow together, because we are people of the same blood.

The reunification movement should not be a movement by which one side makes the other side submissive.  It should be a movement to meet each other and create a better system and ideology.  The focus of the reunification movement is to let people meet and live together, transcending all differences.  The reunification movement should be a movement to accomplish reconciliation between the two Koreas, accept the other side just as it is, respect and love each other, and establish a national community of shared life together.

We are inclined too much to think of "political reunification".  But in view of the present relations between the South and the North, peaceful co-existence and peaceful exchange are priorities to be accomplished.  First, South Korea and North Korea need to agree and proclaim that the other side is not the enemy.  Because we are not enemies, we should agree to guarantee peaceful co-existence and establish diverse exchange programs based on brotherhood and sisterhood.  If we reconfirm and implement the content of the Basic Agreement between the South and North, political reunification will be near.

In the 20th century we have experienced many events in which violence caused another more brutal violence and finally the reconciliation and non-violence movement brought peace.  Vietnam, Yemen, Israel, Palestine and Northern Ireland have experienced it.  They learned that a historic miracle occurs where the desire for peace exists.  If our nation's people confirm that peace and reunification are the only way to national survival, and reflect on ourselves, we can discover a number of elements which can make reunification possible.

There is a possibility that the world will achieve unprecedented rapid development under the light of a new paradigm leading the 21st century.  Under the same light, the future of our nation will not be dark.  It seems that the road to reconciliation and reunification is getting broader than before.  We feel the definite will of the Creator to fill the world with peace (Shalom), and the active response of humankind.  People's optimism, which sees the historical flow and the new paradigm, and believes in the desire and providence of the Creator, is not ignorance and vanity, but the vision that will open a new history.

"Reunification as Reconciliation"

Dr. Park Jong Wha

Chair of Int'l Affairs

Committee of NCCK

1. Reconciliation as the Substance of Reunification

1.1 Reunification is a vessel in which peace as agoal can flourish. Here  peace is to be understood as both reconciling peace and peace-making reconciliation.

1.2 In the long term-perspective, reconciliation envisions a fully  "reconciled national community", but a reconciling and reconciled life-style  in the midst of the division can make a foretaste of reunification possible.

1.3 Division as political "original sin" should be used in a very limited way,(e.g. referring to negative aspects of the division in need of repentance and renewal). We need further to develop positive outcomes  out of the division, such as a spirit of constructive competition, national fraternity,  inner solidarity, etc. Reconciliation includes both overcoming the negatives and nurturing the positives.

1.4 In the Christian perspective the church is called to be a community of reconciliation "in season and out of season" to build peace locally and throughout the world.  Such  reconciling mission is the common ground of our ecumenical solidarity and action.

2. Reconciling actions agreed in the "North-South Basic Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-aggression and Cooperation" (1991)

2.1 Points of reconciliation in the Basic Agreement:

Mutual recognition and respect (Art. 1)

Non-interference (Art. 2)

No slandering and defamation (Art. 3)

No subversive or destructive acts (Art. 4)

Replacement of the armistice treaty by a peace pact (Art. 5)

Cooperation at the international level (Art. 6)

Installment of representative offices (Art 7)

Enforcement of a N-S Political Coordination Committee (Art. 8)

2.2 Political Reconciliation in general can include:

a common historical legacy on  the basis of "the independence struggle and spirit of the March 1 movement (1919)"; the common goal of "democracy, welfare and prosperity" stipulated in both of the constitutions despite the present antagonistic political-ideological systems in the South and North; the common recognition of the demarcation line as the practical territorial border of both Koreas even though the South's constitution claims the whole peninsula; common understanding for the  replace ment of the present armistice  treaty by a peace pact supplemented by a comprehensive regional security pact (e.g. 2+4); the common task of sharing positive life values in both Koreas and overcoming negative ones even prior to national reunification.

2.3 Reconciliation in the area of basic rights can include:

basic rights for "democratic, welfare- and prosperity-oriented national community" in spite of existing value differences: individual rights (South)  and collective social rights (North); givingup of propertyrights by South Koreans in the northern territory and those of North Koreans in the southern territory; aiming to share a "public value" of the land property; mutual enforcement to develop the social welfare system even under the market economy system; common endeavors to build an "open society" facing the coming multi-cultural trends of life.

2.4 Reconciliation in the faith and cultural area can include:

buildingup a common place to include individual and personal cultural rights (South) and socialistic life-style (North) while agreeing to nurture a "national culture"; opening to the world a principle of "unity in  diversity" in the cultural life of both Koreas, and carrying this out sometimes in cooperation with East-Asian cultural backgrounds; a sharing of resources without corditions, quite different from the give-and-take bargaining at the governmental levels; an initiative to facilitate encounters of separated families by the N-S church membership of N-S churches in the regional and worldwide ecumenical organizations.

10 Years after the '88 Declaration:

and Agenda for National Reconciliation

Dr. Lee Jang Hie

Professor of Law

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies

I. National Reality Since the '88 Declaration

It has been 10 years since the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) made its proclaimation of 1995 as the Year of Jubilee for peace and reunification, on February 26, 1988, and began its engagement in the Jubilee movement.  There have been many changes inside and outside the country as far as national agendas.  The most prominent changes were the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the complete end of the Cold War ideology after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.  Under these influences South Korea strongly promoted a northern policy and established diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union in 1990 and with China in 1992.  At the national level, there have also been many changes such as by the simultaneous entry into the UN in 1991 by the South and the North, the signing of the South-North Basic Agreement in 1992, the nuclear development threat caused by North Korea's withdrawal from the NPT (Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty) in 1993, changes of leadership in the two Koreas, and coincident economic crises of the two Koreas.  Of course, we are not in the stage to conclude whether these changes are advantageous or disadvantageous in accomplishing national reconciliation.  But it is very regrettable that the two Koreas have failed to develop these changes effectively toward national reconciliation.  For example, faced with the economic crisis the South and the North can abandon their arrogant attitudes, be more polite to each other and recognize this as a good opportunity for arms cuts.  The changes of leadership in the two Koreas can provide the best opportunity to establish a new paradigm for national agenda.  Furthermore, the two Koreas' simultaneous UN entry and the signing of the South-North Basic Agreement legally ended the hostilities between them and officially confirmed their determination for national reconciliation and cooperation, and can be significant milestones for the development of relations between them in the future.

But the two Koreas have so far failed to connect these changes with actions for basic reorientation toward national reconciliation.  That is, they have failed to seek national reconciliation and cooperation through the performance of the principles of self-reliance, peace and pan-national unity on the basis of July 4 Common Statement.  It is certain that the present situation offers much more opportunity for self-reflection by the two Koreas than was the case when NCCK proclaimed the Year of Jubilee in 1988.  Until 1990 relations between the two Koreas were focused on quantitative and materialistic confrontation but in the 1990s South Korea should also establish qualitative and moral superiority to North Korea.  Now we, as creatures of God, sould return to the spirit of reconciliation, reflecting on past 10 years and previewing the Korean churches' future agenda for reconciliation.

II. Review of the Past

First of all, it is true that the two Koreas have hurt and deceived each other during the past 10 years in order to survive in the chaos of international power politics.  We will first point out the past mistakes because real reconciliation should start from the stage of admitting our mistakes.

The two sides have not shown any effort or will to implement the South-North Basic Agreement which was signed in February 1992.  The two sides neglected to legalize the agreement in the form of domestic laws.  The legitimacy of the Basic Agreement on reconciliation and cooperation should have been established so that the two Koreas could deal with national problems independently, avoiding negative influences from the domestic and overseas political environment.  South Korea did not try to obtain National Assembly ratification or even support to  make the agreement legally effective.  Furthermore, South Korea did not try to obtain international guarantees for the agenda mentioned in the agreement, such as the divided family issue, internal exchanges between the two Koreas, or peaceful settlement of conflicts by registering them at the UN so that they could be dealt with by international organizations like the WTO (World Trade Organization) and the UN Human Rights Commission.  Therefore, the official position (first response on April 9, 1992, additional response on April 30, 1992) maintained by the South Korean government is to recognize the Agreement as a kind of a common gentle statement.  The government in fact threw the agreement into the garbage can on the pretext of North Korea's nuclear scandal in 1993.  In addition, the agreement was almost invalidated due to the Kim Young Sam government's back-and-forth reunification policies in 1993.  But the South-North Basic Agreement contains the essential answers to all the issues of national reconciliation, exchange, cooperation and non-aggression.  The agreement is the only document which has mentioned South-North agenda at the national level since the invalidation of the truce agreement in 1991.  The two Koreas have always announced unilateral assertions or statements but this was the first time that responsible government officials promised to solve national agendas through basic agreement.

Secondly, the two sides have always used their national agendas for political purposes.  The Agency for National Security Planning of South Korea monopolizes information on North Korea and has succumbed to the temptation to use that information for the extension of power at the end of each regime.   The North Wind scandal that occurred during the last presidential election is a good example, in which the national intelligence agency got involved in domestic politics without fulfilling its own duty to collect overseas intelligence, and fasely denounced many intellectuals as "pro-communist".  While clarifing the facts of this incident, we must of course remember that North Korea is also infringing people's welfare and human rights by abusing its national agenda.

Thirdly, the two sides have not paid attention to their duty to the people's suffering.  The Korean people had two opportunities for reconciliation.  The first was when Kim Il Sung died in July 1994, and the second was the North Korean food crisis in 1995.  But South Korea turned away from the North's difficulties and lost two opportunities for national reconciliation.  At that time the two Koreas were about to have a their first summit since the national division through the mediation of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter but South Korea failed to embrace the unprecedented reconciliatory atmosphere.  The ruling party denounced some parliamentarians and civic organizations who called for expressions of condolence to North Korea, as "pro-communist", and the media and ultra right-wing organizations joined in this activity.  They furthermore abused the national security issue to create a threatening atmosphere by investigating 9 professors of Kyongsang University in Jinju and a publisher who were involved in the text "Understanding of the Korean Society".  The government politically abused this situation to maintain its unstable power.  5 years have passed, but 2 of the 10 professors are still under trial and in unstable status.  This is an absolute abuse of national judicial power and violation of human rights by the authorities.  In 1995, the South Korean government exposed its immoral attitude by dissuading Japan from sending aid to North Korea, which was suffering from food shortages caused by floods.

Fourthly, neither South Korea nor North Korea has yet abolished the vicious laws which punish human and material exchanges, such as the NSL (National Security Law) of the South, and the regulations of the Labor Party and related articles of the Criminal Law of the North.  We cannot help doubting the two Koreas' will for reunification.  It is a deceitful attitude which cries out for national reconciliation without the revision of the Cold War era laws of the 1950s and regards the other side as its main enemy.  Is North Korea still an anti-government group to us?  There should be a political answer.  Reunification policies have been developed through stages: from hostile relationship to good rival relationship (since the July 4 Common Statement in 1972 and the June 23 Declaration in 1973), to good partner relationship (since the July 7 Declaration in 1988), to parts of the Korean national community (since August 1989), to potential special relationship (since the South-North Basic Agreement in February 1992).   But Article 3 of the Constitution and Article 2 of the NSL still regulate the North as an anti-government group.  Therefore, people are confused by the government's reunification policies, and crimes related to national security are increasing.

Fifthly, the media has forgotten its duty for national reconciliation and distorted the public opinion.  In addition, it has promoted national conflict by encouraging ultra right-wing groups to denounce persons advocating peace and reunification, as "pro-communist people".  It has distorted the reality by reporting only parts of the whole in cases related to North Korea.  This was revealed through the statement "Reporting Guidelines for Peace & Reunification, Reconciliation and Cooperation" by three reporters' groups on August 15, 1995, which stated "The media have contributed to the promotion of distrust and confrontation rather than of reconciliation and an atmosphere of trust and thus have not improved their bad image."

Sixthly, some ultra right-wing groups which have been captured by 1950s' ideology rather than national reconciliation have distorted the public opinion at the time of every event related to North Korea.  During the last presidential election, they actively promoted national conflict by indicting conscientious figures as "violators of the NSL" and manufacturing a "security-threat" atmosphere.

III. 10 Years after the '88 Declaration: Agenda for National Reconciliation

What should the churches doing for national reconciliation, 10 years after the '88 Declaration?  Reflecting on the above problems, it is clear.

First, the churches should promote the recovery of the South-North Basic Agreement as a basic legal device to solve national problems.  The new Kim Dae-Jung government has proclaimed that it will resolve the national problems based on the Agreement, aiming at the accomplishment of peace, reconciliation and cooperation as the goals of its reunification policy.  The government has announced three principles: 1) no tolerance of military provocation, 2) no absorption-style reunification, and 3) active pursuit of reconciliation and cooperation.  As practical policies the government has announced many desirable reunification policies such as solution of the divided family issue through visits by the elderly (over 65) to North Korea, promotion of South-North economic cooperation based on the principle of separation between politics and economics, and promotion of envoy exchange and a South-North summit for the implementation of the Basic Agreement.  Regrettably, there has been no visible revision of the related laws to meet these desirable policies.  As under past governments, the separation between reunification policies and legal regulations has caused confusion among the people and in the judicial system, and produced many political prisoners.

Now the new government should no longer downplay the Basic Agreement as a kind of common statement, but should make efforts to implement it.  In particular, it is the first legal document between the two Korean governments to promise practical measures for mutual acceptance and respect of systems (in Chapter 1 - Reconciliation), confirmation of non-aggression into the other side's territory (in Chapter 2 - Non-aggression), improvement of the whole nation's welfare, and recovery of national community through exchange and cooperation.  The agreement is a document on national reconciliation and cooperation which was legally agreed upon by the two governments.  It is a valid document in form and matter and a kind of treaty in the broad sense.  The Basic Agreement, which regulates special relations between the two Koreas, restricts the South and the North on the basis of the international law, and has a legitimacy equivalent to domestic law.  Therefore, according to the spirit of the Basic Agreement, domestic laws based on ideologies from the Cold War era must inevitably be revised or abolished.  Even though the National Assembly could be blamed for its delay, it will be helpful to obtain the support or agreement of the Assembly for the ratification and legalization of the Agreement.  Furthermore, the Agreement should be registered at the UN so that it can obtain guarantee of international organizations for implementation of internal exchanges, peaceful settlement of conflict and solution of divided family issue.  This is to confirm South Korea's will for implementation of the Agreement.  North Korea has obtained its own parliamentary ratification and the Basic Agreement between East Germany and West Germany obtained similar ratification.  But South Korea has neglected the process of legalization at the domestic level.  The government should hasten to obtain support or ratification by the National Assembly.

Second, civic organization bodies need to be organized to prevent political abuse of the national agenda by the two Korean governments.  As we can understand through the recent North Wind scandal, the Agency for National Security Planning of the South and the government of the North have cooperated strategically to maintain their powers.  This deserves harsh denouncement.  Therefore, we could consider the enactment of a special law to ban political abuse of national agenda.  In addition, the media, social and civic groups, and democratic figures should create a strong organization such as a "fact-finding committee on the North Wind scandal" and investigate people connected with the case.  If necessary, they could hold hearings and make a report to prevent recurrence of similar cases.

Third, as for humanitarian agenda between the two Koreas, all political interests should be excluded.  The private sector has experienced difficulties in aiding North Korea even though its aid was minimal.  The government should uphold the principle of separation between politics and economics, and constantly support North Korea, excluding any political interest from the humanitarian agenda.  Humanitarian aid will contribute to the promotion of an atmosphere of political and military reconciliation.

Fourth, the Cold War-style laws which punish human and material exchanges should be revised or abolished.  The core of the Basic Agreement is Article 1 on mutual acceptance and respect of each system and Article 11 on mutual acceptance of each territory through the agreement of non-aggression.  The former is a promise to give up the representative right, and it means that neither side can insist on its right as the exclusive, legitimate government in the Korean peninsula.  The latter declares the principle of limited territory, which means that each side's territory is limited to a non-aggression line on the basis of the Agreement.  As for the legal relationship between the two sides, the preamble of the Agreement describes it as a "special relationship which is formed in a process toward reunification".  "Special relationship" means that it has dual legal nature, meaning "one nation, one state" externally, and "one nation, one state and 2 systems, 2 governments" internally.  The special relationship is based on reciprocity and equality, and minimum limited statehood is recognized between the South and the North.  The legal nature of the agreement is formally related to international law but as a matter of fact, it is a modus vivendi which regulates the special relationship between the two sides.

The most important aspect of the Basic Agreement is the legal relationship between the South and the North.  According to the Agreement, the two Koreas no longer regard each other as anti-government groups or territories to be freed.  The agreement is a document of peace which concludes mutual hostility and promises national reconciliation and cooperation.  The agreement regards the South-North relationship as a special relationship of divided political entities in the middle stage between state and warring faction.  The two Koreas, therefore, should revise their domestic laws which regard the other side as an enemy.  North Korea should also revise and abolish the regulations of its Labor Party which are hostile to South Korea and some articles of its Criminal Law which inflict heavy penalties on exchange and cooperation with South Korea.

Divided entities are political entities which are qualified as states but denied the status for political reasons.  They are similar to states but have rights and obligations on the basis of concerned international law.  Their legal status is in between state and trade partner.  Young Wei, "Divided Nations and International Law: Political Reality and Legal Practice", Occasional Papers/Reprint Series in contemporary Asian Studies, 1981

South Korea should revise its South-North Cooperation Law, the NSL, the South-North Exchange & Cooperation Law and the NSP (Agency for National Security Planning) Law, and the NSP's regulations on Intelligence and Security Work and Guidelines on Special Data (Sept. 1, 1988).  In particular, among the regulations on South-North exchange & cooperation, the matter of "permission" should be changed to 'legislation', and the punishment should also be eased from criminal punishment into light administrative punishment.  In addition, various missing regulations should be embodied and revived as basic laws.  According to the Basic Agreement, major articles on passage, communication and trade should be regulated and established as the legal basis and principles for laws on exchange and cooperation.

Mild revision of the NSL is not enough for activation of future South-North exchanges.  Light amendment cannot prevent the vicious practice of punishing persons not for "visible activities which violate the social order" but for "potential danger and expression of opposing opinions".  Therefore, articles of the NSL which overlap articles of the Criminal Law should be abolished.  Criminals charges for "benefiting enemies" should be abolished because they violate the freedom of thought, conscience and expression guaranteed by the Constitution.  Charges related to infiltration, escape, contact and communication should be revised on the basis of the Law on South-North Exchange & Cooperation. In particular, the section on encouragement, praise and sympathizing in Article 7 and reporting (informing) in Article 10 of the NSL, which are abused in violation of human rights, should be abolished.

Yoo Sun Ho, "South-North Basic Agreement and National Security Law", Hearing material book for revision and abolishment of the National Security Law, National Campaign Office for Abolishment of NSL, June 1992, pp.21-23

The investigative rights of the NSP should be abolished.  The NSP's □arbitration right on intelligence and security affairs□ should also be abolished because it influences the reunification policies of the Ministry of Reunification and the cultural policies of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.  Furthermore, the NSP's "guideline on special data (Sept. 1, 1988)" should be abolished.  The NSP's "regulation on security work", made in the 1970s, should be eliminated.  The unclear and unnecessary regulations connected with the NSP's domestic intelligence affairs have expanded too much and thereby violated people's basic rights.

Fifth, we should understand the importance of the media for national reconciliation and cooperation, and should monitor the media.  The media should be faithful in reporting, without prejudice, the reality of North Korean issues to the public in South Korea.  In this light, the media should report speeches or announcements of North Korean officials in detail.  The media could annually report the whole contacts of Kim Jong Il's new year message.  We could roughly understand Kim Jong Il's ideas through the new year message, which implies his ideas and plans.  The media should report on exchanges and cooperation between the South and the North in the context of the long-term South-North relationship, avoiding exaggerated reporting and the sensational approach.  In addition, the media's ideological and institutional flexibility should be enhanced, and legal and institutional obstacles which limit the freedom of press should be eliminated (for example, Article 7 of the NSL).  The "Reporting Guidelines for Peace and Reunification, Reconciliation and Cooperation" announced by the three reporters' groups should be thoroughly observed.  A national campaign for observation and implementation of the Basic Agreement should be established soon and it should also monitor the media's reports on the South-North relationship.

Sixth, dialogue within South Korea and reunification education are important.  For the past 10 years, as I mentioned earlier, some groups with a biased viewpoint have promoted national conflict rather than reconciliation whenever important national agenda emerged.  Therefore, it is most important to exchange opinions and develop agreement among the different civil organizations and leading figures.  Some organizations have such distorted opinions on national problems that they constitute obstacles to the government's new reunification policies and should be dealt with by proper measures.  In the future, the initiative for social and cultural exchange and cooperation should be transferred gradually from the government to the private sector.

Seventh, mature civic sentiment is needed to fairly observe the process of reunification and enable national reconciliation and exchange and cooperation to be performed and the Basic Agreement to be implemented properly in spite of the domestic political situation.  But as this cannot be accomplished only by people's passion, the diverse social sectors including the religious sector should launch a national campaign for implementation of the South-North Basic Agreement.  The campaign should include diverse social sectors from the South and the North because North Korea is still excluding the South Korean government from its dialogue with other nations.  Through this campaign we can carry out reunification education, prevent unnecessary ideological conflicts which block reconciliation and cooperation, and enable people in both Koreas to participate in the reunification process.  In addition, the proper roles of the government and civil organizations should be emphasized.  The religious sector has made a good start.  But a more structured campaign is needed.  The campaign's main agenda should be as follows.

1. Organization of a monitoring team to observe violations of the Basic Agreement (observation of the South and North Korean governments / the media / civil organizations which are involved in reunification issues).

1. Organization of a "South-North National Reconciliation Committee" to interpret the Basic Agreement authoritatively.

1. Publication of a newsletter, "National Reconciliation", for the implementation of the Basic Agreement.

1. Establishment of a "School for People", support for research programs, and the holding of seminars and signature-collecting campaigns for implementation of the Agreement.

In 2000, the South Korean Christians can say to the people and governments of the two Koreas, "Be honest to the nation."  The practical philosophy can be "Admit the reality to overcome the reality," and two practical principles can be "change through contact" and "abandonment of military power."  To accomplish these things and finally attain peace and reunification, we should repent of our past sins and collect our wisdom to prepare a "morally reunified country".

Non-aggression and Permanent Peace of the Korean Peninsula

Dr. Noh Jong Sun

Chair of the Reunification	Planning Committee of NCCK

1. Introduction

Since South Korea and North Korea were divided by unjust decision of superpowers in 1945, there has been a continuing invisible war between the two Koreas.  There have also been wars between the Korean peninsula and foreign powers as well as war between the two Koreas.  During the wars the Korean peninsula was sacrificed as a scapegoat, hostage, and proxy war field.  Ordinary people, who did know nothing about politics, were sacrificed, and economic exploitation and human rights abuse were continued.

In this situation, our duty is to accomplish peace for ordinary people living in the Korean peninsula and make them live no more as insulted scapegoats.  The accomplishment of peace in the Korean peninsula is a shortcut to the achievement of the world peace.

Since the NCCK proclaimed the Declaration on Peace and Reunification in 1988, the spirit and proposals of the Declaration, I think, became the foundation of the South-North Basic Agreement and the Declaration of Nuclear Free Korea in 1991.

The spirit and proposals of the Declaration were almost implimented but some factors which have not been implemented, should be identified and proposals should be announced and implemented at more profound level so that the accomplishment of true and sustainable peace in the Korean peninsula and the world can be settled down and a foundation toward reunification can be established.

South Korea and North Korea should try to enter a step of cooperation and collaboration of arms production system and co-production of arms.  In particular, regarding military production it is needed to implement immediately optional cooperation, joint ventures and direct investments for the recovery of North Korea in the economic crisis and South Korea under the IMF bailout.  To escape from the IMF bailout, military cooperation for arms production, export, and 'trade cooperation in the domestic level' would be very helpful and finally contribute to permanent peace.

The national defense, which is dependent on foreign countries, should be gradually changed into 'independent defense' on the basis of cooperative way between the South and the North.  Of course, first it should be considered that peace and security in the two Koreas should be fully guaranteed and then dependent relations with foreign forces should be ended.  Cooperation with foreign forces on the basis of rational need would be always helpful.  But we should keep in mind that subordinate or submissive relations would cause the loss of autonomy and severely infringe on the autonomy of the country.  Legal and institutional measures should be set so that the war-time operation right, which foreign forces are entitled to authorize, can be reconsidered and recovered.  Cooperation with foreign forces should be established in a supplementary way on condition that wartime and peacetime operation rights are independently recovered.

North Korea and South Korea may trade and exchange needy items for arms and war, and adopt a barter system in consideration of shortages of hard currency in the two Koreas.  This would be definitely helpful to lessen mutual hostility and establish a psychological non-aggression atmosphere.

The spirit of the 7.7 Declaration(July 7, 1988), which called DPRK a "partner" instead of "enemy", should be practically realized.

Under the Roh Tae-Woo regime it was proclaimed that all nuclear arms in South Korea were removed.  But there are nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers in the open sea near the Korean peninsula and these ships can call at Pusan and Jinhae(Somo Island), etc.  There was a report that U.S. troops misunderstood thermic uranium bomb as waste normal bombs and detonated them in Yunchon, Kyonggido.  In reflection of the accident we can assume there are uranium bombs in South Korea.

Therefore, the uranium bombs in South Korea should be removed to keep the Denuclearization Declaration and aircrafts, aircraft carriers and submarines, which carry nuclear arms, should not be permitted to pass skies and seas of the Korean peninsula.  It will be helpful to install non-aggression and permanent peace in the Korean peninsula.

U.S. nuclear arms have been annually involved in 4 or 5 serious accidents world-wide (accident of code name, Broken  Arrows).  For example, aircrafts with nuclear warheads crashed into sea, desert and land.  Sometimes they were stolen, got fire and two aircrafts with nuclear warheads clashed each other in the air.  And there were also accidents that nuclear arms were out of order or corroded and radioactivity was leaked.  In particular, Russia, which is facing cost shortages to manage nuclear arms, cannot pay wages and properly manage nuclear arms.  Therefore, the situation of Russia is getting more dangerous and the nuclear arms control system is breaking and not reliable anymjore.  Some nuclear arms were stolen and at least 10 are missing.

We cannot exclude the possibility that kinds of accidents could happen in the Korean peninsula.  Therefore, the National Assembly and the government should thoroughly investigate accidents related to nuclear arms, reveal them to the public and set proper countermeasures guaranteeing the security of people and respecting people's right to know.

"We do not have nuclear waste transaction facility", which was mentioned in the Denuclearization Declaration, should be reconsidered.  Nuclear waste transaction facilities for peaceful use like medical an industrial use are allowed by even IAEA(International Atomic Energy Agency).

Peace, Disarmament and Arms Control

Arms cut needs for non-aggression and permanent peace but should be implemented under proper regulation and control.  Surplus from the arms cut could be used to overcome the national economic crisis, lesson the unemployed and avoid the national moratorium.  In case of North Korea it could be used to procure food and revive the economy.□

We should seek a measure for peace and security which can practice the prophecy of Micha.

Many people in North Korea are suffering from starvation and malnutrition.  People in South Korea are also suffering from mass unemployment and children who cannot have lunch are rapidly increasing.  Families are disintegrated due to economic problems and lots of businesses go bankruptcy.  In reflection of the situation, increase and uneffective expenses of military cost should be immediately improved.

Middle East War and Sacrifice of the Korean Peninsula

Countries in the Middle East including Israel should not induce other countries to attack North Korea militarily and surprisingly for their defense.  In particular, it should be searched and prevented that some politicians, who have relations with the Middle East, are directly or indirectly proposing to attack on a part of North Korea.  This adventure is caused from Middle East countries' ultranationalistic and imperialistic thinking which lives of people in the Korean peninsula can be damaged and sacrificed for the security of specific countries in the Middle East.  The Korean people cannot be sacrificed any more for the interests of specific nations or countries.

In June 1994 the U.S. planned to operate a surprise attack on North Korea but canceled it just 60 minutes before according to Jimmy Carter's mediation.  But it was unilaterally planned without hearing Korean people's opinion, informing to Koreans or getting permission from South Korea.  It was definitely human rights abuse and infringement of people's rights.  They should ask the South Korean government's opinion before this kind of operation and should not disregard but respect South Korea.  They should not repeat the historic event which divided the Korean peninsula disregarding Korean people' opinion.

South Korea should stop conspiracy, fabrication and secret operation which use the North Korean forces' movement as a means to secure advantage in the domestic political battle.

Witch-hunting Theology□and Permanent Peace

The government, civil and judiciary sectors, the National Assembly and the international community should thoroughly prevent that wrong witch-hunting theology or ideology wounds people, infringes human rights and even kill people.  For this, South and North Korea should cooperate each other.  The witch-hunting theory could intensify military confrontation between the South and the North, and cause dangerous results.   People could abuse the Bible to kill people, who hurt their interests, and justify their position.  In an extreme way politically diverse positions could abuse the Bible to eliminate human "enemies" on the pretext of "evil killing" or "witch killing".  Those positions kill and torture people, and abuse strategies to exclude people from societies.  The wrong use of the Bible should be stopped.

Interest of Military Industrial Complex and War

We should prevent the world military industrial complexes from doing immoral activities like making war, intensifying tension in the Korean peninsula or being involved in domestic military and political personnel affairs for their economic interests.  We should set legal and institutional measures and at the same time, through solidarity among civil sectors, should structurally and creatively prevent those immoral interventions.

Casper Weinberger's The Next War

Casper Weinberger, former U. S. Defence Minister, wrote a book named "The Next War".  The book revealed a war scenario of the U. S. Defence Ministry.  The scenario was that on April 7 in 1998 North Korea's military operation would be started and the Korean peninsula would be involved in a war including nuclear war through June 25(1998).

The book concluded with a recommendation that the U.S. should intensify tension in the Korean peninsula, induce South Korea to spend more on defense expenditure and increase South Korea's sharing of the U.S. defense expenditure.  The book weighs more when we consider a former U.S. Defense Minister wrote it referring the information of the U.S. Defence Ministry.

The book could extremely lessen investment desire in South Korea and make investment escape from South Korea.  It is to sprinkle cold water over the recovery of the South Korean economy and harm peace of the Korean peninsula.  We should protest against the book and seek a way to ask compensation.  The book is not helpful for permanent peace in the two Koreas.  It trifles Koreans and makes Korean people objective.

Non-aggression and Economic Cooperation

The Ministry of Reunification had only permitted investment in and economic cooperation with North Korea amounting less than US$ 5-10 million each but it deregulated and permitted direct investment and joint production and operation without limit.  It would be helpful for South Korea and North Korea to overcome sufferings together.  We welcome it because it would be effective to prevent military confrontation between the two Koreas.  To accomplish non-aggression and permanent peace economic cooperation could be an absolute breakthrough.

Non-aggression, Psychological War and Psychological Change

The most important psychological work in preventing mutual war would be to change hostility into brotherly love and affection.  Our duty is to practice Jesus Christ's love till the end and it would be a measure to accomplish practical permanent peace.

Words form the Bible such as "Love your neighbors as yourself", "Love your enemies" and "Conquer evil with goodness" will be basic guide lines and principles for permanent peace in the Korean peninsula.

Non-aggression and Lift of Economic Sanctions

The U. S. have been imposing sanctions against North Korea since January 1950 and it became one of main elements which caused food shortages of North Korea.  Lifting sanctions will be very helpful for permanent peace.  The economic sanctions by the U.S.' military and economic power were enough to make a small economic structure collapse, and children and the elderly die of starvation.  Therefore, lifting the U.S.'s sanctions would be a necessary step for permanent peace.

Non-aggression, Food Aid and Peace

South Korea's enough food aid to settle the food crisis of North Korea will be an absolute way in preventing war and changing hostility into brotherly love.  North Korea now needs 1-2 million tons of food amounting ｀250-500 billion which can be provided enough by South Korea.  The two governments should make a decision to permit food aid fully for the achievement of permanent peace.  Avoidance of fertilizer and food aid on the pretext of reciprocity is not a right reciprocity.  There are "open reciprocity" and "closed reciprocity".  Closed reciprocity does not help each other without reward.  But open reciprocity calls credible reciprocal relations which can believe and wait in spite of time gab and respond to the waiting.  South Korea and North Korea should make a mature decision on the basis of open reciprocity so that the governments are directly engaged in food aid.  Separated family issues will be naturally solved under the open reciprocity.

The government has obligation to spend tax on demand of taxpayers.

North Korea is no longer our enemy.  They are our same blood people.  Therefore, we should rescue them from starvation and it would be the beginning toward peace and welfare.

1. Ji Man-Won asserts that military power can be stronger even with 30% reduction of military cost.

2. Witch-hunting theology killed many women prophets in the middle ages.  See Dr. Driver's book, "Witch-hunting Theology in the Middle Ages"

Systematic Mechanism of Non-aggression Between South Korea and North Korea

Dr. Jee Man Won

Military Analyst

1. Cause of the Arms Race

South Korea's strategic goal with regard to North Korea has swung back and forth between two contradictory and incompatible concepts, reunification and peace.  According to the atmosphere in the two Koreas and the minds of their leaders, it has sometimes focused on reunification and sometimes on peace.

A more critical problem is that there is no accurate definition of reunification and peace.  The Korean people have envisioned a political reunification in which there would be only one president in the Korean peninsula.  For Koreans, reunification is not a European-style reunification on the basis of peaceful co-existence, but a German-style reunification.  They expect permanent peace after the accomplishment of reunification.  For the Korean people, peaceful co-existence has meant a transitional period and strategic measures for the achievement of reunification.

For the rich, political reunification of the Korean peninsula is a survival game.  It would be good for the side that leads reunification, but at the same time, would mean collapse for the other side.  So the South and North both have tried not to be led, and as a result, there has been a constant arms race for the past 46 years.

South Korea would be nervous whenever North Korea was enthusiastic for reunification, and North Korea was the same.  The stronger the desire for reunification, the more tension escalated in the peninsula.  The Korean people have witnessed sufficiently that reunification has broken peace.  Therefore, reunification and peace cannot co-exist on the basis of either theory or experience.  In spite of this, the Korean people have tried to catch two rabbits at the same time, creating the phrase "peace and reunification".

If we choose reunification, peace will be broken; if we choose peace, the two Koreas can accomplish a European-style reunification.  If we choose reunification, the military forces of the two Koreas will become enemies of each other, but if we choose peace they can be good allies.  South Korea's military strategic goal has been ambiguous because the national strategic goal with respect to the North was not accurate.  South Korea's military build-up could not find a goal because the military strategic goal was ambiguous.  Military structure was not systematic and capacity was obscure.  The South Korean military has been formed according to changes in the tense relations between the two Koreas.  The South Korean military was sometimes prone to be emotional and sometimes accumulated arms according to the ups and downs of relations between the political and economic sectors.

The South Korean military's strategic goal has not changed much over the past 46 years, in contrast with the speedy changes of weapons systems.  It established its main battle positions along the 155-mile-long demilitarized zone and deployed 300,000 armed soldiers on the emotional basis that the South could not cede an inch of ground to the North.  It established the second defence line at 15km south of the DMZ and north of Seoul to destroy the North Korean army in case of the collapse of the first defence line, and the third defence line on the outskirts of Seoul.

2. National Strategy Toward North Korea: Reunification or Peace?

Reunification in the Korean peninsula means to create a central government following the integration of the governments of Pyongyang and Seoul government.  But the idea of this political reunification is threatening to political groups and the rich.  South and North Korea have continuously cried out for reunification for the past 46 years.  But it has only exacerbated tensions.

North Korea insists upon reunification by the military.  South Korea demands peaceful reunification but as a matter of fact, it means assimilated reunification by economic power.  The South fears the North's military power the most, and the North fears opening and exchanges the most.  North Korea regards opening as "the collapse of our style of socialism".

The Kim Dae-jung government places a priority on the issue of the divided families' reunion.  But reunion of the divided families means opening, which would be the most fatal toxic drug for the Kim Jong-il government.  Kim Jong-il will reject such a proposal, which would cost him his life, even though he gets fertilizer or all the property in the world.   In spite of this fact, the South Korean people believe the reunion of divided families is possible.   Talks between the South and the North will harvest nothing as long as they believe in this possibility.

But the more critical problem is that most people do not understand North Korea's situation, and depend only on vague luck.  The South Korean people will continue to cry out for reunification in the same way.  Relations between the South and the North will be tense as long as this cry continues.  We should abandon reunification and establish peace in order to eradicate tensions between the two Koreas.  We should respect each other to live peacefully together.  In other words, we should admit that there are two independent countries in the Korean peninsula.  That is the peaceful co-existence and European-style reunification.

Most South Koreans support peaceful co-existence.  Most of them enthusiastically wish for reunification.  They support both peaceful co-existence and reunification, because they believe the two concepts can co-exist.  This is caused by their misunderstanding of peaceful co-existence.

They understand peaceful co-existence as "a transient stage for the accomplishment of reunification".   This kind of understanding implies two meanings.  One is that peaceful co-existence is a "means" for the achievement of reunification, and the other is that peaceful  co-existence is temporary.

This is a horrible trap of theory.  Peaceful co-existence cannot be achieved as long as we understand peaceful co-existence as a strategic means for reunification.  The temporary period of peaceful co-existence will end and reunification will follow.  The two Koreas will become competitive during the period of peaceful co-existence in order to accomplish a reunification favorable to their own side.  The period of peaceful co-existence will be a period of secret competition.  That is, it will not be peaceful co-existence but a period of tension.  Therefore, peaceful co-existence should not be considered as a means for reunification but should be a goal in itself.  Peaceful co-existence means the abandonment of reunification.

The South Korean people have an unanalyzed view of peaceful co-existence and a fixed idea of reunification.  We should first change the concept of reunification.  The political reunification expected by the Korean people is a dangerous way which is accompanied by tension and could even cause war.  This kind of reunification cannot be accomplished and is not desirable.

If South Korea wants to accomplish a German-style reunification, the cost will be high tensions.  But a European-style reunification does not demand tensions or any other cost.  If the two Koreas can co-exist as "good neighbors" like neighboring countries in Europe, coming and going across borders, the South and North can be unified European-style.

If the South and North Korean people can freely cross the border without being charged with espionage, that will fulfill everything desired of reunification.  The only difference from political reunification is that there will be one more central government in Pyongyang.  It may be equivalent to reunification.  German-style reunification may not be possible, but we could live together as "good neighboring countries" even now.

It is easy to guess how difficult the integration of the Seoul government and the Pyongyang government would be.  If South Cholla and South Kyongsang were integrated, what would happen between the two provinces?  There would be many problems, such as whether the two provinces should be integrated or not, where the capital of the two provinces should be located, which province would take the position of governor and how to allocate positions of government officials.  Any one of those problems would cause tension and conflict.

Let us look at the people (lawmakers) in Yoido (where the National Assembly is located).  If they are once divided into the ruling party and the opposition party, they no longer trust one another and fall into feuding even if they are old friends from childhood.  There have never been trust-building and gentle agreements between the ruling party and the opposition party.  If it is the situation of politics within one system, it would seem almost impossible for the political bodies of the South and the North to agree on the establishment of one government.

Some people dream of assimilated reunification.  They believe the crucial time for the assimilation of the North will be when it collapses economically and falls into chaos.  If the North becomes chaotic the people's army and the police of North Korea will be transformed into a martial law army.  It is not possible to integrate a country under martial law.

South Korea should cross the truce line if it wants to integrate the declining North by force.  That would mean a war with the North Korean martial law army and would be declared an invasion by the North.  Such action would not be possible for South Korea itself, and neighboring countries would not disregard it.  If a country was going to collapse because of economic crisis, many countries in Africa would probably already have collapsed.

It seems there is no peace in the Korean peninsula.  It looks impossible to achieve peaceful reunification through agreement between political groups, or to assimilate the economically declining North.  We should stop the constant arms race, giving up our vague hope for reunification, and choose peace immediately.  Reunification is not a goal but a result of peaceful co-existence.  Life is more precious than territory, and today's people should not sacrifice themselves for the next generation.

3. Non-aggression Cannot Be Guaranteed by a Declaration

Military power under the system of peaceful co-existence is absolutely different from a system of confrontation.  Peaceful co-existence premises two systematic changes.  One is to transform the truce line into the border and another is to cut the armed forces under the jurisdiction of the UN.  It will be a significant change.  It is almost impossible that the two Koreas, which so strongly distrust each other, will initiate the change.  Therefore, mediation and guarantees by the UN and neighboring countries are needed.

To guarantee peaceful co-existence, how many troops should the two Koreas have?  It should be about 100,000 each.  100,000 troops can not carry out a surprise attack on the other side even if they are heavy armed.  Most people think that a troop cut to 100,000 is not acceptable because after reunification Korea should be strong enough to get along with neighboring countries.  They insist that the level of military power before reunification should not be diminished even after reunification.  But the armed forces should be reduced after reunification.

Armed forces before reunification are for the achievement of early reunification; after reunification, they will be related to neighboring countries' forces.  If military power before reunification is strong, the two Koreas will become nervous about being attacked by the other side.   How can reunification come if there is tension between the two Koreas?

Therefore, the armed forces before reunification should be small enough to alleviate the fear of the other side.  300,000 troops are enough to carry out a surprise attack on the other side.  200,000 offers a 50-50 chance. The level of armed forces which can allow trust and comfort the other side is about 100,000.

Most experts worry that if the two Koreas had 100,000 troops each they would be conquered by the neighboring military superpowers.  But under the present international order, the superpowers cannot attack and subordinate small countries.  National security would be sustained even though the South and the North were totally unarmed, because the neighboring countries could not sit by and watch Korea being conquered by one of their members.

The agenda that places military power before reunification is a rabbit 1km ahead, and the one that calls for military power after reunification is a rabbit 10km ahead.  Nobody can catch the two rabbits at the same time.  If we need strong forces after reunification, it will not be too late to build strong forces then.  The reduction of armed forces is difficult but their increase is rather easy.  If the two Koreas insist on heavy armed forces even before reunification, the distrust and tension between them can not be relieved.  The reunification being demanded by the two Koreas, both of which maintain strong forces, is nothing but political propaganda.

Many people say trust-building is a premise for arms reduction.  But this is wrong.  Arms reduction is a premise for trust-building.  How can one side trust the other side which is heavily armed?  Arms reduction can be accomplished through negotiation, but mutual trust cannot be built by negotiation.  Mutual trust can only be established through an objective system of separation of sovereignty and arms reduction.  The South and the North can become good neighbors only when they accomplish arms reduction through negotiation and establish mutual trust on the basis of arms reduction.

Archpriest Vicotr Petlyuchenko

Proposal for South-North Exchange and Cooperation

Oh Jae Shik

Executive Director

World Vision Korea

1. Meaning of the 10 Years

There is no need to emphasize again the historical meaning of the Korean Churches Declaration announced in February 1988.  The declaration profoundly influenced the Roh Tae Woo government's July 7 Declaration and led to the birth of the South-North Basic Agreement in 1991.

The meaning of the declaration was that it broke the political, social, cultural and religious taboos on South-North relations.  The social atmosphere at the time, with regard to South-North relations was that, nobody admitted their wrongs or even mentioned them.  But the Declaration confessed our sins of hatred and unforgiveness of our brothers and sisters, and we stood up naked before God.  Through that opportunity we came to stand at the same level as the people in North Korea bearing together our past historic burden, as equal partners, and recognizing the other side as the counterpart with whom we could cooperate for a common future.  Through the Declaration we voluntarily gave up the foundation of our insistence that all the wrongs were on the side of North Korea.

For the 10 years since then the South Korean churches have been making meaningful progress.  We may have some regrets in reflecting on the anxieties and limits of the list of programs which were set 10 hears ago, but on the other hand, we have accomplished magnificent progress in view of our value system and mental attitude, and the process and possibility of our programs.

2. Limits of South-North Agreement

The South-North Basic Agreement of 1991 was an epoch-making work giving rational order to the distorted South-North relations.  But we have to admit that we failed to make this excellent agreement into an opportunity to overcome our national division, and only made it into another frustration.

Generally speaking, mutual trust was not established to back up the Agreement.  In addition, there was no political will to implement it strategically and institutional nor preparation to maintain the political will.  This makes us suspect that the political authorities did not feel any obligation to take on the of their historical duty at the national level but were only concerned with using the propagandistic effect of the Agreement to maintain its power.

We should have learned through our painful experience that the South and the North must gradually establish a foundation of trust and guarantees which can be believed.  It is also important that the national agenda should not be abused for propaganda and fabrication to benefit the political powers.  South Korean policies toward North Korea should be decided independently of political parties and factions, and these policies should be implemented regardless of power change.

3. South-North Exchange and Cooperation

The importance of mutual visits, human exchanges and cooperative relations between the two Koreas was already agreed and called for at Dosanso in 1984.  In 1988, the Korea Christian Declaration emphasized the importance of these as well.  The Basic Agreement of 1991 included specific aspects in detail and listed actions to be practiced.  It is a historial irony that this concrete and courageous agreement have become a piece of waste paper.

As I already mentioned, it can be criticized that the beautiful articles of the Agreement were only popular projects without any prudent consideration or review for the establishment of a proper environment, decision on goal or encouragement of a will for reunification.  Of course, the first goal of exchange and cooperation between the two Koreas is to strengthen relations of mutual trust.  Therefore, the work ahead of us is to draw up an agreement on South-North reconciliation and non-aggression.  Agreement or documentation on reconciliation and non-aggression without the establishment of mutual trust will be meaningless.

4. The Way to Trust-building

a) Leading action is needed rather than response.  The past Korean governments have maintained a respondent style rather than taking leadership actions.  Successive governments have avoided controversial public issues and passively maintained the division of the nation rather than making efforts to establish policies and attain national agreement.  But now we need to take the initiative, possibly unilateral action.  But we can obtain the other side's trust only when we step forward to overcome the danger.

b) We should try to prevent misunderstanding by the other side.  We should try to explain incomprehensible matters from the standpoint of the other side and eliminate all the misunderstanding, even when our motives for of action and process are just.  It is difficult to take responsibility for what we did not do.  But we should act first to eliminate the other side's misunderstanding overcoming our temporary disadvantage, because strengthening of trust is the ultimate goal.

c) We should accept the role of mediator to settle disagreements.  All concerned  need the courage to accept their limits, and in addition, should accept mediation, not insisting on the right to con  all matters in a doctrinaire fashion.

5. Creation of Political Will

The creation of political will is important if exchange and cooperation are to be started and carried out with the aim of trust-building.  Policy-making without political will is not meaningful.  Political will is the capability and patience to implement policies.  Political will is not the charisma of a specific individual but the way to encourage participation and agreement among the members of the political community.

a) A priority order should be set.  After that, discretion for flexible implement of policies should be made rather than just arranging policies.  But because  we have a counterpart in the process, a unilateral order of priority or its doctrinaire maintenance is meaningless.  In addition, a respondent attitude only based on reciprocity is not desirable either.  Reciprocity should be used as the variable and means for implementation of policies.  If it becomes an unchangeable principle we will become deadlocked.  This means that reciprocity should be flexibly adapted and practiced for the basic goal of trust-building.

b) The roles of governments and civil organizations should be distinguished in a country thath stands for democracy and the pursuit of a liberal society.  Our government has begun to reflect a stubbornness which monopolizes contacts and actions related to North Korea.  But it has not tried to revive civil organizations' concerns which have shrunken or been denied due to the government's insistence on control.  We need to take notice of the example of Germany.  When Germany was reunifie,d President von Weizsacker strongly criticized Chancellor Kohl's policy which was blocking people's excitement and passion, with the government monopolizing all matters.  As a result, the German people were alienated and turned away, and the government had to take on the whole spiritual and materialistic burden.

The government may be uncomfortable entrusting some roles to the private sector, especially at a stage in which trust-building has not been accomplished.  In addition, the government may worry about unrest and confusion caused by predictable mistakes in practice and lack of self-control.  But concern for such matters is rather a minor thing in contrast with the expected results from role allocation.  Many countries in the world are encouraging the external role of civil organizations, and further, subsidizing them to activate their external role.  As for South-North exchange, it would be more effective if the areas of culture, religion, sports and the media are led by the private sectors.

c) Humanitarianism and reciprocity should be distinguished.  The government's attitude toward humanitarianism is not clear.  The government seems to understand that humanitarianism should be dealt with by civil or international organizations and the government professes humanitarianism while disregarding its principles.  Humanitarian activities are the saving and protecting of human lives from disasters and disease, impartial treatment regardless of politics, history, society, culture, religion or race in doing humanitarian activities, and imposing no conditions on aid or support.  But there is no such clear principle in the government's attitude toward North Korean.  This means that there is no distinction between humanitarian free aid and mutual trade based on the exchange principle.

One of the policies announced by the new government recently was that action at the government level should be implemented on the basis of the principle of reciprocity.  It means that humanitarian aid is excluded from government-level aid.

One more thing which should be mentioned is a difference in explanations of humanitarianism.  The divided family issue is a good example.  This is definitely a humanitarian issue for South Korea.  But in view of North Korea's historical context and political position, there are some points which cannot be dealt with by considering it an absolutely humanitarian issue.  These different positions and interpretations should be considered.

6. Spirit of Jubilee and Exchange and Cooperation

If the main purpose of exchange and cooperation is trust-building rather than reciprocal exchange, we can emphasize the spirit and principle of the Jubilee.  We dreamed the vision of the Jubilee 10 years ago and it gave us a common foundation which we could share even though there were many limits.

On the basis of these dreams we should take a certain lead in some matters of relations between the South and the North.  One of these matters is the campaign to give up campaign of vested rights.  We should proclaim that we give up all the rights which we previously had or inherited, such as rights to real estate and preemptive rights, and make this proclamation collectively.  This could bring a significant change in relation to spiritual attitude, even if there is no practical change. A sense of superiority derived from vested interests or a eactionary attitude which insists on historical identity is not helpful.  Exchange and cooperation should be future-directed and for that, the sense of superiority based on preemptive rights should be overcome.  Exchange and cooperation should be performed as a campaign and move in the direction of building new relations and order on the basis of the principle of the Jubilee.

7. Way to Live Together

Under the IMF bailout, we are feeling more concretely that exchange and cooperation between the South and the North is the way we can survive together.  When we were still blinded by imaginary numbers, South-North cooperation meant South Korea's charitable support of North Korea.  But if we look back, it was not aid or charity but a way to survive together.  As mentioned in the South-North Basic Agreement, there are many possibilities of enhancing national welfare and developing the national economy in an equal and balanced way.  Common development of resources, appropriate training and deployment of human forces under a medium/long-term plan, material exchange as internal exchange, and building of cooperative relationships on the international stage are also possibile if common understanding is established.

Once again, in order to make there exchanges possible, trust-building and South-North reconciliation, as mentioned in Chapter 1 of the Basic Agreement should be established.  But an opposite approach is also appropriate.  That is, the political will to drive exchange and cooperation could be the basis for trust-building and South-North reconciliation.

New Direction of Exchange and Cooperation Between the South and the North

Lee Young Sun

Yonsei University

1. Problems with past governments' policies

- Mistaken forecast about the North Korean system: early collapse theory, in

favor of collapse rather than cooperation

- Propaganda about cooperative attitude, causing domestic and overseas

confusion over government policies

- Increase of uncertainty caused by inconsistent policies

2. Policy direction of the new government

- Long-term peaceful co-existence

- Principle of separation between political sector and economic sector:

trust-building through exchanges and economic cooperation

- Humanitarian aid drive

- Mutuality in government vs. government relations

3. Present situation of exchanges and cooperation between the South and

the North

1) Exchanges

- Total US$300 billion of trade in 1997

- Standstill since 1995

- South Korea's import surplus (contributing to the increase of North Korea's

foreign currency income)

- South Korea as the third largest trade partner of North Korea

- Causes of standstill

> Collapse of North Korea's economic system

> North Korea's politics-first policy

2) Processing of imported materials

- Gradual increase but not much in 1997

- Variety of items (from clothes to electric items)

- Causes of standstill

> Technical problems(difficulty of visit to North Korea)

> South Korea's financial problems(difficulty of payment caused by rise in

the dollar exchange rate)

3) Investment

- Light water nuclear reactor building project

- Deregulation of limitations on investors and amount of investment

> 29 cases of permissions to joint investors and 6 to joint businesses

- Najin-Sunbong Free Trade Area

> No outstanding result

> Some visible results by church-related bodies

> Demand for investment in agriculture

4) Cultural exchange

- Increase of cultural exchange

> Little Angels

> Visits of reporters from MBC (Munwha Broadcasting Company) and

Joong-ang Daily for reporting on North Korea's natural scenes

> Plan to permit access to North Korean TV

> Screening of North Korean films in universities

5) Humanitarian aid

- Informal reunions of separated families

- Making a connection between fertilizer aid and separated family issue

- North Korea's continuous food shortages (plan to encourage private-sector

aid for development of agriculture)

4. Vision and agenda

1) Vision

- It is expected that North Korea will respond to the economic cooperation

policies of the new South Korean government

> North Korea's economic crisis

> International atmosphere

> Big portion of trade with South Korea in the North Korean economy

> Response of North Korea: lowering export prices to South Korea after the

IMF bailout

> Reservation of response on the new South Korean government

(consideration of political goal)

2) South-North economic cooperation under the IMF bailout

- Negative

> Worsening of trade conditions: decrease of South Korea's imports

(decrease of import of raw materials such as gold and zinc)

> Decrease of demand for material processing: rise of prices caused by rise

of exchange rate

- Indications

> Change of direction of investments in North Korea

* Withdrawal of efforts for prior occupation in view of long-term

investments,  consideration of short-term profits

* Disappearance of investments in North Korea premised on collapse of

North Korea

* Diminishing relative advantage of North Korea's work force

* Difficulty of raising South-North Cooperation Fund

* Possibility of breakthrough by reconstructing small businesses

> Indications for North Korea

* Opportunity to understand rigid economic theory

* Recognition of need to speed up contact with other countries

3) Agenda called for

- Separation of political and economic sectors?

* Problem of consistency: private sector vs. government

* Goal of separation of political sector and economic sector? - inducement

of mutual interest and change

* Supply of cost for government investment

* Possibility of application of mutuality

- Institutions first?

* Exchanges should be first

* Demand for institution is an excuse for limiting exchange

* Simplification of process is needed

- Centralization of access to humanitarian aid

* Advantage: easy control - encouragement of North Korea's change

* Shortcoming: contraction of private sector role

* Separation of private aid from government aid

4) Policy proposals

- Efforts to minimize trade cost

* Minimizing of brokerage (communication, transport, insurance, finance) -

excessive circulation cost

* Training of brokers for direct trade

* Enlargement of small businesses' trade with North Korea

- Simplification of investment process for North Korea

* Simplification of dual permission process

- Need to establish economic theory

* Rapid change of policies with regard to North Korea is not desirable

> From regulation to aid?

Proposal of liberal regulation for exchange rather than proposal of aid

* Encouragement of North Korea's voluntary participation in the market

> Need of explicit distinction of interest and loss

* Need of warning on North Korea's favors to big businesses

> Big companies - favorable partners for North Korea due to their capital,

broad range of businesses and on-the-ground offices

> Danger of excessive competition for prior investment occupation:

warning for self-responsibility

- Development of tourism

* Joint development of Kum-kang Mountain and Paek-du Mountain

* Problem of distribution of profits

* Establishment of ferry line in Najin-Sunbong

The Basis of Exchanges and Cooperations between the South and the North Korea

Dr. Park Kyung Seo

WCC Asia Desk

The Korean Churches' Efforts and Tasks for Peace and Reunification

Rev. Cho Wha Soon

Member of Human Rights Committee

NCCK

1. Beginning of the Korean Churches' Reunification Mission

The Korean churches have been developing and working on their mission agendas throughout the nation's modern history.  Under the harsh Japanese colonialism, the churches led the independence movement including the March 1 movement, and on the other hand were deeply involved in education and rural enlightenment movements for the future of the nation.

Immediately after independence, when the Korean people were in deep despair caused by the national division and the Korean War, the churches presented a vision for the future and led a national rehabilitation campaign.  When people's dignity was injured and the society was encalved by materialism under the development-dictatorship and industrialization policies carried out by the military regime, the churches did not fear to take up the cross of suffering for the recovery of human rights and the establishment of democracy.  In spite of the efforts by the churches, the Korean society had to experience continuous human rights violations and frustrations in accomplishing democracy, and even witnessed the terrible massacre in Kwangju.

The tradition of love of neighbor, which had lasted for 5,000 years, disappeared, and in its place emerged the national tragedy of division, with both sides aiming weapon at each other, and the justification of this according to the ideology of division.  The Korean churches, realizing the impossibility of establishing a sound society under the division, adopted the Jubilee movement for peace and reunification as their mission theme, understanding that the churches should overcome the national division and seek reconciliation and peace.

The NCCK (National Council of Churches in Korea) established a Research Center for Reunification Issues in 1982 and launched a concrete reunification campaign.  There was a natural conflict between the churches and the government, because the authoritarian regime then banned even discussions on reunification.  The government did not permit the first reunification consultation in 1983 and tried to block the spreading discussions on reunification.  But it failed to hamper the churches' reunification movement.

The churches protested against the government's obstruction and got support from brother and sister churches in other part of the world.  They held a "Consultation on Peace and Justice in Northeast Asia" in Dosanso, Japan in 1984 and confirmed that the reunification issue as a mission agenda.  The world churches decided to cooperate for meetings and exchanges between the South and the North Korean churches.  The Dosanso meeting became the foundation for the reunification movement in the Korean peninsula for the next 10 years, presenting the directions and principles of the reunification movement.

2. Historic First Meeting of the South and North Korean Churches

The South and North Korean churches had their historic first meeting in Glion, Switzerland, on September 5, 1986.  This event it was possible through the mediation of the WCC (World Council of Churches) and the coordinator of the WCC-CCIA (Commission of the Churches on International Affairs), who worked to make the meeting possible and wrote about the difficulties of the first meeting in a report.

Until a few days before the Glion meeting it was not clear whether the

participants could get entry visas, and we were filled with trepidation	worrying what responses would come from both sides' participants.	What would be the effects of the forty year-long hostile propaganda on	the attitudes of the two delegations?

Would political positions hamper dialogue or could they open their	minds before the new covenant in Jesus Christ, saying, "He has made	the two groups one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the	hostility, between us"?  Would trust rule the dialogue?  Or would	suspicion dominate?

The CCIA ccordinator said he had to feel ashamed when he recognized that his anxiousness was so absurd.  He reflected on the moment when the South and North Korean church leaders exchanged warm hugs during holy communion, as the most meaningful moment during his 9 year-long mission in the WCC.

After that first meeting, the two Korean churches had 5 formal international consultations and many meetings with the support of brother and sister churches around the world.  Recently, 6 South Korean church leaders visited North Korea at the invitation of the KCF (Korean Christian Federation), confirming their cooperation and strengthening Christian fellowship.

3. Desirable Position of the South and North Korean Churches

We understand that size of the North Korean churches is very small in comparison with the South Korean churches.  There are only two churches which have their own buildings and 500 family churches, and Christians number about 12,000.  Therefore, the South Korean churches understand mission for North Korea as the construction of church buildings and evangelism.  Of course, the extension of churches is important.  But the most important thing is to understand the situation of churches in the North Korean society.  Understanding is to admit and learn from each other, and further to cooperate with each other.

First, the South Korean churches should accept the North Korean churches.

Accepting does not mean that the South Korean churches agree with everything about the North Korean churches.  It means that we should understand the North Korean churches as our brothers and sisters, and as our exclusive dialogue partners who are responsible for mission in North Korea.

As a matter of fact, the South Korean churches are eager for mission in North Korea, saving money for church construction and training missionaries to go there.  This could be misunderstood as an imperialistic attitude which does not admit the existence of the North Korean churches, constructs South Korean-style churches and plants South Korean-style faith.

The South and the North have been divided for about fifty years, and have lived under different systems and ideologies.  Fifty years could be understood as a very short time in view of our 5,000 year-long history but actually it is not a short period.  Fifty years of division is enough to differentiate value systems and living attitudes.  When we think of "differences" between the South and the North, there are many areas which cannot be reached by the South Korean churches only by means of passion for mission.  Approaches without accurate understanding could make the other side uncomfortable.  We should consider mission for North Korea on the basis of understanding North Korea as it is.

Secondly, the two Korean churches should learn from each other.

The South Korean churches are enjoying prosperity and the North Korean churches are maintaining their faith during the after-shocks of socialism.  If the South Korean churches laugh scornfully at the small size of the North Korean churches and the North Korean churches deride the division of the South Korean churches, it will make all unhappy.  The two churches should find each other's strong points and learn from each other.

If the South Korean denominations escalate their present trend of mission for North Korea, divided denominations and churches will be replicated in the North, thus transferring the shortcomings of the Southern churches to North Korea.

Thirdly, the two Korean churches should cooperate with each other.

The South Korean and North Korean churches have been seeking ways to cooperate within a conditioned environment.  The two churches have constantly met and discussed peace and reunification of the nation and done their best toward agreement.  The two churches have endeavored to change conflict into cooperation and hostility into reconciliation.  The South Korean churches have maintained the North Korean churches as an exclusive channel to North Korea and organized a council to transform the competitive spirit among churches in the South.  The two churches have been cultivating a way of cooperation even though it has not yet matured.

On the basis of these efforts, the two Korean churches should share information, pray for the other side, share materialistic goods and common spirit, and live together in frugality.

4. Korean Churches' Task for Peace and Reunification

Constructing more churches in North Korea is a meaningful and important matter.  But the more important thing for the churches is to make efforts for national reconciliation, peace and reunification.  The German reunification, which was done without national compromise and reconciliation, and has been producing serious aftereffects, show us many lessons.

The South Korean churches should confess that they have grown rapidly along with national history, and have struggled for justice according to the calling of God to accomplish national reconciliation.

Political and territorial reunification could be relatively easy.  But reunification among people is not easy.  The churches should bear the burden, following our Lord's words, "Love your neighbors as yourselves", and "Love even your enemy."

In 1992, leaders of the Korean churches and world churches adopted the "Life of Christians toward Reunification".  The sub-theme was "Christians' Confession of Faith and Practical Tasks toward Reunification".

Some of the key areas mentioned are as follows.

① Demand and observe the implementation of the South-North Basic Agreement.

② Launch programs and peace education which teach how to live together with people having different ideas and ideology.

③ The two Korean churches should share with and respect each other, and make efforts to accomplish spiritual unity.

④ Love our culture and tradition, and overcome our submissive attitude toward foreign languages, commodities and cultures

⑤ Make efforts for the improvement of the human rights of 10 million Koreans abroad who are suffering due to the national division

Even though these tasks are limited to the presentation of principles, we expect that the churches can find mission agenda to practice, based on these principles.

We believe that a nation of real peace and justice will soon come into being,  when Christians destroy the walls of division and blow the trumpet of the Jubilee, following God's call to make a world in which justice and peace flow like the water.

Peaceful Advance toward

the New Millenium

Rev. Son Eun-Ha

It is deeply meaningful that ten years ago, the Korean church proclaimed its Declration for  National Reunification and Peace. It is also reasonable that the church, following Jesus Christ, the servant of peace, who came for our salvation, declared such a reunification statement for the people's salvation and peace.

Realizing that the reunification issue is the call of the present times for its mission, the Korean church should now lead a peaceful process again in succession to its own mission heritage.

The division of the motherland is a heavy burden and yoke on the Korean people, especially on the oppressed. It has been a serious obstacle to development, including democratization, guaranteed fair economic distribution, justice in every social sphere, and peace. People have bein prohibited from touching or participating in  reunification matters and  some were even accused as pro-communists.

Since the  Korean church's '88 Declaration for Reunification, the vitality of reunification discussion seems to be increasing; however, it has not spread widely, and has not led to people's education or practical participation.

As for Christian woman Minjung, they have been influenced by the assertions that the reunification and peace movement, such as cuts in defense expenses, will enormously improve Minjung livelihood, and yet this influence is still too small to lead to full Minjung participation.

The Korean church has also demanded that national democratic participation in national reunification be guaranteed, especially that of the Minjung, who have  suffered most under the divided structure and, despite their constituting the majority of the nation, have been alienated from the decision-making process.

The problem, however, is that the Minjung have had to concentrate on ensuring their own survival, and thus have been left without the power to be interested in the national division isssue even though this issue  or to participate in the discussions about united Korea., tremendously affects their own right to live. The Minjung, lacking the time or money, have been excluded from essential discussions, owing to their present marginal situation. Accordingly, inter-Korean reunification still seems to be an 'untouchable' issue for them.

The Korean church must recover its vitality in order to advance toward  peaceful reunification. To promote South-North Korean unity, South Korean churches' own reconciliation should be accomplished first.

We should advance toward a reunited Korea in the spirit of justice, love and  mercy, as God commands us. When all Koreans seek God's kingdom, the new community where sharing and service overflow, we can realize a reunified world where all the Korean people are one, enjoying peace, justice and love.

Mr. Victor W.C. Hsu

Special Forum on <Reunification and the Multiliteral Regional Security>

Between the two Koreas basic agreements have already been reached in the joint statement on July 4, 1972: national self-reliance, peaceful reunification and grand national unity. The self-reliance principle is pivotal, the national unity is its form. The reunification aims, however, at contributing to peace.  The peace of the Korean peninsula is never a separate issue, but is to be designed to build peace in the region and the world.  In this respect we understand the Korean division threatens and even destroys the regional and world peace, not to mention the peace in the peninsula. For building a durable peace structure in and around the peninsula we need to overcome the so-called "national security" system in the enmity relations between two Koreas and try to come to a common agreement on the mutually recognizable "common national security" to be guaranteed and supported by a multilateral regional security pact in the region, in which two Koreas and surrounding nations like USA, Japan, China and Russia take part. To this end the Helsinki model of Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE, 1975) may offer an example.  This Forum seeks possible and necessary ways to an East-Asian model of common security system contributing to the  peace in the region and in the world.

The New Government's Policy Objectives Toward North Korea

Kang In-Duk, Minister of Unification

1. Objects of the New Government's Policy toward North Korea

A. Objective: To improve relations between North Korea and South                      Korea through "Peace, Reconciliation, Cooperation"

B. Three Principles:

a. Not to tolerate any military provocations which might demolish            peace.

b. To exclude an absorption policy

c. To positively promote reconciliation and cooperation.

C. Course of policy

▣ First of all, to emphasize solidifying "relations of peaceful                 coexistence" from the standpoint of a "reality approach", that is,           based on the facts and pursuing the truth, rather than seeking            immediate reunification.

- To aim at reunification through solidifying productive inter-               Korean relations by means of mutual interchanges and                   operations on the basis of peace and stability.

▣ To concentrate on implementing the "South-North Basic                   Agreement" through dialogue by both sides' authorities.

- To simultaneouly promote both the four party meeting for                 establishment of peace and the South-North Korean dialogue              to accomplish the "Basic Agreement."

- To make efforts to solve the "divided families" issue as a                 first priority.

▣ To tolerantly support North Korean efforts to change.

- To arrange an appropriate situation where the North Korean              people change for themselves through more contact, dialogue              and  cooperation.

- To maintain coherence of the policy on the basis of public                consent and support.

2.  Outstanding Problems and Tasks of South Korea and North for           Korea.

A. To resume dialogue between South Korea and  North Korean             authorities.

▣ To faithfully carry out the South-North Basic Agreement                 through dialogue between both sides, is the most proper and             quickest way to improve mutual relations.

Result of the South-North goverment delegates talks in Beijing

▣ The South Korean side, on the basis of mutuality, concentrated           on consenting simultaneously to both the issue of setting up an           interview room for separated families and that of providing               fertilizer support.

- As the North Korean side, however, distorted the principle of              "separation of political and economic affairs," insisting on                 fertilizer support first, and discussion of mutual                          interests later, the talks came to an end without any visible              result.

▣ These talks was significant from the  viewpoint that they were           the first such

- Meeting after launching of both sides' new leadership.

- Opportunity to form a new framework for South and North               Korean relations through making North Korea fully realize               the objects of our new government's policy toward North-               South relations.

▣ The government, patiently and resolutely, is exerting its best           efforts to resume dialogue between South and North Korea and to           carry out the "South-North Basic Agreement."

- While clarifying our situation and principles, we will ask                  North Korea for a corresponding change of attitude.

The meaning of the "separation of political and economic affairs" principle

▣ To steadily and continuously develop private economic                      cooperation, in accordance with the market economy principle,             based on each enterprise's self-imposed judgement and                   responsibility.

- The government will check side-effects such as excessive                 competition, by easing restrictions in order to creation                    appropriate situation.

▣  It is impossible to apply this position to "governmental"                   cooperation and support toward North Korea.

- Since the people's taxes are  used, judgment correct policy is              necessary so as to respect the people's opinion and realize               true public benefit.

The meaning of "mutuality"

▣ "Mutuality" is the reasonable conclusion of the "reality                    apporoach policy" talks with North Korea.

- North Korea should show a change of attitude: if not equal,              at least corresponding to our incessant efforts.

- The talks were also significant for the  gradual development              of South Koran and North Korean relations.

* A poll taken after the government delegate, talks in Beijing              shows that 71% of the respondents approve the mutuality                principle.

B. Solution of divided families issue

-  Being a humanitarian issue, the problem of the divided families            should be solved as a first priority.

-  The aging of the divided families increases the urgency of this            issue.

Secondary Source

1. Declaration of the Churches of Korea on National Reunification and        Peace(1988)

2. Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-aggression and Exchanges and          Cooperation between the South and North(Full Text)

3. Non-Aggression - this article was sent by Johannes Achilles(EKD)

4. 1998 Common Prayer for Peace and Reunification the Korean Peninsula

5. Common Agreement - June 1, 1998

6. Addresses - Rev. Dwain C. Epps(WCC-CCIA)

DECLARATION OF THE CHURCHES OF KOREA

ON NATIONAL REUNIFICATION AND PEACE

The Mission Tradition of the Korean Churches

for Justice and Peace

The Reality of a Divided People

A Confession of the Sins of Division and Hatred

The Basic Principles of the Churches of Korea

for National Reunification

The Proposals of the Churches of Korea

to the Governments of Sorth and North

The Task of the Churches of Korea for Peace

and Reunification

The National Council of Churches in Korea

DECLARATION OF THE CHURCHES OF KOREA

ON NATIONAL REUNIFICATION AND PEACE

We first offer praise and thanks for the grace and love of God, who has sent the Gospel of Christ to the Korean peninsula, making known to us the death of Christ on the Cross and his resurrection, and enabling us, through our faith in Christ, to be accepted as God's children and granted salvation.  We also give thanks for the presence of the Holy Spirit in the history of the Korean peninsula and in the lives of all of our brouthers and sisters in faith, filling us with the mission commitment that will unify the whole church in our efforts for the liberation and salvation of our nation.

We trust in one God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1), and we believe that all people are invited to become the children of God (Romans 8:14-17, Galatians 3:26, 4:7).

Jesus Christ came to this land as the "Servant of Peace" (Ephesians 2:13-19), proclaiming God's kingdom of peace, reconciliation and liberation to a world torn by division, conflict and oppression (Luke 4:18, John 14:27).

To reconcile humanity to God, to overcome divisions and conflicts, and to liberate all people and make us one, Jesus Christ suffered, died upon the Cross, was buried and rose again in the Resurrection (Acts 10:36-40).

Jeusus blessed the peace makers, declaring their acceptance as children of God (Matthew 5:9). We believe that the Holy Spirit will reveal to us the eschatological future of history, will unite us, and will make us partners in God's mission (John 14:18-21. 16:13-14, 17:11).

We the churches of Korea believe that all Christians have now beeen called to work as apostles of peace (Colossians 3:15) ; that we are commanded by God to overcome today's reality of confrontation between our divided people - whol share the same blood but who are separated into south and north; and that our mission task is to work for the realization of unification and peace (Matthew 5:23-24).

Based on this confession of our faith, the National Council of Churches in Korea hereby declares before the churches of Korea and the world ecumenical community, our position and national unification and peace.  At the same time our appeal is directed in a spirit of prayer to all our Korean compatriots and to the leaders of government in both south and north.

The Mission Tradition of the Korean Churches for Justice and Peace

It has been more than a century since Protestants first preached the Gospel in this land, and during thisi period the churches have committed many errors before the Korean people. And yet, throuth the proclamation of God'd Kingdom, Korean Christians have made great efforts to realize the true hopes of our people for liberation and independence.  Our forebears in the faith, strengthened by the Holy Spirit and guided by the Scriptures (Luke 4:18-19), preached the Gospel to the poor, planted the hope of liberty and independence among our oppressed people, and pursued the mission of national liberation and independence as they shared the suffering of the whole Korean people under the slavery of the Japanese imperial rule.

Korean Christians, however, could not find the true meaning of peace in the complacency and security of a life bowed down in obedient slavery.

Peace had to be the fruit of justice (Isaiah 32:17), and a peace without national independence or human liberty was only a false peace (Jeremiah 6:13-14).  The peace movement of the Korean churches during the Japanese imperialist rule over our land was necessarily a movement for national independence which shared the pain of our enslaved people-a national liveration movement which proclaimed the Kingdom of God and strived to realize this faith within history.

The Christians of Korea stood in the forefront of the March First Independence Movement of 1919, resisted the policy of national annihilation by the Japanese imperialists, and shed martyrs' blood for their defiance of the enforcement of shinto worship, a deification of Japanese nationalism.

After the division of Korea in 1945, the Christians of south Korea cared for the refugees, orphans and victims of war who were suffering under the reality of national separation.  The churches received into their midst the members of churches and of separated families who had fled from the north, offering them love and support.

As the division became a fized reality, dictatorial military regimes emerged to repress human rights in the name of security and to oppress laborers and farmers under the logic of economic growth; but the churches of Korea mounted resistance to such oppression, through a faith which sought justice and peace.  The human rights and democratization movement of the Korean churches in the 1970's and 1980's is direct heir to this mission movement tradition for justice and peace.

The Reality of a Divided People

The division of the Korean peninsula is the sinful fruit of the present world political structure and existing ideological systems.  The Korean people have suffered as a sacrificial lamb caught in the midst of the military and ideological confrontations and conflicts of the world's superpowers.

In 1945, at the end of the Second World War, the Korean people were liberated from their slavery under the Japanese imperial colonial rule, but were again shackled by the new fetters of the division into north and south.  The line of division which was established in the name of disarming the aggressive Japanese imperialist forces became fized by the Cold War structure of the Soviet Union and the United States.  The northern and sourthern parts of Korea separately established different governments, and over the last forty years their military, political and ideological antagonism and conflict has become ever more severe.

The Korean Conflict which began on June 25, 1950, brought about the tragedy of internecine war and intensified the international conflice.

The quantity of bombs dropped on Korea during this conflict exceeded the amount dropped on the whole of Europe during World War II; the entire peninsula was reduced to ashes.  This war resulted in 220,000 south Korean, over 600,000 north Korean, 1,000,000 Chinese, 140,000 American, and over 16,000 United Nations military casualties, and if the number who died from disease during the war is included, a total of 2,500,000 soldiers' lives were sacrificed.  If the 500,000 south Korean and 3,000,000 north Korean civilian casualties are added to this total, the blood of six million persons was spilled upon the earth of this land  (statistics from the Encyclopedia Britannica, 1970 edition).  In addition, three million refugees and ten million separated family members were produced by this conflict.

In the time both preceding and following the Korean Conflict, Christians of north Korea who confronted the north Korean communist regime endured suffering and dearth, while hundreds of thousands of Christians from the north left their home communities and churches and underwent the hardships of refugee life as they fled to the south.  During the Korean War a considerable number of south Korean Christianys were kindnapped or subjected to cruel, tragic executions.  Communist sympathizers became victims of ideological warfare and were ostracized from society as "traitors".

The Korean peninsula, reduced to ashes by the war, continued to be entangled in the international policical conflict of the east-west Cold War structure, and as a result there was a steady escalation in military competition, mutual vilification, distrust and hostility between the north and the south.  Peace on the peninsula was destroyed, and the general belief grew that national reconciliation would be impossible.

With the hardening of the "armistice line"--originally intended as a temporary measure following the signing of the Armistice in 1953--into a "dividing line", the wall between north and south loomed ever higher, and in this context of separation and confrontation the two systems in the north and south became ever more hostile and aggressive toward one another. The mutual military rivalry has been accelerated to a state of armed readiness that counts 840,000 troops in the north and 600,000 in the south, for a total of some 1,500,000 troops on the peninsula; and the nuclear weapons now deployed here or targeted upon the peninsula constitute a destructive force more than sufficient to obliterate the whole Korean people.

The prolongation of the division has led to violations of human rights under both systems, in the name of security and ideology; thus we have seen repression of the freedoms of speech, press, assembly and association. And the complete suspension by both sides of postal service, travel, visitation and communication has turned the two halves of Korea into the two most distant and different countries on earth. The education and propaganda activities of north and south share the goal of mutual vilification, each perceiving the other as the most hated enemy to be weakened and eliminated through the competition of the two systems.

As a result the people of both north and south are not only ignorant of the life and culture of their fellow Koreans, but have been trained to believe they must not know about one another. Both systems are teaching their people to see their blood brothers and sisters as their most feared enemy.

Dialogue between north and south was begun in 1972, and the July 4th Joint Communique of that year raised hopes for an opening that would lead to further dialogue, cooperation and exchanges. The Red Cross thalks between north and south were reopened in 1985, and although some separated families were able to visit their home communities, their numbers were extremely limited, and dialogue and negotiations remain fruitless.

Up to the early 1980's, south Korean Christians were unable even to verify the existence of a church or Christian believers in the north; and their long-standing, deep-seated mistrust and enmity toward the communist regime--intensified and hardened as the division itself became hardened--kept Christians blindly attached to an anti-communist ideology.

A Confession of the Sins of Division and Hatred

As we Christians of Korea proclaim this declaration for peace and reunification, we confess before God and our people that we have sinned: we have long harbored a deep hatred and hostility toward the other side within the structure of division.

1. The divsion of the Korean people is the result of the structural           evil reflected in the world's superpowers in their east-west              Cold War system, and this reality has also been the root cause           of the structural evil present within the societies of both North           and South Korea. Due to the division we have been guilty of             the sin of violating God's commandment,  "You shall love your           neighbor as yourself". (Matthew 22:37-40)

Because of the division of our homeland, we have hated,             deceived and murdered our compatriots of the same blood, and           have justified that sin by the political and ideological                     rationalization of our deeds. Division has led to war, yet we              Christians have committed the sin of supporting rearmament              with the newest and most powerful weapons, plus reinforcement           of troops and expenditures, in the name of preventing another            war. (Psalm 33:16-20; 44:6-7)

In this process the Korean peninsula has become dependent           upon outside powers, not only militarily but politically,                   economically and in other ways as well: it has been                     incorporated into the east-west Cold War structure and                  subjugated under that structure. We Christians confess that we           have sinned during the course of this subjugation by                     abandoning our national pride and by betraying our people                through the forfeit of our spirit of national independence.                 (Romans 9:3)

2. We confess that throughout the history of our national division           the churches of Korea have not only remained silent and                 continuously ignored the ongoing stream of movement for                autonomous reunification of our people, but have further sinned           by trying to justify the divsion. The Christians of both north             and south have made absolute idols of the ideologies enforced            by their respective systems. This is a betrayal of the ultimate            sovereignty of God (Exodus 20:3-5), and is a sin, for the                 church must follow the will of God rather than the will of any           political regime. (Acts 4:19)

We confess that the Christians of the south especially have           sinned by turing the anti-communist ideology into a virtual               religious idol, and have thus not been content to treat just the            communist regime in the north as the enemy, but have further           damned our northern compatriots and others whose ideologes             differ from our own (John 13:14-15; 4:20-21).  This is not only           a violation of the commandments, but is also a sin of                    indifference toward our neighbors who have suffered and                 continue to suffer under the national division; it is, moreover, a           sin of failure to ameliorate their suffering through the love of            Christ. (John 13:17)

The Basic Principles of the Churches of Korea for National Reunification

So that God's Kingdom of justice and peace may come, we Christians must practice the Gospel of peace and reconciliation (Ephesians 2:14-17) by sharing in the life of suffering of our own people.  It is only through such sharing that national reconciliation and reunification can be accomplished; thus we recognize that our concern and efforts for unification are an issue of faith.  By overcoming the division which threatens the life of the Korean people and endangers world peace, reunification becomes the path leading us from conflict and confrontation to reconciliation and coezistence, and finally to one peaceful national community.

Through a series of consultations beginning in 1984, the National Council of Churches in Korea has established the following basic principles of the churches toward national reunification.

The National Council of Churches in Korea believes that the three broad principles articulated in the first north-south negotiated Joint Communique of July 4, 1972, namely 1) independence, 2) peace, and 3) great national unity transcending the differences in ideas, ideologies and systems should provide the guiding spirit for our nation's reconciliation and reunification.  In addition to these, we Christians believe that the following two principles also should be honored in all dialogue, negotiation and action for reunification.

1. Reunification must bring about not only the common good and            benefit of the people and the nation, but must provide the                mazimum protection of human freedom and dignity. Since both            nation and people exist to guarantee human freedom and                 welfare, while ideologies and systems also exist for the sake of            the people, primary consideration must always be given to                humanitarian concerns and measures, which must never be               withheld for any reason.

2. In every step of the discussion process to plan for reunification,           the full democratic participation of all the people must be                 guaranteed. Most importantly, participation must be guaranteed           for the minjung (common people), who not only have suffered            the most under the division, but who--despite the fact that they           constitute the majority of the population--have consistently been           alienated and excluded from the decision-making processes in             society.

The Proposals of the Churches of Korea to the Governments of South and North

Based upon the above principles, the National Council of Churches in Korea urges the responsible authorities in the overnments of both north and south to exert their utmost efforts for dialogue so that the following may be accomplished as soon as possible.

1. For the healing of the wounds caused by division

a. First of all, the separated families, who--as the victims of                the division--have endured all sorts of suffering during the               past 40 some years, must be reunited and allowed to live                together, and must be guaranteed the right to move freely to              whatever place they choose to live.

b. Even before reunification is achieved, all persons living in          separation from family members in north or south must           be freely permitted to visit their relatives and home areas          for definite periods, on an annual basis(perhaps at Chusok□          or some other holiday season).

c. The unjust social discrimination which still prevails against         some persons because of their momentary errors or the            past records of their families or relatives, problems which          inevitably arose during the solidifying of the national              division, must be ended at once.

2. For the promotion of the people's genuine participation to                 overcome the division

a. Neither government, north or south, may exercise a                         monopoly over information about the other side, nor                      monoplize the discussion on reunification.  Freedom of                    speech must be guaranteed so that the people of both                    north and south may participate fully and freely in the                   process of discussiong and establishing policies for                       reunification, and there must be systemic and realistic                    guarantees of the activities of civilian organizations                      engaged in research and discussion of the reunification                   issue.

□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□

1. Korean Thanksgiving day

b. Both North and South Korea must grant maximum freedom                for people who oppose either system or ideology to                      criticize freely according to their conscience and faith, and                both must abide by the International Declaration of Human                Rights and the United Nations' Human Rights Covenant.

3. For a great national unity of the Korean People transcending             the differences in ideas, ideologies and systems.

If Korea is to realize national autonomy, the people of both               north and south will have to transcend their differences in               concepts, ideologies and systems, and both populations must be           able to clearly confirm for themselves that they are one people           sharing a common fate. For such a mutual confirmation, north            and south must be able to put firm trust in one another. It               follows that those things which enable mutual trust must                become the most bascic starting point for all efforts directed             toward reunification. To foster such trust, all factors giving rise           to mistrust and hostility must be eliminated, while mutual                exchanges should be expande3d to broaden our base of mutual           understanding and rapidly restore our sense of common ethnic            identity. Because all such measures aimed at fostering trust are           the most essential part of the process of overcoming division,            even in the case that discussions between the official                    representatives of the two governments do not show progress,            or agreement are not forthcoming, there must nevertheless be            non-governmental channels through which the citizens                   themselves may seek progress.

a. North and South Korea must put an end to all mutual                     hostility and aggressive inclinations, and must eliminate the               exclusivism which leads to the slandering and vilification of               one another. In addition, each must modify its extreme,                   emotional censure of the other's differing ideology and                   system and offer in its place mutually constructive criticism.

b. For the promotion of mutual understanding, north and south               need unprejudiced, objective information about each other's               situation; therefore exchanges, visits and communications                 must be opened.

c. In order to restore the sense of common ethnic identity,                  north-south exchanges and cooperative research must be                 promoted in such academic areas as language, history,                   geography, biology and natural resources; while exchanges               must also be carried out in the areas of culture, the arts,                 religion and sports.

d. Since economic exchanges between north and south will not               only benefit the people but will also provide opportunities                 for mutual understanding, they should be opened to the                  greatest possible extent.

4. For reduction of tensions and promotion of peace between North           and South Korea

a. In order to prevent war and reduce tensions on the Korean               peninsula, a peace treaty must immediately be concluded to               terminate the existing state of war. To this end, it is urgent              that negotiations be opened by the governments of North                 and South Korea, the United States, China which participated              in the Korean Conflict, to replace the Armistice Agreement               with a peace treaty which also includes a non-aggression                pact.

b. At such time that a peace treaty is concluded, a verifiable                state of mutual trust is restored between north and south                Korea, and the peace and security of the entire Korean                   nation is guaranteed by the international community, then the              United States troops should be withdrawn and the United                Nations Command in Korea should be dissolved.

c. The excessive military competition between North and South              Korea is the greatest obstacle to peaceful reunification and is              moreover counter-productive to economic progress.

Therefore, following negotiations between north and south,               mutual military strenght must be reduced and military                    expenditures must be cut, with a switchover to industrial                 production for peace.

d. Nuclear weapons must never be used under any cirumstances.             North and South Korea together must block from the start               any possibility of the use of nuclear arms on the Korean                 peninsula. This means that all nuclear weapons deployed on              the peninsula or aimed in its direction must be removed.

5. For the realization of national independence

a. The must be no foreign interference or dependency upon                   neighboring superpowers in negotiations, conferences, or                  international agreements between north and south; the                    Korean people's self-governing  and subjecthood must be                protected.

b. Both North and South Korea must either either revise or                   abrogate all diplomatic agreements and treaties which                    undermine rather than support the life and interests of                   the Korean people.

North and south Korea must also reach mutual                                agreement in regard to all international alliances and                     associations, examining them to make certain that the                    common good of all Koreans is their primary objective.

The Task of the Churches of Korea for peace and Reunification

We believe that Jesus Christ is the "Lord of Peace" (Colossians 1:20), and that God's mission of salvation and liberation for humankind is being realized also within societies that have ideas and systems different from our own. Even though the confession of faith and the appearance of the churches of Christians living in other social systems may be unlike ours, we believe that since they are bonded to the one God and the one Christ, thereby they are members with us in the same Body(Corinthians 12:12-26).

Within the last few years, in an amazing development, the world ecumenical community has greatly strengthened this conviction of ours, by making contacts with our sisters and brothers in faith in North Korea, and bringing us news of them.

Again we give thanks for God's liberating action in the history of the Korean peninsula, and pray for God's grace and blessing upon our sisters and brotheers in the north who are steadfastly keeping the faith even under difficult circumstances.

Based upon this confession, the National Council of Churches in Korea, in order to fulfill its mission for peace and reconciliation, to share in the suffering division has caused, and to respond to the historical demand to overcome the division, now in a spirit of repentance and prayer announces plans to initiate a movement for a Jubilee Year for Peace and Reunification, as follows.

1. The National Council of Churches in Korea proclaims the year            1995 to be the "Year of Jubilee for Peace and Reunification".

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me

to proclaim release to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord". (Luke 4:18-19)

The "Jubilee year" is the fiftieth year following the completion            of a cycle of seven sabbatical years totaling 49 years                    (Leviticus 25:8-10). The year of jubilee is a "year of                     liberation". The proclamation of the year of jubilee is an act of            God's people which reveals their complete trust in God's                 sovereignty over history and their faithfulness in keeping                 God's covenant. The jubilee year is the overcoming of all the            social and economic conflicts caused by the repressive and               absolutist political powers, internal and external:  the enslaved            are liberated, the indebted have their debts forgiven, sold land            is returned to its original tillers, and seized houses are                   returned to their original inhabitants (Leviticus 25:11-55); the             united covenatn community of peace is restored through the              establishment of Shalom based on God's justice. The Korean             churches proclaim 1995, the fiftieth year after Liberation, as a            Jubilee Year, to express our belief in the historical presence of            God, who has ruled over those fifty years of history--indeed,             over all of human history; to proclaim the restoration of the              covenant community of peace; and to declare our resolution to            achieve this restoration in the history of the Korean peninsula            today, As we march forward with high aspirations toward the            Year of Jubilee, we should experience a revitalized faith in the            sovereignty of God, who works within our people's history,              and renewed commitment to the calling of God's mission.

2. As a part of the "Great March toward the Jubilee Year" the              Korean churches will carry out a vigorous church renewal                movement aimed toward peace and reunification.

a. In order to fulfill their mission responsibility for peace and                reunification, the Korean churches must overcome their                   self-centeredness and their preoccupation with ecclesiastical               power, while greatly strengthening mission cooperation for                church unity.

b. The churches of Korea, proclaiming the Year of Jubilee,                    must reform their internal structures which have                         restricted broad participation.  Accordingly there must be                 a resolute opening and expediting of full participation in                  lay mission activity which will include women and youth.

c. In order to bring about economic and social justice in our                 society, the churches of Korea must continue to perform a                prophetic role.

3. As a part of the proclamation of the Jubilee Year, the churches           of Korea, as a community of faith resolved to achieve peace              and reconciliation, will carry out a broad program of education            for peace and reunification.

a. The churches of Korea will widely disseminate Biblical and               theological peace studies and peace education materials, and              will promote research and exchange of information among                the various theological and Christian educational institutions.

b. To increase concern among the churches for the national                   reunification issue, the Korean churches will promote                     unification education which will foster recognition of the                  historical, social and theological vaildity of national                       reunification through an understanding of the structure and               history of the division, as well as through a deeper                      theological understanding of the problem.

c. Through theological reflection and commitment to the                       Christian faith, the Korean churches will seek a broader                  scientific understanding of the communist ideology and                   will promote reseach and education on ideology as needed                 for substantial dialogue.

4. Through the proclamation of a Jubilee Year festival and liturgy           for peace and reunification, the Korean churches will seek to             bring about a renewal of faith and genuine reconciliation and             unity.

a. The churches of Korea will establish a "Sunday of Prayer for              Peace and Reunification" to mark the Year of Jubilee, and                will develop a form of worship for this purpose, which will               include prayers for reunification, confession of the sin of                 division, recognition of calling and commitment for                       unification, prayers of intercession for the victims of division              and the divided people, a confession of faith for national                  reconciliation, proclamation of the Word(proclaiming the                   Jubilee Year), hymns and poetry, and a sacrament for peace              and reconciliation.

b. Until the time when communication between the churches of              north and south becomes possible, we will seek the                      cooperation of the would churches to enable the joint                     proclamation in both north and south of the Jubilee Year for              Peace and Reunification, and will promote the common                   observance of the "Sunday of Prayer for peace and                      Reunification" and the joint preparation and use of "prayers               for peace and reunification".

c. with the cooperation of the world churches, the churches of               Korea will search for ways to confirm the status of                      separated family members, explore the possibility of                      exchanging letters, and develop a movement to search out                relatives, church members and friends separated between                 north and south.

5. The churches of Korea will work continuously to develop a               solidarity movement for peace and reunification.

a. The proclamation of the Jubilee Year for peace and                         Reunification, as an act of confession of faith, will be                    developed into a continously expanding "solidarity                        movement for peace and reunification". This must be a                   comprehensive movement embraching all the churches at                 local, denominational and ecumenical levels. The National                 Council of Churches in Korea especially will make efforts                 to include not only its member churches, but also                        non-member denominations and the Roman Catholic                      Church in this movement for confessional action and                     practice for peace and reunification.

b. As the mission calling to peace and reunification is the                    universal task of all Christians on the Korean peninsula,                  the churches of South Korea will pray for the faith and                  life of the Christian community in the North and will work                for North-South exchanges between our churches.

c. Because peace and reunification on the Korean peninsula is               a key to peace not only in Northeast Asia but throughout                the world, the churches of Korea will consult closely and                 develop solidarity movements with Christian communities in               the four powerful countries related to the region--the                    United States, the Soviet Union, China and Japan, as well                as with churches throughout the world. *

d. The Korean churches will expand and deepen dialogue with                other religious groups and movements, and through joint                 research and cooperative activities, will work to promote                 ever stronger solidarity for the realization of peace and the                reunification of this nation.

February 29, 1988

The National Council of Churches in Korea

* Such activity is already in progress, and the National Council of Churches in Korea endorses the proposals and positions which have been expressed in such published consultation reports as: "Findings and Recommendations" of the 1984 Consultation in Tozanso, Japan; Message of the Fourth Korean-North American Church Consultation, 1986; the policy statement and declaration of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., "Peace and the Reunification of Korea", 1986; and the joint statement of the Sixth Korean-German Church Consultation, 1987.

Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-aggression and Exchanges and Cooperation between the South and the North(Full Text)

The South and the North.

In keeping with the yearning of the entire Korean people for the peaceful unification of the divided Land;

Reaffirming the three principles of unification set forth in the July 4(1972) South-North Joint Communique;

Determined to remove the state of political and military confrontation and achieve national reconciliation;

Also determined to avoid armed aggression and hostilities, reduce tension and ensure peace;

Expressing the desire to realize multi-faceted exchanges and cooperation to advance common national interests and prosperity;

Recognizing that their relations, not being a relationship between states, constitute a special interim relationship stemming from the process towards unification;

Pledging to exert joint efforts to achieve peaceful unification;

Hereby have agreed as followes;

CHAPTER I

SOUTH-NORTH RECONCILIATION

Article 1 : The South and the North shall recognize and respect each other's system.

Article 2 : The two sides shall not interfere in each other's internal affairs.

Article 3 : The two sides shall not slander or vilify each other.

Article 4 : The two sides shall not attempt any actions of sabotage or overthrow against each other.

Article 5 : The two sides shall endeavor together to transform the present state of armistice into a solid state of peace between the South and the North and shall abide by the present Military Armistice Agreement (of July 27, 1953) until such a state of peace has been realized.

Article 6 : The two sides shall cease to compete or confront each other and shall cooperate and endeavor together to promote national prestige and interests in the international arena.

Article 7 : To ensure close consultations and liaison between the two sides, South-North Liaison Offices shall be established at Panmunjom within three (3) months after the coming into force of this Agreement.

Article 8 : A South-North Political Committee shall be established within the framework of the South-North High Level Talks within one (1) month of the coming into force of this Agreement with a view to discussing concrete measures to ensure the implementation and observance of the accords on South-North reconciliation.

CHAPTER II

SOUTH-NORTH NON-AGGRESSION

Article 9 : The two sides shall not use force against each other and shall not undertake armed aggression against each other.

Article 10 : Differences of views and disputes arising between the two sides shall be resolved peacefully through dialogue and negotiation.

Article 11 : The South-North demarcation line and areas for non-aggression shall be identical with the Military Demarcation Line specified in the Military Armistice Agreement of July 27, 1953 and the areas that have been under the jurisdiction of each side until the present time.

Article 12 : To implement and guarantee non-aggression, the two sides shall set up a South-North Joint Military Commission within three (3) months of the coming into force of this Agreement.  In the said Commission, the two sides shall discuss and carry out steps to build military confidence and realize arms reduction, including the mutual notification and control of major movements of military units and major military exercises, the peaceful utilization of the Demilitarized Zone, exchanges of military personnel and information, phased reductions in armaments including the elimination of ewapons of mass destruction and attack capabilities, and verifications thereof.

Article 13 : A telephone hotline shall be installed between the military authorities of the two sides to prevent accidental armed clashes and their escalation.

Artical 14 : A South-North Military Committee shall be established within the framework of the South-North High-Level Talks within one (1) month of the coming into force of this agreement in order to discuss concrete measures to ensure the implementation and observance of the accords on non-aggression and to remove military confrontation.

CHAPTER III

SOUTH-NORTH EXCHANGES AND COOPERATION

Article 15 : To promote an integrated and balanced development of the national economy and the welfare of the entire people, the two sides shall engage in economic exchanges and cooperation, including the joint development of resources, the trade of goods as domestic commerce and joint ventures.

Article 16 : the two sides shall carry out exchanges and cooperation in various fields such as science and technology, education, literature and the arts, health, sports, environment, and publishing and journalism including newspapers, radio and television broadcasts and publications.

Article 17 : The two sides shall promote free intra-Korean travel and contacts for the residents of their respective areas.

Article 18 : The two sides shall permit free correspondence, meetings and visits between dispersed family members and other relatives and shall promote the voluntary reunion of divided families and shall take measures to resolve other humanitarian isssues.

Article 19 : The two sides shall reconnect railroads and roads that have been cut off and shall open South-North sea and air transport routes.

Article 20 : The two sides shall establish and link facilities needed for South-North postal and telecommunications services and shall guarantee the confidentiality of intra Korean mail and telecommunications.

Article 21 : The two sides shall cooperate in the economic, cultural and various other fields in the international arena and carry out joint undertakings abroad.

Article 22 : To implement accords on exchanges and cooperation in the economic, cultural and various other fields, the two sides shall establish joint commissions for specific sectors, including a Joint South-North Economic Exchanges and Cooperation Commission, within three (3) months of the coming into force of this Agreement.

Article 23 : A South-North Exchanges and Cooperation Committee shall be established within the framework of the South-North High-Level Talks within one (1) month of the coming into force of this Agreement with a view to discussing concreter measures to ensure the implementation and observance of the accords on South-North exchanges and cooperation.

CHAPTER IV

AMENDMENTS AND EFFECTUATION

Article 24 : This Agreement may be amended or supplemented by concurrene between the two sides.

Article 25 : This Agreement shall enter into force as of the day the two sides exchange appropriate instruments following the completion of their respective procedures for bring it into effect.

Signed on December 13, 1991

Chung Won-shik	Yon Hyong-muk

Prime Minister of the	Premier of the

Republic of Korea	Administration Council of

the Democratic People's

Republic of Korea

Chief delegate	Head

of the South	of the North

delegation to the	delegation to the

South-North	South-North

High-Level Talks	High-Level Talks

아킬레스

1998 Common Prayer for Peace and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula

God, Lord of peace.

Listen to our prayer

which is offered by the South, the North and churches around the world

on this Common Prayer Sunday for Peace and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula.

God, Lord of love!

Forgive us our past, when we hated, distrusted, fought and killed one another.

Help us to understand each other.

Help us to embrace,

Help us to accept,

and finally come to love each other.

Lord of the church,

Bless the churches in the South and the North.

Let us be sincere.

Let us be honest.

Let us be honorable.

Let us all become peace-making churches.

Holy Spirit, who makes us one.

Have mercy on our 70 million people.

Let us no longer be divided.

May us no longer be split,

and blocked from on another.

We pray for our nation to become one.

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Lord of humankind.

Amen

Common Agreement

"If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand."(Mark 3:24)

"For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh."(Romans 9:3)

The delegation of the National Council of Churches(NCCK) visited Pyongyang from May 26 to June 2, 1998 by invitation of the Central Committee of the Korea Christian Federation(KCF).

During the visit the two churches□ delegations met several times and seriously discussed common concerns.

The two churches decided to fulfil their patriotic duty as members of one blood nation to end the division and accomplish prosperity as a reunified nation.

1. Both sides announce a common position, as follows, to accomplish real peace and reunification premised upon national autonomy and humanitarianism, and reconfirming and respecting the three principles of reunification--independence, peace & reunification and national cooperation--which were agreed by the South-North July 4 Common Statement.

We are concerned that the present relations of distrust and confrontation could aggravate tensions and cause irreparable damage.

We call on the South and the North to open the way to national reunification, achiev reconciliation and seeking co-existence, common prosperity and common interests, based on recognition of the existence of each other's different ideologies and systems, as mentioned in the Basic Agreement.

We will be actively involved in mutual exchanges and contacts, dialogue and solidarity activities with the precious idea of national reunification

The Central Committee of the KCF accepts the invitation of the NCCK and promises to accomplish it at an appropriate time and opportunity.

We churches are resolved to play the role of light and salt to accomplish the hope of independent national peace and reunification bearing the cross of the nation.

We reject all injustice and join in solidarity with all righteous activities which seek justice and peace, democracy and national reunification.

We hold a worship to pray for national reunification on the Sunday just prior to August 15, on the basis of the Common Prayer agreed upon by the two Korean churches.

2. We reconfirm that Christians of the South and the North are one and are resolved to contribute continuously to national prosperity through cooperation and sharing.

The Central Committee of the KCF cooperates and maintains a close relationship with the South Korean Christians including the NCCK, and supports and cooperates with their righteous activities.

The NCCK believes that the KCF's social service and mission activities are service for the nation and people, and actively cooperates with the KCF.

The NCCK and the Central Committee of the KCF reconfirm our determination to fulfill God's will and respond together to our nation's call.

National Council of Churches	Central Committee of the

in Korea                                            Korea Christian Federation

Co-president Min Byung Uk	Chair Kang Young Sup

General Secretary Kim Dong Wan            General Secretary  Lee Chun Min

Chair of the Reunification Committ       Chair of Int'l Affairs  Hwang Si Chun

Lee Jae Chung

June 1, 1998

Pyongyang