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From General Secretary Kim Young Ju:
Dear brothers and sisters of the global church:
My warm greetings in the ministry of Jesus to you.
This month, many Korean churches will be reflecting on how we as Christians can carry the spirit of the Joint North-South agreement signed by President Kim Dae-Jung and National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-Il on June 15th, 2000. As many Koreans in both North and South maintain hopes for reunification someday, many also look to this joint statement as a foundation for that hope, so that any move for reunification should be predicated on this statement.
The 6.15 Joint Statement came during an historic summit between the presidents of South and North in June of 2000, just two years after President Kim Dae-Jung took office and instituted his Sunshine Policy in 1998. The statement laid out basic principles which both the North and South should maintain in the event of any move toward reunification. These principles include barring any outside nations from participating or influencing provisions of reunification; recognizing commonalities in current proposals for reunification from both sides; resolution of humanitarian issues like separated families and political prisoners; economic cooperation; and future dialogue.
As June also holds the anniversary for the breakout of the Korean War on June 25th, it is an even more appropriate time for Christians to confess their faith the God will help us to transform the past and move into a future of peace and humanitarian understanding. The National Council of Churches in Korea will also carry the spirit of the 6.15 Joint Statement into continued cooperation with the Korean Christian Federation in the North, hoping for more visits in the future, deeper relationships, and deeper mutual understanding. We continue to work on the possibility of a joint event this August to commemorate August 15th as the anniversary both of Liberation Day and division of the peninsula.
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