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210145
Thu, 09/29/2011 - 07:33
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https://oananews.org//node/210145
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Religious Leaders from Koreas Agree to Meet Regularly to Ease Tension
NORTH KOREA NEWSLETTER NO. 177 (September 29, 2011)
*** TOPIC OF THE WEEK (Part 2)
Religious Leaders from Koreas Agree to Meet Regularly to Ease Tension
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- Religious leaders of South and North Korea met in Pyongyang last week and agreed to meet regularly in a bid to help ease cross-border tensions, the North's media said on Sept. 22.
The development comes as South Korea, in an apparent shift in its policy, seeks to open new channels of dialogue with its communist neighbor. Inter-Korean contact has nearly been suspended for the past several years.
In a joint statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), religious leaders from the two Koreas said they "will regularly hold meetings to boost dialogue and cooperation between themselves and actively conduct a movement to achieve the unity of believers and reunification."
They also agreed to "make positive efforts to defuse antagonism and distrust, tension and confrontation between compatriots, remove the danger of war and ensure durable peace," the KCNA said in a report, monitored in Seoul.
A group of seven South Korean religious leaders representing Protestants, Catholics, Buddhists and other indigenous religions flew to North Korea by way of China on Sept. 21, saying they will try to promote peace on the divided Korean Peninsula.
The North's KCNA reported that the meeting took place in Pyongyang for national reconciliation, unity and peaceful reunification.
Present at the meeting from North Korea were Jang Jae-on, chairman of the Religious Believers Council of Korea; Kang Yong-sop, chairman of the Central Committee of the Christian Federation of Korea; Sim Sang-jin, chairman of the Central Committee of the Buddhist Federation of Korea; Kang Chol-won, vice-chairman of the Central Guidance Committee of the Chondoist Association of Korea; and members of other religious organizations.
Also attending from South Korea were members of the delegation of South Korea's seven religious orders led by Kim Hee-jung, representative chairman of the South Korean Religionists Council for Peace and head of the Kwangju Archdiocese of the Catholic Church, the KCNA reported.
The religious leaders from both Koreas noted the meeting would mark a meaningful occasion in demonstrating internally and externally the strong will of the believers in the North and South to tide over difficulties in the way of national reunification, promote national concord and bring about a new phase of peace and independent reunification, according to the KCNA report.
They called upon believers in the North and South to advance, holding higher the banner of "By the Korean nation itself," convinced that the implementation of the June 15 joint declaration would lead to the reunification and peace of the country.
Believers from the North and South made public a joint statement for national reconciliation, unity and peaceful reunification at the meeting.
The statement stressed the need to solve all problems between the North and South in conformity with the will and interests common to the nation, saying "The Religious Believers Council of Korea in the north and the south Korean Religionists Council for Peace will regularly hold meetings to boost dialogue and cooperation between themselves and actively conduct a movement to achieve the unity of believers and reunification."
As with other recent South Korean civilian trips to North Korea, the religious leaders' travel was approved by the Seoul government. No South Koreans can visit North Korea without prior government approval, which is rare.
In Pyongyang, the South Korean religious leaders met the North's ceremonial head of state, Kim Yong-nam, as well as their counterparts in the country, the KCNA report said.
After returning from Pyongyang on Sept. 24, the South Korean religious leaders expressed hope for improved relations between the divided Koreas.
"Through this visit, we realized that relations between the two Koreas should be improved for mutual prosperity. We also learned that the North side has the same understanding," Catholic Archbishop Kim Hee-joong, the leader of the delegation, said after arriving at South Korea's Incheon International Airport.
Earlier on Sept. 24, the North's KCNA reported that the 24-member South Korean delegation left Pyongyang earlier in the day, but provided no details.
Until recently, no South Koreans were allowed to visit North Korea. Inter-Korean ties dipped to their lowest level in decades following two deadly North Korean provocations last year that killed a total of 50 South Koreans.
Since September, however, South Korea has permitted some civilian leaders to visit the North for religious and cultural exchanges.
Earlier this month, South Korean orchestra conductor Chung Myung-whun visited the North for discussions on musical exchanges.
Seoul's Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik, who was named to the post late last month, has said that he will explore ways to exert "flexibility" in dealing with the North.
More recently, the nuclear envoys of the two Koreas held a second round of talks in Beijing to discuss terms for reopening the stalled six-nation negotiations on the North's nuclear weapons programs, but little progress was reported.
(END)
*** TOPIC OF THE WEEK (Part 2)
Religious Leaders from Koreas Agree to Meet Regularly to Ease Tension
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- Religious leaders of South and North Korea met in Pyongyang last week and agreed to meet regularly in a bid to help ease cross-border tensions, the North's media said on Sept. 22.
The development comes as South Korea, in an apparent shift in its policy, seeks to open new channels of dialogue with its communist neighbor. Inter-Korean contact has nearly been suspended for the past several years.
In a joint statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), religious leaders from the two Koreas said they "will regularly hold meetings to boost dialogue and cooperation between themselves and actively conduct a movement to achieve the unity of believers and reunification."
They also agreed to "make positive efforts to defuse antagonism and distrust, tension and confrontation between compatriots, remove the danger of war and ensure durable peace," the KCNA said in a report, monitored in Seoul.
A group of seven South Korean religious leaders representing Protestants, Catholics, Buddhists and other indigenous religions flew to North Korea by way of China on Sept. 21, saying they will try to promote peace on the divided Korean Peninsula.
The North's KCNA reported that the meeting took place in Pyongyang for national reconciliation, unity and peaceful reunification.
Present at the meeting from North Korea were Jang Jae-on, chairman of the Religious Believers Council of Korea; Kang Yong-sop, chairman of the Central Committee of the Christian Federation of Korea; Sim Sang-jin, chairman of the Central Committee of the Buddhist Federation of Korea; Kang Chol-won, vice-chairman of the Central Guidance Committee of the Chondoist Association of Korea; and members of other religious organizations.
Also attending from South Korea were members of the delegation of South Korea's seven religious orders led by Kim Hee-jung, representative chairman of the South Korean Religionists Council for Peace and head of the Kwangju Archdiocese of the Catholic Church, the KCNA reported.
The religious leaders from both Koreas noted the meeting would mark a meaningful occasion in demonstrating internally and externally the strong will of the believers in the North and South to tide over difficulties in the way of national reunification, promote national concord and bring about a new phase of peace and independent reunification, according to the KCNA report.
They called upon believers in the North and South to advance, holding higher the banner of "By the Korean nation itself," convinced that the implementation of the June 15 joint declaration would lead to the reunification and peace of the country.
Believers from the North and South made public a joint statement for national reconciliation, unity and peaceful reunification at the meeting.
The statement stressed the need to solve all problems between the North and South in conformity with the will and interests common to the nation, saying "The Religious Believers Council of Korea in the north and the south Korean Religionists Council for Peace will regularly hold meetings to boost dialogue and cooperation between themselves and actively conduct a movement to achieve the unity of believers and reunification."
As with other recent South Korean civilian trips to North Korea, the religious leaders' travel was approved by the Seoul government. No South Koreans can visit North Korea without prior government approval, which is rare.
In Pyongyang, the South Korean religious leaders met the North's ceremonial head of state, Kim Yong-nam, as well as their counterparts in the country, the KCNA report said.
After returning from Pyongyang on Sept. 24, the South Korean religious leaders expressed hope for improved relations between the divided Koreas.
"Through this visit, we realized that relations between the two Koreas should be improved for mutual prosperity. We also learned that the North side has the same understanding," Catholic Archbishop Kim Hee-joong, the leader of the delegation, said after arriving at South Korea's Incheon International Airport.
Earlier on Sept. 24, the North's KCNA reported that the 24-member South Korean delegation left Pyongyang earlier in the day, but provided no details.
Until recently, no South Koreans were allowed to visit North Korea. Inter-Korean ties dipped to their lowest level in decades following two deadly North Korean provocations last year that killed a total of 50 South Koreans.
Since September, however, South Korea has permitted some civilian leaders to visit the North for religious and cultural exchanges.
Earlier this month, South Korean orchestra conductor Chung Myung-whun visited the North for discussions on musical exchanges.
Seoul's Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik, who was named to the post late last month, has said that he will explore ways to exert "flexibility" in dealing with the North.
More recently, the nuclear envoys of the two Koreas held a second round of talks in Beijing to discuss terms for reopening the stalled six-nation negotiations on the North's nuclear weapons programs, but little progress was reported.
(END)
