The President of South Korea, Roh Moo-Hyun has shown his appreciation to the World Council of Churches (WCC), and the entire Ecumenical movement for its “fundamental assistance” in support of human rights and democracy in his country. The contribution of the WCC churches to promote a peaceful reunification of the divided Korea was also warmly received.

The President welcomed the members of the WCC executive committee as well as Korean church leaders in Seoul on Tuesday 24th August and expressed his gratitude for the role that the WCC and the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) have played in raising awareness of human rights in Korea.

Prior to receiving his position in political office, Roh Moo-Hyun had worked as a human rights lawyer, and has defended pro-democracy and labour-rights activists. He said that his involvement with the NCCK human rights programme and the churches has “opened my eyes to human rights and justice issues.”

The WCC and the NCCK do have a history of working together, as they both actively supported the nascent human rights movement in Korea during the 1970’s and 80’s; a period of military dictatorship in the country.

Korea has been split into a North and South since the Korean War ended in 1954, and during talks between the President and representatives of the Korean Ministry of Unification, the WCC leaders highlighted the continued workings of the churches and the ecumenical movement in bringing about a peaceful reunification.

The Korean churches have expressed their desire to host a future WCC assembly a number of times over the past few months, and this time the Korean President gave his full support to the invitation. Rev Kobia gave thanks to the President and said “WCC hopes and prays that an assembly would be possible in a united Korea in the near future".

Catholicos Aram I, the WCC moderator said, “We are called by God in Jesus Christ to strive for reconciliation and unity in all its forms. WCC is committed to working with all people of goodwill to overcome the barriers which divide our societies.”

Rev Kobia added, “WCC stands for de-nuclearisation and disarmament in the Korean peninsula based on a negotiated agreement by all parties as a foundation of peace, and will continue to promote a policy of dialogue and exchange.”

However, problems in the northern country run deep, and North Korea, known as a hermetic nation, has been on the top of the “Humanitarian disaster” list for decades. The communist government of North Korea has been reported as starving millions of its own people while feeding and maintaining its military, and have been involved in drug trafficking and nuclear weapons production; the nation’s dictator has been caught performing numerous obscene acts including “kidnapping” South Korean and Japanese movie stars, spreading propagandistic messages and torturing political prisoners.

At the end of this week, the WCC executive committee will release a statement expressing its concerns for the human rights and humanitarian situations in North Korea, and will draw attention to the continuing ecumenical efforts in bringing about a peaceful reunification of Korea.

The meetings in Seoul will conclude on Friday 27th August 2004.