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RECONCILIATION REUNIFICATION |
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Appendix 4 Task of Mission for Peace in Northeast Asia Speech
delivered by Head of Delegation (29th Jan. - 2nd Feb., 1996, Macao)
First of all, I pay my deep thanks to the Holy Spirit for calling us, servants of peace to be here all together to push ahead with the important task of reconciliation and the ideology of peace. In the name of the Central Committee of the Korean Christians Federation, I would like to express my deep thanks to you, those sponsoring this Consultation, those who arranged it and to those who kindly invited us to it and warmly received us. And I convey the warm greetings of all Christians in the north of Korea to our brothers and sisters from the south of Korea and abroad and also to the delegations from different countries. It is the indispensable duty of Christians, true to the royal summons of God, king of peace to create a new peaceful world free from aggression, war and all kinds of unjustness. Particularly, it is an urgent task for us since the environment of Northeast Asia is now extremely unstable. I am happy to participate in the "International Ecumenical Consultation on Solidarity for Peace in Northeast Asia". I am firmly convinced that the Consultation will greatly contribute to helping us carry out our common duties and tasks and achieving a genuine peace. As the Holy Bible says, "Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." (James 3:18) We, Christians have taken the long journey to peace in this land. We are looking back with pride upon the efforts made by Christians during the last 10 years for peace and the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula, which is a focus for peace in northeast Asia. Many different campaigns for peaceful solutions to the Korean affairs have been undertaken up to now by the energetic efforts of the churches of different countries of the world including the United States, Japan, Canada, and WCC ever since the Tozanso Meeting in 1984. We have sincerely discussed and reached consensus in our views on the principle matters through mutual visits, contacts and various meetings. We have adopted a relevant declaration, statement and resolution and have been constantly working hard together for their implementation. NCCC-USA, especially, has made public the policy statement for the Korean peace and reunification to strongly pressure their authorities to change US policy toward Korea. Also the Churches in Canada and Japan have waged an active campaign to amend their government’s policies towards Korea. A consistent Jubilee campaign for reunification was conducted on a wide scale according to the agreement of the Glion Meeting. It certainly has made some contribution to promoting peace and the peaceful reunification of Korea. Moreover, with regard to the unprecedented flood which our country suffered last year, the WCC and many Ecumenical organisations, governments and social organisations offered humanitarian relief supplies. These relief supplies were equally distributed among the inhabitants of the damaged area immediately after their arrival. They greatly helped us to overcome the difficulties. We could join together our minds while understanding each other more deeply through the joint solidarity campaign and cooperation for love and justice, reconciliation and peace. It can be said that these processes were a process of manifesting that we are one and also a process of sharing soul and materials. The entire people as well as our Christians in the north of Korea are rejoiced to have the genuine friends in many areas of the world and are encouraged therefrom. Availing myself of this opportunity, I would like to express heartfelt thanks to the brothers and sisters in Christ who are extending the active support, sympathy and solidarity and offered and now offering the unstinted cooperation to the Korean Christians Federation and our Christians setting the peace and reunification of the country as our preferential task of mission. Dear delegates, Our joint efforts were great and precious but the reality assigns us a greater task. The reality today witnesses that the earnest human desire longing for peace is not yet realized, and there are still many problems on a road to peace. The security environment on the Korean peninsula is not improved despite of our sincere efforts. Today we cannot think of peace and security in northeast Asia apart from the peace and security on the Korean peninsula. Today on the small Korean peninsula the huge armed forces rare throughout the world are tensely standing face to face with the military demarcation line in between. In particular, 40,000 US troops and 1,000 US nuclear weapons of various kind are deployed in south Korea, and the northward invasion war exercises are ceaselessly increasing, which is gravely jeopardising the peace and security in Korea and the universal peace in northeast Asia. Owing to these developments our nation is today under the dangerous circumstances under which any unexpected fratricidal struggle could be broken out at any moment. The abnormal and acute tense situation on the Korean peninsula is worsely threatening the peace in northeast Asia and furthermore, the world peace. It is patently clear that the outbreak of war on the Korean peninsula will surely inflict an irretrievable and terrible sufferings not only on the Korean nation but also the peace and security in northeast Asia as well as the world over. Therefore it is our joint task which brooks no further delay to strengthen the international solidarity for checking the reinforcement of armed forces and the outbreak of another war, ensuring peace and security and achieving the reunification. What is the most important in implementing the task is to establish a new peace-keeping system on the Korean peninsula. No any contingent accident could be prevented with the outdated armistice mechanism on the Korean peninsula in which the acute dangerous situation is prevailing. The Armistice Agreement signed in 1953 is an agreement for temporarily ceasing fight, not guaranteeing a permanent peace. Worse still, today the armistice agreement too exists but in name and the armistice supervisory mechanism was ruined to a house vacant of pillar. Since the armistice agreement was unilaterally destroyed, the matter was utterly neglected on "prohibiting the introduction of operation-plane, armored vehicle, weapon and ammunition reinforcing from outside Korea" and on supervising and inspecting its implementation through the Supervisory Committee of Neutral States and the inspection group of neutral states, so that large quantities of military equipments have been brought into south Korea. And the armistice agreement hardly contributed to the solution of the matters even though a provocation was occurred along the military demarcation line. The Military armistice agreement was held on 459 rounds ever since the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement but no problem was settled there. In the long run, the cease-fire mechanism was used in laying an obstacle to security, not contributing to security. The armistice system in Korea was destroyed in reality and the armistice agreement exists but in name only. It is clear that the peace on the Korean peninsula can’t be guaranteed if the old armistice system capable of preventing armed conflict, confrontation and war is left as it is. It is an urgent requirement for the peace on the Korean peninsula to establish a new peace-keeping system, a new institutional device capable of ensuring peace in place of the armistice system impossible to be rehabilitated and revived. The establishment of a new peace-keeping system on the Korean peninsula should be settled between DPR Korean and USA which are the party concerned to the signing of the armistice agreement and holding the practical power. The institutional device for peace has already been installed between the north and south of Korea. An institutional device guaranteeing non-aggression between the north and the south of Korea has been established through the adoption of the "Agreement on Reconciliation, Nonaggression, Cooperation and Exchange between North and South" in December 1991. The items of the Agreement on nonaggression manifests clearly non-use of armed forces, peaceful solution to dispute, composition of the North-South Joint Military Committee and its mission for realising military trust and disarmament. Therefore what is remained between the north and the south is only to operate the already-arranged peace-keeping system. The United States is now holding the military control in south Korea and in particular, the power of controlling the military demarcation line. During the last 40 years the armistice relations was handled practically by DPR Korea and USA and the main incidents occurred on the Korean peninsula after war were settled between DPR Korea and USA. However, any legal base is not yet arranged in preventing the outbreak of another war between DPR Korea and USA which are still hostile to each other. In order to ensure the permanent peace on the Korean peninsula a new peace-keeping system should be established between DPR Korea and USA, which remains to be done in terms of security. The replacement of the armistice agreement with a new peace-keeping system corresponds to the trend of the current situation in which the cold war terminated. What is more, it is the matured demand to change the armistice system with a peace-keeping system under the present situation in which the non-aggression was agreed upon between the north and the south and the framework agreement was adopted and is now implemented by DPR Korea and USA. The replacement of the useless armistice agreement vacant of any binding and effective forces with a realistic peace-keeping system will drastically ease the situation of Korean peninsula and open up a new phase beneficial to the peace and the peaceful reunification of Korea and smoothly implement the North-South Agreement and at the same time will decisively contribute to basically improving the situation in northeast Asia. If the complete and permanent peace is to be ensured on the Korean peninsula, the north and south of Korea divided by force against each other should be reunified into one. As holy Bible says, "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined." (Matthew 12:25) In order to escape conflict and war and achieve the peaceful reunification of Korea, there is nothing than the mode of reunifying the country through confederation. Two systems and two governments different from each other in north and south are existing undeniably, and each side has accustomed itself to its own system in keeping life during the last 50 years so that any side is not going to give up its own. Under the reality of our country there is not other choice but a mode of keeping two systems and two governments in the north and the south in order to reunify the country, neither conquering nor being conquered. These two system could be maintained by a common denominator, which means one nation. The Korean nation is a single homogeneous nation maintaining nationality on a land for 5000 years, sharing one blood vessel with the King, Dan Gun as its primary father. On the basis of the national commonness, two systems are able to enjoy co-existence, co-prosperity and mutual benefit inside one nation and one reunified state. Hence, it is the most realist method to the peaceful reunification of Korea to establish a confederal state, a reunified pan-national state representing all of people from all walks of life in our nations from different parties and different groups, leaving two systems and two governments existing in the north and the south of Korea as they are. Today the establishing of confederal state is a trend. A confederal state in which two governments in the north and the south are participating equally will surely be neutral state. A confederal state will keep the balance of interests both for the north and the south of Korea and correspond to the interests of the relevant states and the neighboring states desiring for the stability of Korean peninsula. What is important in achieving the reconciliation of the divided Korean nation and the peaceful national reunification is to remove the obstacles. It is because of the separatist forces who don’t want the national reconciliation and reunification that Korea is still remained to be a sole divided state throughout the world although the cold war was terminated in the world and the 20th century is coming to an end. Today in south Korea the "National Security Law", legacy of the old times is now in force in spite of the strong denunciation and rejection of the Korean people and the peoples the world over. The "law" is a serious obstacle to national unity and reunification because that it defines the fellow countrymen in the north, a counterpart to dialogue for reunification as an "enemy" and suppresses the pro-reunification, patriotic peoples ruthlessly and persecutes the pro-reunification movement. The concrete wall, symbol of permanent division is bisecting a land across east and west of Korean peninsula. What is urgent is achieving the peace and peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula is to remove the political, legal and physical obstacles to its realization. The issue of Korean peninsula is a matter arising from the international arena so that it entails the international solidarity campaign. God built this world and ordered the human being to control it. It is belong to historical Providence of God for the human being to transform the world in a way as befitting an original order of creation. What is important is to solve the basic matter. I hope and convinced that you, representatives and the organizations present here will play actively for urging the relevant authorities to amend their wrong behaviors while sharing views and cooperating with each other for peace and peaceful reunification on the Korean peninsula and genuine peace in northeast Asia. Some difficulties could likely lie in achieving the peace and the peaceful reunification on the Koran peninsula and furthermore, the durable peace in northeast Asia. But we are the apostles of peace summoned by the Lord. A broadland will surely be opened up before us if we tear down a wall and pass over it taking up the Cross taken by the Lord. "Blessed are the peacemakers." (Matthew 5:9) Let’s work for peace. Thank you. |
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