Text of: 30843-GM-R654-U

Amend "Peace, Justice, and the Reunification of Korea," p. 654:

Christians in Korea rooted in a biblical passion for justice, have spoken prophetically and at great risk about the urgency of the reunification of their nation. Celebrating one hundred years of Korean Methodism in 1985, the Korean Methodist Church, in its Centennial Statement, said:

"Faced as we are with the forty years' tragic division of the Korean peninsula, we express our longing for unification of the nation in any form possible through peaceful means in the earliest possible time. This must be done through establishing a democratic political structure based upon freedom and human rights, and must be fulfilled by working toward the establishment of a just society built for the sake of the people. Therefore, we reject any form whatever of dictatorship. Deploring the long history of our nation in which the reality has been the sacrifice of our country's political life, and now with a definite sense of national self-determination which rejects any domination by the superpowers, we disavow any form of war or the taking of life, and commit the whole strength of the Korean Methodist Church to the peaceful reunification of our country."

Now is the time for repentance, a time for reconciliation, a time for justice, a time for peace. For the nation of Korea, divided for more than forty fifty years, justice, peace and reunification are tragically overdue. In 1945 just before the end of World War II, the United States proposed and the Soviet Union agreed to the division of Korea. The division was to have been temporary to facilitate the surrender of Japanese troops in Korea. More than four five decades later the country is still divided into the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The enmity between the superpowers has been played out in the Korean tragedy of war and death, dictatorship and militarization, separation of one people into two hostile camps and divided families with no contact at all. All members of the body of Christ, but especially Christians in the United States, have a special responsibility to support the Korean people in their attempts to build democracy, reduce tension, create trust on the Korean peninsula, heal the divisions and reunite their country. God's reconciling activity in Jesus Christ calls us as Christians to the ministry of reconciliation.

Now is the time of urgency. The hunger for democracy and respect for human rights grows strong and promises political change. In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, people's struggle for human rights and political freedom is completely repressed, and there is no sign of improvement at this time. In the Republic of Korea, the political situation has been much improved with the constitutional change and the direct presidential election. However, there still exist elements of political repression. The threat to peace remains critical with the world's fifth and sixth largest armies facing each other across the Demilitarized Zone. Nuclear weapons back up 40,000 U.S. troops in the south, and the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. have nuclear weapons in the region targeted on Korea. The 1953 Armistice has not yet led to a peace separation in the body of Christ, so that Korean Christians, who once worshiped and served our Lord together, now live in isolation from one another. Ten million Korean people separated from their families, divided since the 1950s with no contact, are growing older and dying. The divisions deepened with distorted rhetoric.

In many ways, the Korean people, north and south, have expressed their strong desire for reunification. Since 1984, there have been official contacts and conversations on economic and humanitarian issues between the ROK and DPRK. Emergency assistance, by the DPRK and the ROK, following devastating floods in the south and floods and drought in the north, was offered by the DPRK and accepted by the ROK to and accepted by each other. The first government-sponsored exchange of visits between divided family members occurred in 1985. Thousands of overseas Koreans were able to visit their family members in the DPRK. Christians from north and south met since 1986 in Glion, Switzerland, as part of an ecumenical process on peace and the reunification of Korea led by the World Council of Churches. In 1987, both sides offered proposals to lower military tensions on the peninsula. In 1991, the Agreement on Cooperation of Non-aggression and Exchange was adopted; and in 1992, a

Non-nuclearization of the Peninsula was signed by both sides. In 1994, the United States and DPRK signed the Agreed Framework in reference to the DPRK nuclear programs and bilateral US-DPRK issues. The agreement stipulated that funds would be provided to the DPRK from the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) for the construction of two light-water electric power reactors. In addition, the U.S. agreed to provide 500,000 tons of heavy oil annually to the DPRK. In return, the DPRK agreed to forego any further accumulation of fuel rods which could be used to produce atomic bombs. The Agreed Framework remains an important stabilizing element in the US-DPRK relations. It is one of the key tools of engagement by which DPRK uses incentives rather than threats to build inter-Korean and regional cooperation.

In 1986, as a result of consultation in Korea, north and south, with Christians and government representatives, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A (NCCCUSA) adopted an important policy statement on "Peace and the Reunification of Korea." United Methodist representatives participated fully in the development of this statement, in consultations on peace and reunification, and in an official ecumenical delegation to North and South Korea in the summer of 1987.

In support of the Korean people and in cooperation with partner Christian groups, it is recommended that The United Methodist Church, its members, local churches, annual conferences, and agencies undertake the following actions through intercession, education, public advocacy, and support of programs furthering justice, peace and reunification:

1. Engage in prayer of penitence and petition with Korean people and with Christians in the north and south, scarred and pained by the division of their nation and yearning for reunion, and support the efforts of the Korean Methodist Church, and the National Council of Churches of Korea (ROK), and the Korean Christian Federation (DPRK) to seek peace and reconciliation;

2. Commend the policy statement on "Peace and Reunification of Korea" of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. (NCCCUSA), November 1986, to annual conferences and

local churches for study and action. The policy statement affirms the desire of the Korean people

for restoration of national unity and reunion of separate families, traces the history of division and hopeful steps toward change, and outlines Recommendations for Advocacy and Action in the areas of "Healing and Reconciliation," "Peace With Justice," and "New Directions for U.S. Policy." Recommendations 3, 4, and 5, which follow, are in line with the policy statement;

3. Participate in the ecumenical effort of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and National Council of Churches of Christ, USA (NCCCUSA) to facilitate the reunion of separated Korean families, including Korean residents in the U.S. and their family members in the DPRK;

4. Urge all governments that have relations with the ROK or the DPRK, or both, to exercise their influence to further mediation, interchange, peace, and reunification;

5. Urge all governments involved to forthright commitment to the following policy directions in support of Korean efforts for peace and reunification:

(a) The peaceful reunification of Korea should be a formal U. S. policy goal;

(b) A Peace Treaty should be signed among the nations involved to eliminate the threat of war, establish an enduring peace, and minimize tension in the Korean peninsula. The Peace Treaty, replacing the existing Armistice Treaty, should be based on the conditions of a Non-aggression Pact between the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, with the full participation of the United States and the People's Republic of China, as well as other related countries;

(c) ROK and DPRK contacts should be encouraged;

(d) Bilateral diplomatic and human contacts between the Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China and between the Republic of Korea and the U.S.S.R. and bilaterally between the United States and the DPRK should be enhanced; and

(e) Upon the ratification of a peace settlement in the Korean peninsula based on the spirit of the Peace Treaty and the Non-aggression Pact, and the restoration of mutual trust between the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, U.S. troops in Korea should be withdrawn, and, accordingly, the U.N. command should be dissolved. At the same time, all nuclear weapons in Korea and all U.S. and U.S.S.R. nuclear weapons targeted on Korea that threaten the survival of the Korean people and those of the world should be removed. Any type of military exercises in Korea that affect the peace of the Korean peninsula should be mutually suspended; and

(f) The U.S. should negotiate to end the war and to seek a comprehensive peace settlement in Korea;

6. Call on governments, churches, and other groups to support the struggle of the people of (a) Making efforts to lessen the international climate of polarization, hostility, and fear of war that leads to political repression, imprisonment, torture, the militarization of society, and international acts of political violence in air, sea, and land;

(b) Encouraging dialogue and reconciliation among parties, regions, and classes to resolve

long-held grievances and prejudices for the sake of a just, inclusive society;

(c) Emphasizing the importance of open social institutions, including freedom for press, political, academic, religious, and cultural activities, in order to build a strong, unified Korea; and

(d) Supporting international economic relations with Korea that enhance economic justice for workers, farmers, and small businesses and that protect the environment; and

7.Encourage United Methodists to use the occasion of the 1988 Olympics and other opportunities for visitation and interchange to come to a deeper understanding of the Korean situation, the witness of the Church, and the achievements, aspirations, and contributions of Korean people in Korea and in various parts of the world, including the United States.

6. Continue to provide humanitarian aid to the DPRK through the World Food Programme (WFP). This aid is directed to those persons most at risk, and is monitored carefully. The WFP has developed productive working relationships with its DPRK counterparts and continues to push for more open access to the food distribution process;

7. Increase communication with the DPRK. Since 1986, the General Board of Global Ministries, in cooperation with the NCCCUSA, has been exchanging delegations with the ROK and DPRK for dialogue and support. Political, economic, social and religious delegations are a high priority with the DPRK leadership. They provide Korean middle management with experience outside their country and a greater perspective regarding the situation between Korea and the rest of the developed world. Delegations from the DPRK can also be matched with exchange delegations to the DPRK which allows U.S. residents and others to see and understand what the country is like, share ideas, and have personal contact with Korean people;

8. Remove economic sanctions against the DPRK. Sanctions limit the engagement of the DPRK with the global market economy. Removing sanctions will also facilitate foreign investment in improving the DPRK production infrastructure. Because of economic and legal obstacles, development of foreign investment will be a difficult and long-term process, even without sanctions. Removing sanctions is a high priority with the DPRK leadership;

9. Continue to urge the U.S. government to comply with the Agreed Framework, of which the most positive element is the US-DPRK relations, by supplying heavy fuel oil and supporting the ROK and Japanese financing for the Korea Peninsula Energy Development Office (KEDO) light-water reactors; and

10. Encourage a consistent, bipartisan, and long-range U.S. policy formulation regarding both North and South Korea. Policies that engage the ROK and DPRK governments effectively and promote change and moderation will stand a greater chance of resolving the present crisis and bringing the DPRK into the world community.

When these approaches can be taken, and most of them depend on U.S. government policy decisions, there are still no guarantees that the crisis can be resolved. But it is quite clear that a U.S. policy of isolation, sanctions and military buildup directed against the DPRK will stimulate North Korea to rely more on its military, even at the expense of the lives of its population, and may lead to another catastrophic war on the Korean peninsula. Continued engagement, steadfast negotiation, and careful cultivation of cooperative relationships with the appropriate DPRK organizations provide the only real opportunity for a positive resolution of the Korean stalemate.

 

 

 

 

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