Korean religions call for a true peace treaty between North and South
An interfaith ceremony held in Seongju marked the 64th anniversary of the end of the war and the proclamation of the truce, which is still in force. The president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea reiterates the Church's opposition to THAAD.
Seoul (AsiaNews) – An appeal for "true peace" between the two Koreas was made at an interfaith ceremony held in Seongju on the 64th anniversary of the end of the war and the proclamation of the truce, which is still in force.
On 3 August, Catholics, Protestants, and Buddhists remembered 27 July 1953, which marked the end of the conflict, but not the start of peace.
"If peace does not finally come to the Korean Peninsula, it will collapse in the whole of North-East Asia," said Mgr Hyginus Kim Hee-joong, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK). “The Korean Peninsula is a powder keg ready to explode and cause another war."
"We need a peace treaty and not just a truce,” he added.
Bishop Kim Hee-Joong then reiterated the bishops’ opposition to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD), the anti-missile defense system deployed by the United States against possible North Korean attacks.
"It is illusory to impose peace with weapons. THAAD can not bring peace to Korea," he said.
The archbishop Kwangju went on to say that the deployment of THAAD "was done without the consent of the people, so it should be reconsidered. For peace, we should work together to draft a treaty."
About 400 people from various religious backgrounds in South Korea attended the ceremony.
.png)
