04/11/2025
WCRC 27th General Council adopts the Statement on
Peace and Reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula! 🌿
The NCCK Reconciliation and Reunification Committee organized the “Korea Peace Workshop” during the General Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, this past October.
The workshop provided a meaningful space for in-depth reflection and dialogue on the journey toward peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. We are also deeply grateful to share that the General Council officially adopted a “Statement on Peace in Korea.” The key points and full text of the statement are presented below.
This statements highlights:
1. the reaffirmation of the ecumenical solidarity to promote dialogue and de-escalation between North and South Korea
2. a call for global ecumenical communities and churches participation in the “Sunday of Prayer for the Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula” held annually around August 15
3. an invitation for WCRC to join future DMZ Peace Pilgrimages and to send an international peace delegation to Korea.
During the workshop, Rev. Hyunho Kim, Chair of the NCCK Reconciliation and Reunification Committee, shared insights on the current tensions on the Korean Peninsula and the NCCK’s ongoing peace and reunification initiatives.
He also presented the DMZ Life and Peace Pilgrimage organized last May with the participation of seven major religious communities in Korea. His presentation deeply moved many participants, inspiring numerous international ecumenical partners to express their desire to “walk together in the next pilgrimage.”
The next DMZ Life and Peace Pilgrimage is scheduled for the second half of 2026, and it will once again bring together people of faith from around the world to pray and walk for peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. We kindly ask for your continued prayers, and active participation in the upcoming peace programs and gatherings. Thank you!
The full statement is provided below.
"The Korean Peninsula -
Pilgrimage of Peace and Reunification"
In 2025, the 80th year of division and the 72nd year since the signing of the armistice agreement, the Korean Peninsula remains one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the global peace landscape and a focal point of military tension in Northeast Asia. The overlapping dynamics of U.S.–China strategic rivalry, strengthened security cooperation among North Korea, Russia, and China, and the trilateral military alignment of South Korea, the United States, and Japan have created an atmosphere where the logic of deterrence prevails over the language of dialogue. In such a context, the pursuit of reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula is not merely a regional concern but a global spiritual journey that holds the possibility of transforming the structures of violence into pathways of peace.
The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), as an ecumenical community called to serve God’s life, justice, and peace, recognizes the current situation on the Korean Peninsula through a lens of global moral responsibility. We affirm that healing relationships and restoring channels of trust are central to our shared pilgrimage of peace.
We recall the moment at the 2017 WCRC General Council in Leipzig, when representatives of churches from both South and North Korea gathered around an agape meal. That encounter testified that even in a context of division, the church remains one body called to communion. It is in this spirit that we reaffirm our commitment to accompany the churches on the Korean Peninsula so that spaces of encounter and dialogue may be reopened.
Following the unlawful martial law in 2024, faith communities and civil society in Korea rose to defend democracy and human dignity. As a fragile opening for humanitarian and faith-based engagement emerges, the global church is called to accompany the Korean people in nurturing reconciliation amid the still-open wounds of war.
Reconciliation and peace on the Korean Peninsula is, therefore, a confession of faith for the global church. We pray that mistrust may give way to mutual respect, and that the logic of security may be transformed into the practice of life-affirming justice. The WCRC affirms that we are companions in this journey, and we hold in hope that the Korean Peninsula and the broader region of Northeast Asia may become a land where the peace of God takes root.
The General Council is called upon to:
1. Pray and speak out so that governments choose de-escalation and reopen dialogue to ease military tensions in Korea and Northeast Asia.
2. Observe the Sunday of Prayer for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (Sunday before 15 August) and encourage all WCRC churches to join using the shared prayer resources in their own worship context.
3. Support and strengthen the Ecumenical Forum for Peace, Reunification and Development of the Korean Peninsula (EFK) with WCRC partners to reopen spaces for encounter and theological dialogue among churches in North and South Korea and the region.
4. Advocate for humanitarian exceptions to sanctions and travel restrictions that block faithbased engagement and compassionate service.
5. Engage in the Korean Peace Pilgrimage through youth exchanges, peace education, prayer networks, and ecumenical learning circles that nurture a community of peace in action.
6. Encourage the WCRC to send an ecumenical peace delegation or Pilgrimage of Peace to Korea and the DMZ as a visible sign of global solidarity and a witness against war.
* In addition, the WCRC General Council adopted over twenty key statements addressing major global issues and urgent concerns of our time. For more details, please see the link below.
https://wcrc.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Public-Witness-Report-Final.pdf
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