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Summarized diary of the South-North Koreas Relationship and churches' reunification movement
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Summarized diary of the South-North Koreas Relationship and churches' reunification movement
(updated by December 4, 2014)
1945 Liberated from Japanese Imperialism, Division into two Koreas with 38 Line and put under trusteeship
1948 Lee Seung-Man and Kim Il-Sung established each government separately in the South and in the North.
1950 June 25 ~ 1953, July 27 Korean War and Cease-fire at Panmoonjum
While the South Korean government's policy toward the North is explicitly in anti-communist line, churches in the later part of 1960's has started to call for democratization in the society and renewal in churches, while maintaining of peaceful confrontation with the communist.
1970 August 15 - President Park Chung Hee, in a Liberation Day address, calls for peaceful competition in development, construction and creativity between the South and the North.
1972 July 4 - In the background of international De Tante between the US and China, Seoul and Pyongyang announced the historic South-North Joint Communique, in which the two sides vow to cease slander and defamation of each other and to promote exchanges. They also agreed to create a South-North Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and to open a direct Seoul-Pyongyang telephone line.
1979 February 27 - The first South-North table tennis meeting is held to discuss the formation of a single inter-Korean team to take part in the 35th World Table Tennis Championship Games in Pyongyang.
In the 1970's, churches in Korea have acknowledged that democratization of Korean society should be a precondition for national reunification and have committed to democratization movement while involving in reunification issues as in an item. The basic spirit of reunification mission is "Independence, Peace and National solidarity" expressed in the July 4th Joint agreement. The NCCK has established "Christian Conference for Reunification and Social Justice." and agreed that people's participation is the most important factor in the process of reunification
1984 September 29, October 4 - The NKRC delivers relief goods comprising 50,000 bags of rice, 500,000 meters of cloth, 100,000 tons of cement and 14 kinds of medicine to the KNRC through Panmunjom and the ports of Inch?n and Pukp󰡑 yong.
1984 November 15 - The first inter-Korean economic meeting is held and agreements are reached on possible items to trade, areas of economic cooperation and operational procedures.
1985 June 20 - The third session of the South-North economic talks is held and an accord is reached on adopting agreements on the promotion of goods exchanges and economic cooperation as well as to establish a South-North economic cooperation body headed jointly by deputy prime-minister level officials.
Sept. 20-23 - Groups of hometown visitors and art troupes are exchanged between Seoul and Pyongyang via Panmunjom; of the 50 visitors from the South, 35 meet 41 relatives from the North, and of 50 North Korean visitors, 30 meet 51 relatives from the South.
Oct 8 - The first session of the South-North sports talks under the auspices f the IOC is held in Lausanne, Switzerland.
1989 March 9 - The first South-North sports talk is held concerning the Beijing Asian Games.
December 1 - The fifth South-North sports talk is held. In this talk, the song and flag of South-North single teams for the Beijing Asian Games scheduled for September 1990 are decided.
In 1980's, churches in Korea recognized reunification issue as one of the most important mission tasks.
1981 The fourth Korea-Germany Church Consultation provided a momentum to form a steering committee of "the Institute of reunification studies" in 1982, but its discussion had not been active because of disturbance of government's authority.
1984 October The WCC/CCIA held 'International Conference on Peace and Justice in the North East Asia in Tosanso, Japan and invited church representatives from South Korean and North Korea, as well as from countries related to Korea, but representatives from the North could not attend. In the conference, on the basis of churches' confession on national division, churches in South Korea has agreed to sublate their antagonism toward the North and policy to isolate it, and to improve cooperation in solidarity with world wide churches. This conference provided an opportunity for christians in the North and the South first come and meet together in Glion, Switzerland in 1986.
1985 The NCCK requested 4 political parties of South Korea to express each policy toward national reunification.
1985 November 11-19 the WCC sent 2 delegates to Pyungyang in order to implement the agreed result of Tozanso meeting.
1986 The NCCC-USA visited Pyungyang
Korean churches had conference with the PC-USA and adopted the Joint Statement on Peace and Reunification on the Korean peninsula, and the PC-USA in its General Assembly in the same year adopted a resolution regarding peace and reunification on the Korean peninsula. It became a very important momentum to awake world wide churches to give concern on this issue.
1986 The WCC held the conference under the theme of "the theological and biblical base of christian concern on peace". Christians from the South and the North have first met and participated in the Holy Communion.
1988 in February 29th, the NCCK General Assembly adopted historial document of " Declaration of the Churches of Korea on National Reunification and Peace"
1988 in November 23rd, at the 2nd Glion Conference "Glion Statement" for peace and reunification on the Korean peninsula was adopted. There included 7 important principles : 1) proclaim year 1995 as a year of Jubillee for reunification
2) adopt 5 principles for peace and reunification
3) exclude policy to aggravate state of division adherence
4) preference for recovering of mutual trust
5) nonaggression, disarmament, denuclearization and withdrawal of foreign militaries
6) mobilize exchanges of reunion of separated families and release military and political confrontation at the same time
7) open chanel of ecumenical exchange between the NCCK and the Korean Cristian Federation in the North
1989 in August the WCC Central Committee in Moscowa adopted its own policy toward peace and reunification on the Korean peninsula on the basis of the Glion Statement in front of representatives from churches in the South and in the North.
* Reunification movement in 1980's played an important role to take initiate the discussion related unification issue from churches to extend to people in public. The discussion was totally under the government control and watch.
1990 September 4 - The first South-North High-Level Talks are held in Seoul.
1991 August 12-15 Christian Conference on Peace and Reunification toward the year of Jubilee in 1995 was held.
1991 September 17 - South and North Korea concurrently join the United Nations.
1991 December 13 - South and North Korean Prime Ministers sign the Agreement on Reconciliation, Nonaggression and Exchanges and Cooperation between South and North Korea (the Basic Agreement).
1992 January 7-14 Rev. Kwon Ho-Kyung, General Secretary of NCCK at the time, visited Pyungyang officially for the first time in response of invitation by Rev. Koh Ki-Joon, Chair of the Korean Chrisitian Federation at that time.
Entering into 1990's, churches in Korea have tried to find the possibility of direct contact with church in the North, and to attempt meetings with christians in the North, and sent items like food and the Bible.
1992 February 18-21 - The sixth South-North High-Level Talks are held in Pyongyang and the Agreement on Reconciliation, Nonaggression and Exchanges and Cooperation between the South and the North, the Joint Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the Agreement on the Organization and Operation of the Committees for the South-North High-Level Talks take effect.
March 18 -The first meeting of the South-North Exchanges and Cooperation Committee is held at Panmunjom.
March 19 - The first meeting of the South-North Joint Nuclear Control Commission is held at Panmunjom.
May 18 - The South-North Military Committee, the South-North Economic Exchanges and Cooperation Committee and the South-North Social and Cultural Exchanges and Cooperation Committees are organized and membership rosters are exchanged. The South-North liaison office begins operation at Panmunjom.
1993 August 15 Rally of Human Chain between the South and the North
1995 March 28-31 the fourth Tozanso Conference : Since 1995 when serious flood and disasters in the North were known to the world outside, worldwide churches such as WCC, WARC, churches in Germany, Canada as well as the PC-USA and the Uniting Church in Australia provided venues to invite representatives from the North and the South for easeing tension in the peninsula and for reconciliation, peace and reunification.
1994 June 28 - A preliminary meeting for the inter-Korean summit was held at the House of Peace in Panmunjom and the two sides agreed to have an inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang from July 25 to 27.
July 9 - North Korea announced the death of Kim Il-sung.
July 11-North Korea announced that the inter-Korean summit would be postponed indefinitely.
1997 October 8 - Kim Jong-il is selected as the general secretary of the North Korean Workers Party.
December 9 - The first full-dress meeting of the Four-Party Talks is held in New York.
1998 February 25 - In his inaugural speech, President Kim Dae-jung announces three principles of his North Korea policy and proposes an exchange of special envoys to implement the 1991 Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-aggression, and Exchanges and Cooperation Between the South and the North (the Basic Agreement).
November 18 - Hyundai Corporation launches its first cruise liner service to Kumgangsan (the Diamond Mountains) in North Korea for South Korean tourists.
1999 May 5 - In an interview with the CNN, the President lists five major tasks for dismantling the Cold-War structure on the Korean Peninsula.
June 3 - The two Koreas agree to hold vice ministerial-level talks in Beijing during the month.
June 22-26 - The two sides hold the first vice ministerial-level talks in Beijing.
2000 March 10 - The President issues the Berlin Declaration which offers to expand drastically economic assistance to the North and open dialogue between the authorities of the two countries.
April 8 -Minister of Culture and Tourism Park Jie-won and Vice Chairman Song Ho-kyong of North Korea󰡑s Asia-Pacific Committee meet in Beijing and agree to hold a summit meeting between President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
June 15 - the South-North Summit Talks and Joint Declaration:
2000 June 20-23 The PROK held a prayer meeting in Mt. Keumkang, hoping peace and reunification. Around 1,000 members visited the place in the North.
2002 8 14- Kang, Young-Sup, Chair of Korean Christian Federation visited South Korea first as a church delegate among delegation of 8.15 National Reunification.
2002 10 16-17 Women's Unification Rally for Peace and Reunification and
Implementation of the June 15th Joint Declaration (350 from South, 300 from North, 20 from overseas)
2002 Established "Kae-Sung Industrial Complex Compound"
2002 Mar-Aug Prayer March hoping for reunification¡¯ which visits places of having suffering due to the Korean war and the national division: Jeju Island, Geoje Island, Maehyang-ri, Jiree Mt. and Backdoo Mt.
2002.10 16-17 Conference of Women from the North and the South urging for reunification and the fullfillment of June 15 Statement was held in Mt. Keumkang. Almost 670 participants(350 from the South, 300 from the North, 20 from oversea) took the slogan of "Women! Power of Peace!". It upheld the matter of woman in the process of reunification, the role of women in the process of reconciliation and healing, pursuing peace.
2003 Joint Prayer meeting of the churches in the North and the South at Mt. Keumkang was firstly taking place and continued.
2003. 3. 1 National Religion's Meeting commemorating March 1st Independence Day in Seoul: 15 representatives of the KCF among the delegation including Rev. Oh Kyung Woo visited Seoul for the first time( Sunday worship at the Somang Church)
2003. 6. 16-20 Ecumenical meeting about an Crisis on the Korean peninsula, Washington D.C. the USA. : Dissions about
the USA's policy toward North Korea Nuclear issue and desirable relationship between North Korea and the USA
2003. 8. 27 The first meeting of the Six party Talks
2005. 5. 23 Joint Prayer meeting of the churches in the North and the South at Mt. Keumkang for urging the implementation of the June 15 agreement.
2005. 9. 19 the fourth meeting of the Six party tolk, its 2nd dimension: it agreed of the September 9th agreement in Peijing, China.
2006. 12 International Consultation preparing for the Ecumenical Forum for Peace, Reunification and Developement Cooperation. in Hongkong
2007. 10.04 The second Summit meeting of the representatives of two Koreas(October 4th Joint Communique between the President Roh Moo Hyun and the Chairperson Kim Jung Il)
2008 20th anniversary of the NCCK' 88 Statement
2008 2. 1. Korea-German Seminar on Peace and Reunification of Korea at the Protestant Academy at Arnoldshein, Frankfurt.
2. The first meeting of the Ecumenical Forum for Peace, Reunification, and Development Cooperation on the Korean peninsula at the same place as the above: 4 representatives from the KCF in North Korea including Rev. Kang Young Sup and Rev. Lee Jong Ro.
2008. 5. 7-8 the 1st Steering committee meeting of the Ecumenical Forum for Korea in Nanjing, China. 2 representatives from North Korea including Rev. Lee Jong Ro.
2008. 10 11 USA's decision to release North Korea from the list of terrorist country
since January, 1988 when the USA enlisted North Korea in the list because of North Korea's terror attack to Korean Airline.
2008 10 13 NCCK's statement welcoming the USA's decision to release NK from the list of torrorist country.
2008 11 3-6 The Pyungyang Joint Prayer meeting of North and South Korean churches praying for the implementation of June 15 Agreement and Peace and Reunification of Korea(99 from South and 300 from North)
2009. 8. 18 The President Kim Dae Joong has passed away.
2009. 10 The International Consultation commemorating 25th anniversary of Tozanso Process in HongKong
2009. 11 Tozanso 25th anniversary Consultation in Hongkong
2010 4.22 2010 Korean Church Statement toward Peace and Reunification in the Korean peninsula
2011 5 Humanitarian Assistance : 172 tons of wheatflour through the Amity Foundation
2011 5 IEPC in Jamaica: Workshop of Peace of Korea
2011 6 EFK Steering group in Nanjing
2011 11 Humanitarian Assistance : 180 tons of wheat flour to the KCF trhough Gaesung
2011 12 1 NCCK Peace Forum ¡°How de we do with the Humanitarian Assistance to North Korea?¡±
2011 12 8 NCCK Peace and Reunification Committee's Policy making Consulatation
2011 12 10-14 Humanitarian Assistance Monitoring visit to Pyungyang
2011 12 17 Kim Jong IL passed away.
2012 01 Rev. Kang Young Sup, Chairperson of the Korean Christian Federation passed away.
2012 03 NCCK and KCF met in Shenyang since Rev. Kang Young Sup died.
2012 03 15 EFK sent 153tons of wheat flour to KCF in Dandoong, 172 tons of flour in May, 2012 and 180 tons of flour in the later 2012.
2013 04 PC-USA and PCK Joint Statement on the Peace of the Korean peninsula
2013 04 15 Uintied Church of Canada issued a Statement : " United Church Statement on the Crisis in the Korean peninsula"
2013 05 15-17 Ecumenical Korea Peace Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, USA adopted a paper of "A Call for Peace and Reconciliation on the Korean peninsula.
2013 06 04 EFK Steering Committee in Hongkong
2013 07 News from the KCF about KCF new leadership: Rev. Kang Myung Chul, Chairperson of the KCF Central Committee and Rev. Ri Jong Ro, Vice-Chairperson.
2013 10.06-29 NCCK Peace project " Peace Train" run. Around 300 participants from the world got together for 23 days starting from Berlin to Busan in Korea via Moscow, Irkutuk, Beijing, Dandoon and Inchon and Seoul. They participated in the WCC 10th Assembly.
2013 10. 15-19 NCCK met with KCF two times in Beijing in order to discuss possibility of Peace train to enter into Pyungyang.
2013 10 WCC 10th Assembly in Busan It adopted "The WCC Statement on the Peace and Unification in the Korean peninsula."
2014 4 Rev. Olav Fycshe
2014 6 EFK Steering group meeting in Bossey, Switzerland
2014 6 WCC International Consultation on Peace and Reconciliation in the Korean peninsula at Bossey, Switzerland
2014 7 Peace March and Vigil in Washington D.C. organized by the United Methodest Church
26 NCCK representatives participated.
2014 8 NCCK Leadership (19) Pyungyang visit and had August 15 Liberation Day Prayer meeting in Bongsoo Church in Pyungyang.
2014 10. 10-13 WCC Representatives visit to Pyungyang (Peter Prove, Kim Dong Sung, Steve Pierce), and they visited
Oct 16 Report of Pyungyang visit to the NCCK in Seoul
* Commplementary comments and corrections would be welcomed through heawonchae@hanmail.net and You can come to the EFK website for concrete contents in each item (http://ecuforumkorea.org).