Conflict 17/12/15 Korean leader calls on religions to help spur North talks - President Timothy Moon Jae-in meets religious leaders, challenges them to come up

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Korean leader calls on religions to help spur North talks

President Timothy Moon Jae-in meets religious leaders, challenges them to come up with ways to boost ties with Pyongyang

President Timothy Moon Jae-in (center front row) walks with religious leaders including Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong of Kwangju (second left, front row) ahead of their meeting in Seoul. (Photo courtesy of the president’s office)

December 15, 2017

South Korea’s president has called on the country’s religious leaders to promote reconciliation and peace on the Korean Peninsula by finding ways to spur dialogue with the North.

The declaration came during a recent meeting between President Timothy Moon Jae-in and the leaders of seven major religions in Korea at the president's office in Seoul.

One of the leaders at the meeting was Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong of Kwangju.

Addressing inter-Korean tensions on the peninsula President Moon stressed that dialogue needs to be pursued to solve the nuclear crisis and that religions could play a major role in bring this about.

"Currently inter-Korean relations are at an impasse, so religions and civil groups in Korea need to take the initiative to open avenues for dialogue," he said.

He said the current situation is unprecedented and that all parties needed to tread carefully.

"However, as it is darkest just before daybreak, if we can overcome this current crisis, inter-Korean relations can be dramatically developed," he added.

"As religious leaders, we will try our best to help the government spread its policies including dialogue with North Korea," Archbishop Kim, also co-president of Korea Conference of Religions for Peace, told the president.

It was first such meeting between Moon and the country’s religious leaders.

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