Top Stories 24/11/05 Bishops appeal for an end to ‘rising tensions’ in Korean peninsula

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Tensions flared up since Kim Jong Un termed the South as 'number one enemy' of his regime in January

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seen with military officials in April 7, 2022. (Photo: AFP)

By UCA News reporter

Published: November 07, 2024 09:51 AM GMT

Updated: November 07, 2024 10:15 AM GMT

Korean Catholic bishops have appealed leaders in South and North Korea to bring an end to rising tensions and a slew of provocations between the two nations to avoid armed conflict for peace and reconciliation.

“The sky over the Korean Peninsula is now covered with dark clouds of hatred and loathing more heavily than ever. Many people are anxious and fearful that these dark clouds will turn into a torrential downpour of armed conflict,” the Korean bishop’s Special Committee on National Reconciliation said in a statement on Nov. 5.

The bishops urged people in the Korean Peninsula to “once again reflect on the meaning and teachings of the ‘peace’ proclaimed by Jesus.”

“The Catholic Church of Korea is closely monitoring the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula and is issuing this appeal in the earnest hope that armed conflict will not occur on this land,” it added.

Hostile leaflets and garbage balloons are flying in the sky, and many people in villages along the border of the Military Demarcation Line are complaining of inconvenience and anxiety due to the sound of loudspeakers day and night, said the statement signed by the commission chairman, Bishop Simon Kim Ju-young of Chuncheon and other five members.

“In order for the South and the North to live together in peace, we must find ways to restore mutual trust rather than using physical force to subdue the other party. We must stop the vicious cycle of hatred and confrontation and resolve the current confrontational situation from the perspective of empathy,” the bishops said.

They reminded both nations who “have experienced numerous crises" that "they have the experience of wisely overcoming them.”

“Therefore, even with small changes, we can demonstrate the wisdom to lower the current tension and prevent armed conflict,” they pleaded.

The prelates appealed the leaders, politicians, and policymakers of both countries to avoid confrontations because “in a parched field, even a small spark can spread into a big fire.”

“The first duty of a nation is to ensure the safety of its people. Leaders must consider the suffering caused by the tragedy of war as their own. Both the South and the North must immediately stop their threats and do their best to lower military tensions,” bishops said.

They also called on the international community including the US to make diplomatic efforts “to ease military tensions and restore dialogue between the South and the North.”

“We also appeal to believers who have a mission for peace and to all who seek the common good.”

The statement further said that the world is concerned about the news that North Korean troops have been ‘dispatched’ to Russia, which is at war, and the South Korean government’s arms support to Ukraine.

The bishops pointed out that ongoing wars between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and the Middle East are causing greater suffering to the poor and the weak, and inflicting damage and pain on good citizens.

“People say that it is difficult to hope for peace now. However, the Church, which believes in Christ who conquered death and rose again, never loses hope. This hope gives us courage to overcome fear and allows us to choose the path of love and reconciliation even in moments of conflict,” they added.

The Korean Peninsula has been embroiled in simmering tensions in recent months. The situation escalated in July after the South accused the North of sending garbage balloons to the South. Then, in October, the North accused South Korea of flying drones into its capital Pyongyang.

North Korea alleged the drones scattered propaganda leaflets that it warned could lead to "armed conflict and even war," BBC reported on Oct. 15.

Pyongyang said it had ordered border troops to be prepared to fire and South Korea said it was ready to respond and warned that if the safety of its citizens was threatened it would signal the "end of the North Korean regime," according to the BBC.

Shortly afterward, North Korea destroyed sections of two roads connecting South Korea. It also claimed that 1.4 million young North Koreans had applied to join or return to the army.

These were the latest flare-ups in heightened tensions between the two Koreas in years since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un termed the South as “the number one enemy” of his regime in January.

Once a united nation, Korea was divided into two after the end of World War II following Japan’s defeat by the Allied Forces in 1945. 

Tensions between the South and North Korean leadership sparked a full-blown war after the Communist forces invaded the South in 1950 and retreated only after UN Peacekeeping forces took control in 1953.

Considered one of the deadliest wars of the 20th century, the Korean War saw an estimated three million dead and about 10 million displaced.

The war ended with an armistice agreement on July 27, 1953, not a peace treaty. Technically, both countries are still at war.