SPOTLIGHT 25/06/22 Bishop issues call to ‘overcome differences’ on Korean Peninsula

[성기화 요셉]

Simon Kim Ju-young, speaking on Day of Prayer for Reconciliation and Unity, calls border situation an 'emotional civil war'

People walk past ribbons with messages wishing for peace and reunification of the Korean Peninsula hanging on a military fence at the Imjingak peace park near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas in Paju on Oct. 17, 2024. (Photo: AFP)

By UCA News reporter

Published: June 24, 2025 08:46 AM GMT

Updated: June 24, 2025 09:16 AM GMT

A Catholic bishop in South Korea has described his country’s border conflict with North Korea as an “emotional civil war,” and urged the upholding of hope to overcome the decades-long differences between the nations.

“Let us walk together on the pilgrimage toward peace with eternal hope,” said Bishop Simon Kim Ju-young, president of the Reconciliation Committee of the South Korean Bishops’ Conference (CBCK).

Kim, who also serves as the bishop of Chuncheon diocese, made his remarks during a Mass for the Day of Prayer for Reconciliation and Unity on June 22, the Vatican’s missionary news service, Fides, reported on June 23.

The prelate said South Koreans were finding themselves in "a time of crisis and opportunity," while adding they are “immersed in a sea of mistrust and conflict,” due to the ongoing border tensions with North Korea.

"This situation is the result of ideological conflicts accumulated over a long period of division, which could be described as an emotional civil war," Kim lamented.

The prelate cited recent incidents of drone launches at the border, along with the acts of floating balloons filled with leaflets and garbage between North and South Korea.

Kim stated that these incidents have led to increased hostility and mutual resentment among the people of both nations.

The Day of Prayer for Reconciliation and Unity is traditionally held on a Sunday close to June 25.

In 1965, Korean bishops established the day to commemorate the start of the Korean War (1950-1953) and to pray for peace.

Ahead of the June 25 commemoration, novenas, Masses, and prayer vigils were held across Catholic churches in South Korea to pray for peace and reconciliation with North Korea.

On June 25, Catholic churches across South Korea will celebrate Holy Masses with the participation of priests, consecrated persons, and faithful, Fides reported.

This year, Koreans will also commemorate the 80th anniversary of their liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945.

Following the end of Japan’s imperial rule (1905-45), Korea was divided into two parts by the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II.

Several efforts to unify Korea failed over disagreements between the US and Soviet regimes and resulted in the Korean War.

North Korean communist forces invaded the South during the war, which left some 4 million dead and about 10 million families displaced.

The war ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, on July 27, 1953, which means the nations are technically still at war.

Kim said that this situation also presented an opportunity to remember past efforts aimed towards peace and reconciliation.

The prelate suggested the use of the word "hope" as a key term to "dispel the shadow left by the division of the Korean Peninsula."

Mentioning the ongoing Jubilee Year, Kim emphasized that the first step to overcoming all conflicts is precisely "not losing hope."

"After 80 years of division on the Korean Peninsula, we must overcome conflicts with faith in the resurrection of Christ," Kim said.

Earlier, the CBCK’s Committee for Reconciliation organized a symposium on the theme of education for peace.

Bishop Mathias Lee Yong-hoon of Suwon called for eliminating division and conflict, and prejudices and strife between North and South Korea to open a “new path toward peace and harmony” in the region.

Kim, who attended the meeting, said that “overcoming conflict through dialogue, listening, and cooperation is always a task,” for Koreans.

Earlier, the Korean Conference of Religion for Peace, a consortium of seven major religious communities in South Korea, which includes the Catholic Church, expressed hope for reactivating channels of dialogue between North and South Korea.

The CBCK had also recently convened the “Pilgrimage for Life and Peace in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ),” Fides reported. The DMZ is the strip of land that divides North and South Korea.

At the end of a 385-kilometer walk, the pilgrims issued a statement calling for peace on the Korean Peninsula, Fides reported.