South Korean minister praises Kirk’s supportive peacemaking role

0 Rev Dr Lee Jae Cheon at the General Assembly yesterday A South Korean minister has called for the “immediate” removal of all nuclear weapons worldwide.

Rev Dr Lee Jae Cheon of the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PCOK) made the plea at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland yesterday.

He told commissioners that PCOK would not have been able to pursue its agenda for peace on the Korean peninsula over the last 38 years without the support of the Kirk.

Dr Lee said the war between North and South Korea was not over, merely suspended, and stressed peace “is not optional”.

The Korean War 1950-53 devastated the Korean Peninsula, reinforcing the division between the North and South that had been in place since the end of the Second World War.

PCOK is observing events unfolding on the peninsular with great interest as the leaders of North and South Korea have promised to bring “lasting peace” with a commitment to denuclearisation and to ending decades of hostilities.

North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, and the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, recently issued a joint statement that offered cause for optimism as the world looks ahead to a landmark summit between Mr Kim and US president Donald Trump.

Referring to the partnership formed between the Kirk and PCOK in 1980, Dr Lee said: “Since then your Church has always been with us and has never hesitated to support our peace movements.

“Because you have been with us as an ecumenical friend, PCOK could sustain our long march towards peace and reunification of Korea.”

Dr Lee said competition for arms must stop. “All kinds of nuclear weapons have to be removed immediately,” he added.

“Unwanted armistice agreements should be traded for peace treaties.”

Former Moderator of the National Youth Assembly, Andrew Macpherson, a member of Broxburn Parish Church in West Lothian, is travelling to the Korean peninsula next month to attend a series of events.