SEOUL (UCAN): The World Council of Churches organized its annual Sunday of Prayer for the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula on August 15, the 76th anniversary of National Liberation Day, when both North and South Korea gained independence from Japanese colonial oppression in 1945.
The day also marks the division of the Korean Peninsula into two at the end of World War II.
North Gyeongsang province hosted the special event in a bid to promote a new Daegu-North Gyeongsang integrated airport, expected to be operational by 2028.
A joint effort by the National Council of Churches in Korea and the Korean Christian Federation, the prayer meeting is traditionally held on the Sunday before August 15 every year, Vatican News reported.
This year’s theme was: We love the Korean Peninsula where we share our laughter and tears.
“The depths of hate are deep within us and the forces that promote division are blocking our steps toward peace,” the prayer reads.
National Liberation Day is also known as Gwangbokjeol, which translates to “bringing back the light.” It is celebrated with festivities, ceremonies and parades nationwide.
Sightseeing flights near the Dokdo islets were also held for the first time. Dokdo is a disputed territory between Korea and Japan, and the islets are a military zone where passenger planes are not permitted to fly.
Efforts to unify the two Koreas failed in 1947 following disagreements between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Korean War started in 1950 when the North invaded the South. The conflict claimed more than four million lives and divided 10 million families.
The shooting stopped on 27 July 1953 with an armistice, so the two nations are technically still at war.
Churches in South Korea celebrate the anniversary with a special prayer for peace and the reunification of the two Koreas.
Reconciliation has been a major focus of the Catholic Church in Korea. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea [CBCK] established the Special Commission for the Reconciliation of the Korean People in 1997.
The CBCK has organised several initiatives, including Masses, novenas and the Jubilee of National Reconciliation in June 2000.
Pope Francis has also advocated peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula.
When the pope visited South Korea in 2014 to celebrate Asian Youth Day in Daejeon, he said, “Jesus asks us to believe that forgiveness is the door which leads to reconciliation.”
Ahead of the meeting between former US president, Donald Trump, and North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, in Korea’s demilitarized zone on 30 June 2019, the pope prayed that “such a significant gesture might constitute a further step along the path of peace, not only on the peninsula but for the whole world.”
