Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul expressed deep concern about the growing divide between North and South Korea
By Fides Agency
Dom Peter Soon-taick Chung, Archbishop of Seoul and Apostolic Administrator of Pyongyang / Photo: Youtube reproduction
The Archbishop of Seoul, who also serves as Apostolic Administrator of Pyongyang, Peter Soon-taick Chung, lamented the growing divide between North and South Korea after cutting off road and rail access to South Korea with the aim of ” make a complete separation”. both countries. The North Korean military has announced that it is proceeding with the “permanent isolation and blockade of the southern border”, reinforcing the action as a “self-defense measure to avoid war”.
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“That has not left southern society untouched, and “the desire for reunification is waning,” said Archbishop Peter Soon-Taick Chung. “I think many young people in the South are beginning to believe that reconciliation or reunification are not viable paths. Hope is fading,” he said. Therefore, the cleric said, “I think it is appropriate to continue to dream of peaceful coexistence and keep the light of hope burning in Korean society, especially today, in the current impasse, and the total blockage of communication channels, the situation is very big. dark”.
For Peter Soon-Taick, the coming of the New Year has a theme of hope — which reinforces the hope that the situation between the two nations will improve. “We are approaching the Holy Year, which has hope as its theme: we are pilgrims of hope, also in terms of relations with the North”, he said.
Simon Kim Ju-young, bishop of Chuncheon and chairman of the Bishops’ Commission for Reconciliation, notes bitterly “Both sides view each other with a certain hostility and all channels are closed, even the humanitarian aid channel, which has been kept open. in the past. And although public opinion in Korea is still quite divided on policy towards the North, all Koreans are united in sending humanitarian aid to North Korea. But North Korea keeps all channels closed, including humanitarian ones.”
Reconciliation
Looking back, the bishops recall that the Commission for Reconciliation within the Bishops’ Conference visited Pyongyang in December 2015 to meet the local Catholic community and celebrate Mass at the Changchung Church. “On that occasion,” recalls Archbishop Simon Kim Ju-young, “we told the local faithful that South Korean Catholics pray for reconciliation every day at nine in the evening. We asked them to participate in this prayer and they assured us that they would do so.”
The broader international context may also play a role in North Korea’s recent actions. Observers suggest that North Korea’s arms sales, driven by conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, are boosting its economy by reducing its dependence on foreign aid.
This economic change may explain the growing isolation of the regime and its resistance to re-engagement with South Korea.