Beneath the K-Pop, high-tech industry, and trendy culture, a divided nation still suffers from the Cold War.
It’s not every day that a Canadian gets to visit a demilitarized zone (DMZ). Emily Dwyer, the United Church’s Government Relations Officer, had that opportunity when she visited the Republic of Korea in May 2024. She was there to represent the church at an ecumenical consultation on human rights organized by the National Council of Churches in Korea (a Mission and Service partner).
The Cold War is real in Korea, especially in the heavily fortified DMZ that divides North and South Korea. Even to get there, one must go through military checkpoints. Once there, guard posts and barbed wire fences give an eerie feeling of the place. Dwyer says, “This is not what humans should experience. We are not meant to live with killing machines in our midst.” Yet, beneath the ever-popular K-pop bands and K-dramas, that is the painful reality in Korea.
The Korean War resulted in the deaths of some 3 million people, including 516 Canadian soldiers. The war ended in 1953 with an armistice agreement, but the two Koreas are still technically at war. No peace treaty was signed.
Currently, the relationship between North and South Korea is at its worst in years. There is increasing military tension in the DMZ as military from both sides continue to confront each other, provoking each other by sending balloons and dropping leaflets and garbage across the demarcation line. Military exercises have resumed in both north and south, further risking the outbreak of renewed war. In the north, the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has officially abandoned its stated goal of reunification. With Russia and North Korea forging a new alliance, the path to peace seems much more difficult.
As we mark the 71st anniversary of National Korean War Armistice Day on July 27, we are reminded of the ongoing pain of the war. Yet, we are a people of hope. We can live into hope as we offer prayers, support, and solidarity. Our continued accompaniment is deeply appreciated by partners, who stress that it has made a difference. Partners in Korea are once again calling on The United Church of Canada to walk with them, and pray with them as, together, we seek peace.
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Pray
O God of peace and love,
Do you feel the pain and anguish when your people live in violence and the threat of war hangs over them?
Does your heart ache when you look into the souls of people living with deep-seated sorrow that refuses to go away?
O God, we pray for the people of Korea and elsewhere where people long for the wars to end, long for peace to begin, and long to live in the freedom of the new day that you promised.
Even as we enjoy our freedom here, may we be in solidarity with those who seek our partnership. Walk with us, O God, towards your kindom, where justice and peace abide.
In the name of the one who is our Prince of Peace, we pray. Amen.
Take a Selfie for Peace in Korea
- Send your photo for peace on the Korean Peninsula to endthekoreanwarnow@gmail.com before August 12. . Post on social media with the hashtags #EndtheKoreanWar #ArmsDownKoreaPeace #NoWarYesPeace.
- Mark July 27, the 71st anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, by participating in the Korea Peace Action (scroll down for English). This campaign ends on August 12.
- Download a call for peace poster.
- Encourage others to do the same.
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—The Rev. Won Hur serves as the Global Partnership Program Coordinator for Asia in the General Council Office, Church in Mission Unit.