wfn.org | Taiwan's President Greets Korean Church Historian

[Taiwan Church News <pctpress@ms1.hinet.net>]

Taiwan Church News 2679, July 6, 2003
Reported by Lin Yi-ying. Translated and rewritten by David
Alexander

   Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian hosted Father Song Chi-yin,
principal of the Pusan Institute of Church History in Korea, at
the Presidential Office Building on June 27th.	Fr. Song was in
Taiwan on an exchange trip with Professor Lee Biao-huan of Asia
University. They were escorted to Mr. Chen's office and
introduced by Taiwan's Foreign Minister.
   Mr. Chen spoke about the similarities between Taiwan and Korea
in terms of economics and historical development. He mentioned
that both are nations living under the threat of armed force from
neighboring states.  He expressed a hope that the two nations on
the Korean peninsula can resolve their differences without use of
weapons.
   On the first day of this year President Chen had joined in a
religious ceremony for "World Peace Day". His words to Fr. Song
echoed the spirit of that ceremony, a wish that "love and
tolerance might replace enmity and revenge, and that peace and
righteousness will overcome violence."	By these means, true and
lasting peace can come about.
   Father Song has long been active in the Korean grassroots
movement for democracy. On this,his second visit to Taiwan,  he
found the people here lively, vivacious and diligent.  He
expressed a wish for better interchanges between Korea and
Taiwan.  Getting specific, he noted that Pusan and Kaohsiung (in
Southern Taiwan) are sister cities and expressed a wish that
direct air links between the two nations could be resumed.
President Chen replied that this action depended on mutual
respect between the nations and hoped that it could be settled in
a spirit of equality and mutuality.

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