wfn.org | Episcopalians: Conference explores search for peace in northeast Asia and reunification of K

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

May 9, 2002

2002-115

Episcopalians: Conference explores search for peace in 
northeast Asia and reunification of Korea

by James Solheim

(ENS) "We are eyeball to eyeball with the enemy every day," said 
the young American soldier assigned to take groups into the 
Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea at 
Panmunjom. He said that a thousand tourists come through the 
zone on a good day, many of them veterans. The border--4 km deep 
by 250 km from coast to coast and bristling with 
landmines--represents one of the tensest military confrontations 
in the world. 

Straddling the border, exactly on the 38th parallel, is a 
Quonset hut. Inside is the famous table where the cease-fire 
ending the Korean War was hammered out in 1953. The border is 
now guarded by an international force of 550, about 60 percent 
from South Korea. No peace treaty was ever signed so this brutal 
war that claimed almost two million lives is unfinished business 
for Koreans.

"It is like a museum of the Cold War," said Bishop Richard 
Shimpfky of El Camino Real, chair of the Episcopal Church's 
Standing Commission on Anglican and International Peace with 
Justice Concerns. He and commission members Louie Crew (Newark) 
and Mary Miller (Maryland) visited Japan and Korea April 16-26 
at the invitation of partner churches to look at the continuing 
tensions in northeast Asia and the hopes for reunification of 
Korea.

"Our people are living in a very dangerous period of 
history," said the Rev. Guen Seok Yang, vice president of 
Sungkonghoe University in Seoul. The school and the Anglican 
Church of Korea were hosts for a two-day conference on "the 
peaceful reunification of Korea and the peace in Northeast 
Asia." He added, "In the next years agreements between the 
Americans and North Korea expire and must be clarified, adding 
to the tensions." In March the Bush administration said that it 
would not certify that North Korea was living up to commitments 
made in 1994 to halt its nuclear program.

When President George W. Bush identified North Korea as part 
of the "axis of evil" in his State of the Union speech last 
January, it sent a deep chill through the region, stalling what 
many had hoped was a promising thaw in relations. Although the 
United States denied that it had any plans to invade, North 
Korea has moved an estimated 70 percent of its troops closer to 
the border with South Korea, within easy missile range of Seoul, 
just 40 km away.

Ambassador says reunification still the goal

"It is obvious why we have a military presence--in an effort 
to preserve freedom," Ambassador Thomas Hubbard said in a 
briefing for the American, South Korean and Japanese religious 
leaders. "We are here at the request of the South Koreans." He 
said that there are about 37,000 U.S. troops at over 90 bases 
and installations. 

When asked about allegations by some South Koreans that the 
bases are causing significant damage to the environment, the 
ambassador said that the dilemma is that the troops must train. 
"We try to maintain a presence that's as efficient as possible, 
with the least damage to the environment. We want to be good 
guests but we are here for a purpose." 

Hubbard said that the U.S. is currently upgrading its bases 
and hopes to return about 60 percent of the land it has been 
using. (Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff, said in a news wire story that the large base at Yongsan 
in downtown Seoul would probably be moved because of concerns 
over congestion and environmental damage.)

Everyone still hopes for a peaceful reunification on the 
Korean peninsula, Hubbard said, but "North Korea is still 
building dangerous weapons while starving its people. Its 
missiles are a threat to the whole region and there is deep 
concern about their continuing development and deployment."

 Yet the ambassador added, "We are prepared to talk and we 
have no intention of invading or attacking North Korea." Hubbard 
admitted that the South Koreans were angry at Bush's "axis of 
evil" comments--and noted that Bush was surprised by the 
negative reaction during his recent visit to the region. He 
pointed out that South Korea has been "tremendously successful, 
with sustained growth," arguing that there is "more substantive 
continuity in U.S. policy." The goal is still to reduce tension 
and build reconciliation while dealing with arms proliferation 
and terrorism, he said. "The military presence has prevented war 
for 50 years while we are still groping for ways to solve other 
issues."

Hubbard concluded, "It's hard to be optimistic about North 
Korea but we think it's in their best interest to open up." He 
doubted that they would submit to inspections by the 
International Atomic Energy Commission, however. The North 
Koreans are developing a light water reactor for energy but will 
need international assistance to complete the project. (The 
ambassador also shared a highly critical report on religious 
freedom in North Korea released in April by the U.S. Commission 
on International Religious Freedom.)

Site visits sharpen the issues

Several site visits put some of the issues into stark relief 
for commission members. An Air Force firing range on the coast 
near the village of Meahyang-ri has been a bone of contention 
since it was opened in 1952. At a meeting with village leaders, 
the visitors were told that the bombing sometimes goes on for 13 
hours a day with up to 400 flights, making it "a battlefield 
hell for villagers." 

Several serious accidents in recent years have led to 
organized demonstrations. In June 2001 over 3,500 people formed 
a human belt around the firing range, drawing international 
attention and comparisons with the firing range on the Puerto 
Rican island of Vieques. Villagers have also had some success 
filing lawsuits for compensation in Korean courts.

One leader of the opposition to U.S. military presence showed 
the group a "tank killer," a powerful shell with a radioactive 
tip--part of the ordnance that is contributing to environmental 
damage. Villagers have made a "Korean God of Liberty" from 
fragments they have collected from the firing range.

Near Camp Stanley south of Seoul the group visited "My Sister's 
Place," a haven for an estimated 200 prostitutes working in the 
area, most of them from Russia and the Philippines.  The hosts 
described a brutal murder of a prostitute a few years ago by an 
American soldier who was quickly sent home as the evidence 
mounted against him.

On their way to Korea commission members had visited a huge 
U.S. Navy base at Yokosura, just outside of Tokyo, described by 
local church leaders as the most advanced in the world. They 
said that pollution at the base had become a major problem. 
Protests had blocked attempts to expand the base--but only 
temporarily since the Japanese government supports the military 
presence.

In fact, the church leaders pointed to controversial 
legislation in the Diet (Japan's parliament) that would give the 
Japanese Defense Forces more flexibility in responding to 
crises. They regarded the legislation as part of a growing 
tendency toward militarism.

Members of the commission sent a short statement to a peace 
rally being held in Tokyo on April 19 to protest the 
legislation, urging Japan "not to follow the example of the 
United States of eroding individual rights, including the right 
of conscientious dissent. We urge you today, as fellow 
peacemakers, to resist efforts to rearm Japan."

Shrine visit stirs painful memories

When Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited the 
Yasukuni Shrine, a monument of the nation's indigenous Shinto 
religion and a magnet for nationalists who glorify the emperor, 
the growth of militarism suddenly became an international issue. 
The surprise visit provoked bad memories and alarm among nations 
who had suffered at the hands of Japanese 
imperialism--especially South Korea and China. In defending the 
visit, Koizumi said that "the purpose was to pay respect to 
those who left behind family and sacrificed their lives for the 
nation" but a spokesman for the opposition said that it was "an 
attack on peace in northeast Asia." At least 14 Class A war 
criminals are enshrined at Yasukuni. With his approval rating 
hovering near 40 percent, some were convinced that Koizumi was 
attempting to shore up his conservative support.

China responded quickly by saying the visit "hurts the 
Chinese people's feelings and is an erroneous action that 
damages ties between Japan and China. People will not easily 
forget the savage behavior of Imperial Japan in the Pacific 
area."

South Korea had only begun to reconcile itself with the 
Japanese after the prime minister visited the shrine last 
August. Japan's occupation of Korea for 35 years was 
particularly brutal. Many saw the visit as risky, coming only 
six weeks before the opening of the World Cup soccer tournament, 
jointly sponsored by Japan and Korea. National flags are flying 
everywhere in Seoul and a new park just opened surrounding the 
huge World Cup Stadium. A stunning new airport opened a year ago 
at Inchon, site of General Douglas MacArthur's bold landing that 
changed the course of the Korean War.

Japanese militarism growing issue

Japanese militarism was the theme of a major presentation by 
Professor Heok-Tae Kwon of Sungkonghoe University, founded by 
Anglicans about 10 years ago. He said that militarism and 
nationalism had always been a part of Japanese society but now 
it is spilling over to other institutions as well, especially 
those democratic forces that have provided a "defensive wall" 
against the right wing. The U.S. wants Japan to shoulder some of 
the military costs and risks of maintaining a military presence 
in the region--but that contributes to the rise of a new brand 
of militarism and could substantially alter the relationship 
between the two countries. It will also complicate relations 
with Korea because the right wing has always thought of Korea as 
a weapon, poised and ready to stab Japan.

Noting the flush of optimism prompted by the meeting almost 
two years ago of the leaders from both North and South Korea, 
Professor Wook-Shik Jung said that the region was still "the 
last threshold of the Cold War," where there is still much talk 
of a war breaking out at any time. "The political climate is 
inclement right now," he said in his keynote speech.

Jung argued that South Koreans don't think that the North has 
done anything in recent years to undermine U.S. interests in the 
region. Yet he is convinced that the Bush administration doesn't 
seem to see any possibilities of change through diplomacy so 
they are ready to use force instead. As a result, he said that 
"we are standing at a dangerous crossroads." A Cold War 
mentality still persists and the hard-line attitudes of the 
United States create an environment where dialogue is very 
difficult.

Jung said that North Korea has been weakened because of the 
economic crisis of the late 1990s and they now realize that they 
would not be able to win a war on the peninsula. As a result, 
they are sending signals that they would abandon the export of 
missiles if the U.S. would compensate them--if not with cash, 
then with food. "They can't make weapons with food," Jung said.

In response, the Rev. Brian Grieves, director of the 
Episcopal Church's Office of Peace and Justice Ministries, said 
that might be difficult since "Bush's political base is 
ideological, defining everything as a battle between good and 
evil. And the terrorist attacks of September 11 have given new 
meaning and reinforcement of his ideology. That's the challenge 
to those who are concerned for world peace, greatly complicating 
our work in places such as the Middle East."

The Rev. Sam Koshiishi, general secretary of Japan's Nippon 
Sei Ko Kai (Anglican), said that there is a strong sentiment 
against North Korea in his nation but that the church's official 
policy is still in favor of reunification. "It is difficult to 
promote peace in Japan," he said. While there are demonstrations 
against globalization around the world, there are none in Japan. 
While Christians opposed the prime minister's visit to the 
shrine, he said that "many are happy with the development. That 
is the reality of Japan today."

Koshiishi agrees with those who contend that modern Japan is 
being dismantled, and the government is no longer able to 
provide the levels of welfare as it has in the past. "The result 
is a high degree of unpredictability with strong nationalist 
trends. Unless the Japanese people themselves do something the 
trends will be difficult to stop." He pointed to the 
government's approval of controversial nationalist textbooks 
last year and the rejection of those books by parents as one 
sign of hope. "And the women of Japan are becoming more active 
politically so that brings some hope for change," he said.

Etsuko Maruyama from the Nippon Sei Ko Kai said that, 
following the Second World War, "Japan never reflected on the 
past, never changed its ways and behavior or its aggression. As 
a result," she said, "post-war democracy was never fully 
implemented. Japan has lost its source of identity and has no 
understanding of its past or its history. With economic 
recession everyone is feeling insecure, doing a lot of 
soul-searching. The right wing is using imperialism to provide 
identity but it is only a temporary measure, not a solution." 

China's role is crucial

Although they sent last-minute word that they were not able 
to attend the conference, the Chinese were very much a part of 
the conversation.  Professor Nam-joo Lee, who teaches Chinese 
studies at Sungkonghoe University, made it very clear in his 
address at the conference that "China is a very important 
partner in any search for peace in northeast Asia."

He joined other Koreans in stressing that "we live every day 
with the military issues, living in a framework of risk, knowing 
that our lives can be dismantled at any time." Yet he did not 
agree with those who argue that everything would be solved if 
the United States left Asia. "All issues are interrelated in 
this region so all of us are responsible for building peace," he 
said.

Lee said that, by the middle of this century, China would 
become the number one economy in the world. It has handled its 
transition to a socialist market economy very well, is more 
actively involved in international forums, and its attitudes 
toward the global community have changed. "It is poised for 
additional changes and therefore poses a challenge to other 
nations," he said. "China will have a great, positive impact on 
Korea, for example."

He added that "China thinks economic development is more 
important than human rights. Therefore they are more concerned 
about economic issues than political ones. Yet there is more 
potential for conflict than for peace," he said. Since China 
formalized relations with Korea in 1992, the exchange between 
the two nations has been "astonishing" and now there is a great 
deal of mutual trust.

Chinese and Americans competing

Yet the growing competition between China and the United 
Sates complicates all relations in the region. Lee said that, as 
long as there are U.S. troops in Korea "it will be difficult to 
create the structures of peace. If China continues its military 
expansion, the U.S. military presence in Korea and Japan are 
obstacles." He predicted that 2010 would be "a breakthrough date 
for peace in northeast Asia."

As long as South Korea and Japan are seen as allies of the 
U.S. "it will be difficult to put an end to Cold War thinking so 
that fundamental changes can happen," added Professor Young-Jon 
Jin of Sungkonghoe University in his address at the conference 
on the peacemaking efforts of civilian networks. "Yet the scale 
of risk and threat may diminish with an increase in the 
probability of reunion. It is also possible that the military 
threat could increase, however, and could precipitate a regional 
war, given the right spark."

For North Korea the isolation and threat continues and even 
increases since it has lost its Cold War allies, Jin said. He 
believes that America's position as a global superpower is 
increasing the threat of war. "The war on terrorism is a new 
concept but directly related to and stemming from Cold War 
mentality. A rise in anti-Americanism comes from a perception 
that the U.S. is frustrating hopes for reunification," he said.

"The Korean church has a vision of peace--it is the goal of 
the church and the core of its mission," said the Rev. Jae Jeung 
Lee, founder of Sungkonghoe University, a member of the Anglican 
Consultative Council (ACC) and a member of Korea's parliament. 
He said that the ecumenical movement has expanded into a peace 
movement and he believes that the ACC can be used to promote 
relations between north and south.

Where do we go now?

The question hanging in the air at the closing session was, 
Where do we go now?  Lee said that the ACC meeting in Hong Kong 
this summer should put peace in northeast Asia high on its 
agenda. It should also encourage further overtures to North 
Korea and include a full-blown discussion of U.S. policy in the 
region.

Lee also said that Christians must find a way to "coexist 
with evil powers." He added, "For 50 years we have lived as 
enemies. We must find a way to solve the enmity. We need to 
understand and implement reconciliation in our daily lives so 
that this kind of war should never be repeated."

As a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, Lee 
said that as a people and a civilization "we are asking new 
questions, fundamental questions. Whether it is policy or 
personal feelings, Bush's comments about the 'axis of evil' has 
immense implications for the Korean peninsula. That simple 
utterance drove Koreans into panic and fear."

In the wake of the shock of 9-11, "What is our role as 
religious people?" asked the Rev. Satoshi Kobayashi from the 
Diocese of Kyoto in Japan's Nippon Sei Ko Kai. "We lack the 
hunger for peace in our daily lives."

Looking for new directions

Grieves called attention to the crucial timing of the 
conference and said that the Episcopal Church is expanding its 
relationships with other churches in the Anglican Communion. It 
is paying particular attention to the Middle East where the 
church is under enormous pressure but also Africa, a continent 
that now has the most Anglicans. "But the eyes of our church 
haven't been looking in this direction and we have been looking 
for a way to demonstrate our concern for issues in this region."

In her closing comments, Mary Miller, who headed the 
Episcopal Peace Fellowship for over a decade, said that "we must 
not let our governments define peace for us or dictate who our 
enemies should be. The church must not be satisfied with 
politically defined peace. We are called to seek peace and 
pursue it, and to be ready to give an account of the hope that 
is in us."

Koshiishi said in an interview that the visit and the 
conference was the first time that representatives of churches 
from the U.S., Japan and Korea have met to discuss peacemaking 
in the region. "We have been looking for a new direction on how 
to cooperate--that's why this meeting is important. It has laid 
a groundwork and now we must find a way forward."

Koshiishi said that the signs of a thaw between the U.S. and 
North Korea could make all kinds of things possible. "We also 
need to send a visiting team to North Korea but developments 
must wait for the political climate to improve."

As participants dashed off to the airport, the newspapers 
were reporting that North Korea had indeed sent signals that it 
was ready to resume a long-stalled dialogue, according to 
comments by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. "We took 
serious note of this apparent change in attitude," he told the 
Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Among other signs of hope, the Unification Minister for South 
Korea, Jeong Se-hyum, said that he was proposing that the 
reference to North Korea as a "main enemy" could be deleted in 
this "era of inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation." 

The Korean papers also announced plans for a reunion of 
families from North and South Korea at Mount Geumgang in the 
north--and plans for another group of 470 South Koreans later. 
It will also be the first time that the families will be allowed 
to take a brief excursion together. The north is also allowing 
the south to bring in satellite relay equipment for live 
television broadcasts of the reunions.

There are also promising attempts to reestablish a rail link 
between the north and south that was originally built in the 
1890s, making possible some new forms of economic cooperation.

"From a distance these developments may not look momentous 
but, for our friends in the region who have been living with the 
threat of war for half a century, they are very welcome indeed," 
said Grieves.

------

--James Solheim is director of Episcopal News Service and 
accompanied commission members on the trip to Japan and Korea.