By Park Jin-hai
The missionary radio station Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) Korea held a forum on the unification of Korea, Tuesday.
At the 41st Far East Forum under the theme “Christian Responsibilities for the Reunification of Korea” in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, former Korean Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik gave a special lecture on what the faithful should do to unite the two Koreas into one nation.
Kim said the fast and sudden unification of Germany would not have been possible if the church had not been at the center.
“The biggest locomotive for the German unification has come from the Monday demonstrations, which were also called a religious protest. It began with the Christians in East Germany leading Monday prayers and then taking to the street to conduct peaceful political protests against the government,” he said.
“Hundreds grew into hundreds of thousands… German unification proceeded, gathering momentum at an unrelenting rate, breaking down the Berlin Wall in 1989 and finally bringing unification to Germany the following year.”
Over 500 people, including ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Lee Jung-hyun and People's Party leader Park Ji-won, attended the forum.
Calling German unification not the work of humans but that of the God, Kim drew parallels between the economic woes of North Korea of today and those of East Germany prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Kim said reunification requires consistent policies aimed to win the hearts of North Koreans. “Once we figure out in detail what our compatriots in the North are confronting, we should continue the dialogue with the North, and push forward the unification policies consistently, instead of blowing hot and cold depending on administration changes. That way we can win the hearts of North Koreans and inch ourselves closer to unification,” he said.
Kim closed the lecture asking the audience not to become too conscious of the costs of unification but to think what it did for the good of East Germany, which experienced a sharp decline in its suicide rate and over a five-year period following unification extended the average lifespan.
“We Christians should pray for the agonizing North Korean citizens and do what we can to extend our help. Germany did it and we can make it happen, too,” said Kim.
FEBC Korea has been hosting the forum since 2003 to discuss the issues of the times in the perspective of Christianity, inviting experts from politics, economy and international relations. Beginning with the former USFK Commanding General Leon LaPorte, renowned guests including the late President Kim Young-sam and former President Lee Myung-bak have given speeches at the forum.