Warm greetings from NCC-Korea.

On March 10, 2017, the Constitutional Court of Korea shared its decision to uphold President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment.This is a monumental moment in our history that shows the strength of Korean people and the power we hold to make change.

We are hopeful with the ruling and recognize that this is an opportunity for the South Korean government to unite with Korean people to better serve our nation and Northeast Asia toward a time of peace.

We, The National Council of Churches in Korea, appreciate your great support for justice and peace in Korean society. However, we still have issues on justice and peace, not only in South Korea but also in the global sphere.

One of the greatest issue we are now facing is the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.Korean government brought THAAD from the U.S. military. Because of the deployment of THAAD, the tension between China and South Korea is mounting. China has begun a boycott of Korean products in China and the Chinese government is apprehensive about their military operations being monitored. North Korea also announced that they have prepared the nuclear weapon due to the deployment of THAAD. People living in the Sungju village where THAAD is being placed are now living in terror of being attacked. Furthermore, the village is the holy place of Won Buddhism and they are fighting against the deployment.

NCCK deeply sympathizes with their pain and suffering and stand in solidarity with Won Buddhist against THAAD. We are also against the deployment of THAAD and nuclear weapon in North Korea. Nuclear weapons are terrifying Koreans with the threat of a nuclear war and we want peace for the Korean peninsula. In these circumstances, NCCK decided to send a letter to the U.S. President Donald Tramp to remove THAAD from South Korea. Please pray for peace and justice on Korean peninsula.

If you would like to join NCCK in asking President Trump to remove THAAD we ask your denomination and institution to also send a letter to the U.S. government opposing THAAD in solidarity with NCCK

Sincerely,

 

 

~ Below is the letter sent to the President Donald Trump from NCCK~

 

 

President Donald Trump 
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500

March 9, 2017

Dear Mr. President,

On behalf of the National Council of Churches (NCCK), I bring the warmest greetings to you in the name of God of Peace.

The National Council of Churches in Korea wishes to express our concern with the growing tensions on the Korean peninsula. For over sixty years since the signing of the armistice agreement, the people of the Korean peninsula have lived in fear of war breaking out again in an instant. Where President Obama had failed using “strategic patience” you have the chance to either succeed in negotiation or on the other hand to bring disaster upon us.

Especially we worry now as the THAAD missile defence system has arrived in South Korea, and North Korea has fired off four missiles in response. We fear the tensions have risen higher than they have been in decades. We ask you to move now. Turn back these steps toward war, and take up a successful strategy for denuclearizing the Korean peninsula.

We have heard your administration is considering a pre-emptive strike on North Korea as one of your options. We urge you to take this off the table, as it would guarantee an all out war. In this current situation of upheaval around South Korea’s presidency and impeachment process, ruling party members are clamoring more loudly for South Korea to obtain its own nuclear weapons. All of these actions take us closer to open battle. Turning the Korean peninsula into a battlefield again would ensure our annihilation.

We ask you to seek dialogue with North Korea immediately to decrease tensions. Dialogue is the only way toward de-escalation and convincing the North that their immediate survival is not at stake and does not depend on military defense.

For the sake of our continued existence we call upon you to enter into dialogue and turn Northeast Asia away from what might begin a new world war.

Sincerely,