Korea Peace and Reunification rally in front of White House, ecumenical roundtable features of July 25-26 event in Washington, DC

A Korea Peace March & Vigil, co-sponsored by Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, will be held on Friday and Saturday, July 25-26, 2014 in Washington, DC. The event will focus on how to establish lasting peace and eventual reunification on the Korean Peninsula. The event will culminate in a march to Lafayette Park in front of the White House.

An important aspect of the event is to emphasize the need to replace the 1953 armistice with a peace treaty to end six decades of tension and conflict. In essence, the armistice has left the people of South and North Korea under a state of war. More than 10 million families have been separated by the North-South division of their homeland.

Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16th St. NW, will host the Peace March & Vigil.

“We will gather to witness the human cost of the unended Korean War, walk and pray together to raise our voice to end the war and establish peace for the people of two Koreas and the world,” said Kyeong-Ah Woo, a member of the Korea Peace Forum, March & Vigil Team, a sponsor of the event.

Ecumenical Roundtable

Friday, July 25, will offer an ecumenical roundtable from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants will analyze the “Statement on Peace & Reunification of the Korean Peninsula,” adopted at the World Council of Churches (WCC) Busan Assembly last year.

The statement declared, “We are convinced that it is the right time to begin a new process towards a comprehensive peace treaty that will replace the 1953 Armistice Agreement and secure just and peaceful relations among nations in the region while normalizing relations between North and South, and facilitating Korean reunification.”

Future action plans will be discussed during the roundtable discussions.

A banquet Friday evening will feature a showing of “Memory of a Forgotten War.” It will be followed by a Korea Peace Forum.

March to White House

Saturday morning, July 26, participants will march from Foundry UMC to the front of the White House, arriving in Lafayette Park at 11 a.m. where they will hold a prayer vigil for peace and reunification of the Korean Peninsula.

Sponsors of the peace vigil and march include the Reconciliation & Reunification Committee of the National Council of Churches in Korea, the World Council of Churches, the United Methodist General Board of Church & Society, General Board of Global Ministries Korean Ministry Plan, United Methodist Women and the Committee on Reunification of Korean American Assembly of The United Methodist Church.

Other sponsors are Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), United Church of Christ, and the Presbyterian Church USA–Office of Public Witness.

All events are open to the public. RSVP is requested for the banquet. For more information and registration details, contact We Chang via email (we@bwumc.org) or call (603) 491-9581.

Click here for a flier for the Korea Peace March & Vigil.