The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea Welcomes the Agreement of the Six-Party Talks
February 14, 2007
We strongly welcome the accord reached yesterday, February 13, at the six-party talks in Beijing on initial actions to implement the 2005 Joint Statement on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We believe that the outcome of the six-party talks can eventually contribute to building peace in the Korean Peninsula.
Through the painful process of the six-party talks, the international community has learned a historical lesson that true peace can be realized not by words, but by concrete actions. However, we also realize that the current agreement represents only the first stage towards establishing permanent peace in the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, we urge the international community to make every effort to recover mutual trust.
We also urge those states involved in the six-party talks to develop a concrete roadmap for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and for the normalization of diplomatic relations between North Korea and the USA, and between North Korea and Japan. Particularly, we urge the Korean government to play a key role in those efforts.
We strongly hope and sincerely pray that the current agreement will provide a positive momentum for the international community to resume support for the North Korean people in their extreme need.
Rev. Kwon Young-Jong Chair, Peace and Reunification Committee The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK)
