International Christian Partnership and Reunification in South Korea

Abstract

From declarations on the need for reunification to meetings between Christians from North and South Korea, the 1980s and early-1990s was a period of vigorous attempts by Korean Christians to foster reunification of the peninsula. The existing literature has valorized the efforts of South Korean churches at the expense of downplaying the influence of intentional Christian organizations like the World Council of Churches (WCC) in engaging North Korean churches on the topic of reunification. In contrast, this presentation highlights the close partnership that existed between the WCC and domestic South Korean Christian organizations in creating a space to discuss reunification on the peninsula during the 1980s, and demonstrates how this partnership was a response to growing North Korean engagement of Western religious organizations during the 1970s and early-1980s.