Catholics in South Korea are marking 30 years of continuous commitment to
peace on the Korean peninsula, renewing efforts to transform hatred, conflict,
and division into love, reconciliation, and unity—even amid tensions with the
totalitarian regime of North Korea.

At the heart of the Cathedral of Seoul, a powerful symbol now stands on the
main altar: the “Cross for Peace,” handcrafted from barbed wire taken from the
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing North and South Korea. It was before this
cross that the Archdiocese of Seoul commemorated the 30th anniversary of the
Korean Committee of the Archdiocese of Seoul for Reconciliation (KRCAS)
with a special Mass invoking peace and reunification, Fides reported March 22.

“In 1995, fifty years after the division of the country and 45 years after
the Korean War—the year in which Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan officially
expressed his desire to visit North Korea—the Committee for Reconciliation of
our Archdiocese was established,” said Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-Taick of
Seoul, who also serves as Apostolic Administrator of Pyongyang and chairs the
committee.

Since the Korean War (1950-53), bishops in South Korea have been the
apostolic administrators for the three dioceses there. Seoul Archdiocese, which
serves as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Pyongyang, believes
that Catholic activity in North Korea is little more than a display for
foreigners. North Korea’s Pyongyang Diocese only exists on paper.

Since its founding on March 1, 1995, the committee has carried out a range
of initiatives aimed at moral, cultural, and spiritual reconciliation between
the two Koreas. These include educational programs, humanitarian cooperation
with the North, peace research, and weekly prayers for unity. The Eucharist for
the Reconciliation and Unity of Korea has now been celebrated every Tuesday at
Seoul’s Myeongdong Cathedral for 1,457 consecutive weeks.

The Catholic Church in Korea has also
initiated a special novena and Day of Prayer for Reconciliation and National
Unity to foster peace and unity between North and South Korea since the Korean
War armistice. The final day of this special novena, June 25, will be marked by
the Church in South Korea as the Day of Prayer for Reconciliation and National
Unity, when the entire Korean Catholic community unites in special prayer,
seeking true peace between North and South Korea. Although an armistice was
signed at the end of the Korean War, the two Koreas remain technically in a
state of war.

‘Hearts must be changed’

In his homily during the anniversary Mass, attended by more than 400
people—including North Korean refugees—Archbishop Chung acknowledged the bleak
current state of inter-Korean relations.

“The current situation on the Korean peninsula is dominated by the mechanism
of hatred, conflict, and division, rather than love, reconciliation, and
unity,” he said. “Therefore, we must take courage so that we can continue on
our path of national reconciliation and remember our mission for peace in this
country: inter-Korean reconciliation and the evangelization of all people.”

The archbishop also issued a call to action for the committee to build
broader coalitions across Korean society. “Take the initiative and join forces
with other religions, civil society, political circles, as well as other
organizations and members of the Church to walk the path of conversion in both
North and South Korea,” he urged. “We must work so that hearts may be changed.”

The end of Japanese imperial rule (1905-45)
after the Second World War saw Korea divided into two, leading to the deadly
Korean War. The democratic South secured backing from the West, including the
United States, and the communists took over North Korea with backing from China
and Russia. About 24 million people live in communist and atheist North Korea,
which is ruled by Kim Jong-un, the iron-fisted successor of the extraordinarily
strong Kim family.

The apostolic nuncio to Korea, Archbishop Giovanni Gaspari, delivered a message
of support from the Holy See. “Amid the current tensions and conflicts on the
Korean peninsula, your efforts to open a new chapter of reconciliation are more
valuable than ever,” he said. “The Holy See follows these efforts with great
attention and joins in prayer for the peaceful reunification of the Korean
peninsula.”

He added that the Vatican hopes the committee’s work “will bear even richer
fruit in the pursuit of peace and reconciliation, and that through its
activities, the spirit of reconciliation and unity will be further spread.”

Youth pilgrimages and ‘the wind of peace’

The committee’s mission has also taken root among younger generations. Its
affiliated Institute for Peace-Sharing conducts academic and cultural research
and annually organizes a youth pilgrimage called “The Wind of Peace.” Held
along the DMZ, the event encourages young people to become “apostles of peace”
and deepen awareness of Korea’s divided reality.

Grounded in the principles of “transforming hatred into love, discord into
reconciliation, and division into unity,” the Committee for Reconciliation
continues its spiritual and social mission with renewed urgency. “We must not
lose hope. Peace on this peninsula is not just a dream. It is a mission we are
called to live,” Archbishop Chung said.

Last year, from September 29 to
October 1, thousands of young people walked along the border, sending messages
of hope and peace during the pilgrimage, while at the same time encountering
dismantled barbed wire and the sounds of nearby military exercises. 

The Archdiocese of Seoul’s Office for Youth Ministry is focusing
particularly on the Holy Year of 2025 to help young people become “apostles
of peace.” This is significant amid the political tension between North
and South Korea. This past October, North Korea launched an
intercontinental ballistic missile that remained airborne for 86 minutes—its
longest recorded flight—before crashing into the sea off the country’s east
coast. The launch, a clear violation of United Nations sanctions, came amid
deteriorating inter-Korean relations and an escalation in Pyongyang’s hostile
rhetoric toward Seoul. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have reached their
highest level in years, fueled by repeated provocations and retaliatory moves
since January 2024, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared South Korea
the regime’s “primary enemy.”