The Korea Religions Association held their 2nd religious peace charter seminar on the roles religions play in the peaceful unification of the Korean peninsula in meeting room 1 of the National Assembly Members’ Office Building on the morning of August 17.

The seminar was held to commemorate the 4^th anniversary of Seonghwa (ascension) of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the founder of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. It was attended by 120 leaders from different denominations and walks of life, including President Kyeung-Seuk Ryu of FFWPU and the Korea Religions Association, President Tae-Ik Jung of the Korean Council on Foreign Relations, Yeong-Gil Choi, Chairman of the Korea Muslim Federation, Hang-Rae Lee, Elder Imam of the Korea Muslim Federation, Won-Wu Lee, Secretary Director of Korea Chollikyo, Chief Director Wuk Kim of Daesoonjinrihoe, Chairman Dong-Whan Kim and Chief Director Seung-Yun Lee of the Korea Youth Buddhist Association, President Bu-Hui Im of the Korea Council of Religious Women, Yun-Ki Choi, Chairman of Tongil Group and Sun-Jo Hwang, the president of Sun Moon University.

The seminar began with a welcoming speech by Kyeung-Seuk Ryu, President of the Korea Religions Association, followed by the recitation of a congratulatory poem for unification, the keynote speech by Tae-Ik Jung, President of Korean Council on Foreign Relations and the presentations by representatives of Buddhism, Catholicism, Daesoonjinrihoe and FFWPU.

In his welcoming speech, President Kyeung-Seuk Ryu said, “I think of this moment as a very meaningful one because the religious people on the Korean peninsula, the last divided region left in the world, have gathered together to share their wisdom for the reconciliation and peaceful unification between the two Koreas, and discuss the duties all religious people of this age must take on.” He added, “The ultimate ideal of all religions is the realization of a peaceful world. Therefore, all religious people, before anyone else, must lead others to achieve the peaceful unification of the Korean peninsula and achieve peaceful coexistence in Northeast Asia. This is the teaching of the holy men who founded our religions, as well as the responsibility of all religious people living in our age.

In particular, president Ryu recalled a story from December 6, 1991, when our founder, Rev. Sun Myung Moon visited North Korea and met Premier Kim Il-Sung in the premier’s official residence in Majeon, Heungnam, and said, “All problems can be solved if we open our hearts and communicate with earnest desire and sincere thoughts towards peace. In that sense, it is my wish that the religious insights and wisdom of each denomination’s representative scholars will be able to reach the leading class of Korean society, and further reach the North Korean authorities, thus providing the chance to overcome the intense ongoing conflict.”