More than 70 years have passed since an armistice agreement signed by the United States, China, and North Korea formally ceased hostilities between North and South Korea. The agreement provided a definitive end to the fighting, allowed for a drawback of military forces, and established a demilitarized zone to buffer the North and South as a strategy to help prevent incidents which could lead to the resumption of the Korean war. What the armistice did not do was officially end the war, as no peace treaty between the two nations has ever been signed.
As travel restrictions begin to loosen worldwide and churches start thinking about long- and short-term mission trips, a group of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission leaders, World Mission staff and mission co-workers joined together on Zoom Wednesday night to talk about how to be thoughtful travelers when visiting global partners in the aftermath of the pandemic.
The Rev. Dr. Jean Kim, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastor who founded 15 programs to support people experiencing homelessness, died in Everett, Washington, on July 3 at age 86.
June 10 marked the anniversary of the start of protests for democracy that swept across the Republic of Korea in 1987.
This year on June 10, the Korean government recognized 29 people who made notable contributions to advancing democracy in Korea. Among them was the late Rev. Dr. George Edward Todd, who was awarded a Civil Merit Medal by the Republic of Korea (ROK). There were only two other awardees who were not Korean nationals.
More than 894 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in 155 countries, about 5.9% of the global population, including 209 million doses in the U.S., according to Bloomberg News. But the availability of vaccine varies greatly around the world, with smaller countries finding themselves a distant priority.
A Tuesday statement signed by 110 U.S. organizations and more than 200 international groups calls on the Biden administration to suspend annual combined military exercises with South Korea in order to restart diplomacy with North Korea.
The United States leads the world in COVID-19 numbers, with 852,610 cases and 48,295 deaths. South Korea, once a hot spot, has 10,702 cases and 240 deaths. Hong Kong has 1,036 cases and 4 deaths and Taiwan has 427 cases and 6 deaths.
Living in intentional Christian community has been looking different for Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs) in South Korea. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s two Korea YAVs — Susannah Stubbs and Amanda Kirkscey — have lived in a school dormitory and a church guest house instead of the previous site model where they lived together, next door to the YAV site coordinator.
Living in intentional Christian community looks different this year for Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs) in South Korea. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s two Korea YAVs — Susannah Stubbs and Amanda Kirkscey — are living in a school dormitory and a church guest house instead of the previous site model where they lived together, next door to the YAV site coordinator.
When many South Koreans think of their neighbors to the north, the phrases that come to mind are not so neighborly: “horned monsters” or “a demon to be removed,” writes the Rev. Moon-Sook Lee, who has held several ecumenical and Presbyterian posts in South Korea over the past three decades.
