“Even though the situation between the two Koreas may appear bleak we Christians can-not remain in despair. On the contrary, it is precisely in this age of growing animosity that our prayer can illuminate our time with a greater light.” This is the message the Archbishop of Seoul Peter Chung Soon-taick issued on the occasion of Day of Prayer for Reconciliation and Unity of the Korean people, coinciding with the 73rd anniversary of the be-ginning of the war that led to the painful wound of separation bet-ween Seoul and Pyongyang.
The anniversary falls this year at a time particularly marked by tension. Seoul woke up to news of the launch of 350 more balloons carrying waste from the North to South Korea overnight, in what was the fifth such launch since late last month. About 100 balloons, carrying mostly waste paper and rubbish, landed in the capital and the northern part of Gyeonggi province.
For his part, President Yoon Suk Yeol paid a visit to the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), which called at the naval port in the southeastern city of Busan, ahead of joint exercises between South Korea, the US and Japan that will kick off tomorrow and are aimed at countering the growing threats from North Korea.