Conclusion
Rethinking human security in the Korean Peninsula is not a mere academic excercise. It is an existential imperative that has been thrust upon us. The hermenutical lenses of Just Peace, oppression and structural sin capture contextual meanings of Christian faith. The notion of Just Peace reflects an increasing awarness about alternative ways of thinking and bringing about human security. Human insecurity arises out of breaking of relationships under structures of oppression. Therefore, building peace and justice are inseparable from each other. WCC has redefined its mission mandate, taking a radical turn away from the colonial legacy of proselytising and justifying wars as well as disengaged pacificism. Building right relationships is the central mission of the churches.[1] In rethinking human decurity discourse in non-Western and post-secular ways the work of NCCK and KCF are testimony to the practice of Just Peace in the Korean Peninsula. They resist the construction North Korea vs. the rest. Instead they see the conflict as a result of oppressive structures imposed on nations and peoples. They see the interconnectedness of the North and South. In these collective efforts, faith can be interpreted as a language that resists an oppressive international order and envisions reunification of the North and South on the basis of national sovereignty of the Korean people. An alternative way to secure lives in the peninsula is not wishful thinking, but an available path, which has been walked by many Koreans, both in the North and South. To that end we need altenative languages of human security. The Christian language is only one amongst many others.
[1] World Council of Churches, Just Peace Companion, p. 97.
Author
Jude Lal Fernando collaborates with the Intercultural and Interreligious Theory Project in the Irish School of Ecumenics at Trinity College Dublin (Ireland). He has to his credit publications on religion and politics in conflict situations.
Address: Irish School of ecumenics, ISE/Loyola Building, College Green, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland.