Moon holds luncheon with religious leaders to discuss inter-Korean cooperation

South Korean President Moon Jae-in makes opening remarks at a luncheon with the country’s religious leaders at the Blue House on Feb. 18. (Blue House photo pool)

Orders support for Mt. Kumgang temple stay and Pyongyang cathedral restoration

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Feb. 18 that he predicted “great progress in North Korea’s denuclearization and the normalization of North Korea-US relations” at the upcoming second North Korea-US summit. To prepare for a possible loosening of sanctions against North Korea in the summit’s wake, he also ordered the relevant government ministries to actively support a temple stay effort at Mt. Kumgang’s Singye Temple and a project to restore Pyongyang’s Changchung Cathedral.

On Feb. 18, Moon joined a number of invited leaders from the religious community for lunch at the Blue House, including Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea; Venerable Wonhaeng, president of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism; National Council of Churches in Korea General Secretary Lee Hong-jung; Oh Do-chul, Won-Buddhism executive director of administration; Cheongdogyo Chief Director Lee Jeong-hee, Association of Korean Native Religions President Park Woo-gyun, and Sungkyunkwan President Kim Young-geun.

“We anticipate that concrete and visible implementation of the Singapore Joint Statement [from the first North Korea-US summit] will be able to proceed quickly,” Moon said at the luncheon, which was the first occasion inviting religious leaders to the Blue House since Dec. 2017.

Moon also entreated the religious leaders to make efforts toward unifying the South Korean public ahead of this year’s centennial anniversary of the Mar. 1 Independence Movement.

“Less than a year has passed since the first inter-Korean summit, yet we have made tremendous progress in that time, and I believe that progress will continue going forward,” he said.

“The biggest stumbling block is that while we would be able to break through and withstand any difficulties together if South Koreans were united internally, this has been difficult because of internal divisions within the South,” he continued. “I would like to ask the religious community to play more of a role in terms of unifying the public.”

South Korean President Moon Jae-in makes poses for a commemorative photograph with the country’s religious leaders at the Blue House on Feb. 18. (Blue House photo pool)

He went on to stress, “The country that our ancestors dreamed of was a true democratic republic, a country where all citizens can prosper together and coexist peacefully.” “I sincerely hope to join the people in achieving that dream,” he added.

Moon also instructed related government ministries to examine plans for actively supporting inter-Korean exchange efforts pursued by the religious community. Responding to Ven. Wonhaeng’s proposal concerning the temple stay effort at Singye Temple, he said, “Once inter-Korean economic cooperation starts, tourism at Mt. Kumgang may be the easiest and earliest step to begin implementing.”

“If the Singye temple stay project takes place before tourism at Mt. Kumgang resumes as it once did before, it would hold significance in terms of opening the way toward Mt. Kumgang tourism, so I would like to see support for the Jogye Order to encourage it effectively, as well as support for discussions with the North,” he continued.

Moon went on to say, “I have heard that a simultaneous bell-ringing will be carried out at the nation’s religious facilities at noon on Mar. 1, which I think will be a great form of commemoration.”

“The active participation of religious people will allow the whole nation to more meaningfully commemorate the centennial anniversary,” he added.

Responding to Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joon comments on the need for “restoration of the

cracking walls at Changchung Cathedral, which is Pyongyang’s only Catholic cathedral,” Moon said, “A restoration of Changchung Cathedral would hold great significance in itself, but since it could also be included in the schedule and program for a North Korean visit by the Pope, I hope the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will actively support that.”

In response to Ven. Wonhaeng’s remarks about seeing the sunrise on the seaside of Mt. Kumgang while attending an inter-Korean private exchange event at Mt. Kumgang last week, Moon said, “How wonderful it would be for the people of South and North Korea to see that together.”

“When I visited Heaven Lake on Mt. Paektu, even the North Koreans said [the fine weather] was like a miracle,” he added.

Archbishop Kim also delivered a letter to first lady Kim Jung-sook from the Vatican embassy.

“The Vatican heard that I was invited to lunch, and the Pope and Cardinal [Pietro] Parolin asked me to send their regards,” he explained.

By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [[e-mail]]