Korea: Buddhists & Catholics complete peace walk

A Buddhist monk and two Catholic priests have concluded a 400-kilometer pilgrimage to help people cherish life and peace. On June 6, at Imjingak, near the cease-fire line with North Korea, Venerable Sukyung and Fathers Paul Moon Kyu-hyon and Simon Chun Jong-hun completed the journey they began nine months earlier at Jirisan, a mountain in the south.

During their ochetuji pilgrimage, they prostrated themselves after every three steps they took, and kept silent throughout. The prostration, or ochetuji, is part of Buddhist tradition and involves touching one's elbows, knees and forehead to the ground.

In their statement released on June 6, the pilgrims said they had seen increasing threats to peace and people's living conditions on the Korean peninsular during their journey. "Our democracy has weakened and our lives have become harsher. People are in extreme distress and the peninsular is on the verge of war," they stated.

They also highlighted several conflicts, including one at Yongsan, central Seoul, the site of a fatal protest earlier this year. Five citizens and a police officer were burned to death on Jan. 20 while authorities were evicting tenants from a building slated for redevelopment.

The pilgrims also highlighted the government's planned revision of media laws, its 500 kilometer pan-Korea waterway plan which people fear would damage the environment, inter-religious conflicts and worsening relations with North Korea.

Pilgrims who accompanied the clergy during the pilgrimage shared their views. Father Mark Kim In-kook, from the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice, told UCA News that the pilgrims "showed what religious communities in our society can do for the common good."

He added: "Society looks toward economic profit, which has caused great tragedies in our society. Religions should reverse this trend to secure peace and life."

As many as 10,000 people joined the three clergymen at various points of their journey. However, the pilgrims were unable to attain their original goal of crossing the South Korean border to reach Myohyangsan Mountain in North Korea to pray for peace and reunification on the peninsula.

Though the North Korean government had granted them permission to enter the country, Venerable Jigwan, one of the assisting pilgrimage staff, told UCA News they were unable to obtain permission from the South Korean government. The permission of both governments is required for South Koreans to cross the border.

However, the pilgrims said they would try and attain their original objective at a later date.

Meanwhile, "The Hankyoreh" national daily voiced its appreciation of the pilgrims' efforts in a June 8 editorial.

"The pilgrims have urged us to reflect on social struggles and conflicts," it said. "They have prayed for coexistence between power holders and common people, the haves and have-nots, and between North Korea and South Korea."

The editorial said the pilgrims underlined the urgency of their message by "crawling some 400 kilometers."

The religious leaders took two breaks during their 400-kilometer journey which started on Sept. 4 last year. The first was a one-week break, and the second was a longer break, from Oct. 29, 2008 to March 28, 2009, when freezing weather prevented the pilgrims from continuing with their journey.

In 2003, Father Moon and Venerable Sukyung completed a similar pilgrimage of about 310 kilometers to protest a controversial land reclamation project.