Letter asks Bush to maintain stance against invading North Korea

Published: 2005-01-14

SEOUL, South Korea (CNS) -- Religious and civic leaders from South Korea and other countries have asked U.S. President George W. Bush to maintain his stance of not invading North Korea. In a Jan. 10 letter to Bush, 117 people -- including Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, retired archbishop of Seoul -- said that to successfully convince North Korea to halt its nuclear weapons program, the United States should first give formal assurance that North Korea's security will be guaranteed. The letter's signatories were scholars, politicians, and civic and religious leaders from South Korea and 14 other countries in Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. Signers included Korean Christian, Buddhist and Chondogyo leaders. Father Basil Cho Kyu-man, secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, was among them.

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