WCC News: WCC invites all to join Prayer for Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula

The World Council of Churches invites all member churches and people of good will to join in a Prayer for the Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 31 July 2026 Each year, Christians are invited to join this prayer, prepared by the National Council of Churches in Korea. The prayer is traditionally used close to 15 August, celebrated as Liberation Day in both North and South Korea, marking the date in 1945 when Korea won independence from Japanese colonial oppression, yet ironically it also was the day when the peninsula was divided into two countries. This year, the National Council of Churches in Korea will incorporate the prayer in the closing service of an International Ecumenical Peace Convocation on 13 September, gathering with international partners in Seoul. Churches are encouraged to translate this prayer into their national languages and share it with their congregations. “Divided through the violence of imperialism, this land has long been marked by distrust and hostility,” the prayer reads. “Bring an end to war and lead us toward a peace agreement.” 2026 Prayer for the Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland