Christian leaders from two Koreas to meet in Hong Kong

SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- North Korean Christian leaders will attend an
international church meeting in Hong Kong next week and hold bilateral talks with
South Korean participants to discuss ways of cooperation, a South Korean group
said Friday.
The meeting takes place amid North Korea's efforts to reach out to South Korea
and other regional powers to patch up relations strained by its nuclear and
missile tests earlier this year.
The National Council of Churches in Korea, a Seoul-based umbrella organization,
said its leaders will meet with their North Korean counterparts from the Korean
Christian Federation on the sidelines of the Oct. 21-23 meeting in Hong Kong. The
international event aimed at promoting reunification of the Korean Peninsula is
hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC), an ecumenical Christian
organization.
"We are going to discuss various ways of expanding exchanges between the
Christian communities of the South and the North," an official at the South
Korean council said.
Ahead of the event, WCC's leaders will visit North Korea from Saturday through
Tuesday. The delegation, led by the council's general secretary, Rev. Samuel
Kobia, will meet with government officials and participate in a worship service
at Pongsu Church in Pyongyang, the world council said on its Web site.
The visit may involve humanitarian aid to the North, it said, adding the WCC has
been supportive of the North Korean churches' social welfare operations.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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