2017: Letter to Mr. Rex Tillerson

THAAD = Terminal High Altitude Area Defense

Anlässlich des Besuchs von Rex Tillerson, Außenminister der USA, in Südkorea hat ihm die DOAM am 15. März 2017 einen Brief geschickt (Kopien an den NCCK und KCF)
Mitte Mai erhielten wir eine Reaktion aus Nordkorea. 
Wir dokumentieren hier beide Schreiben.



Deutsche Ostasienmission e.V., Vogelsangstr. 62, 70197 Stuttgart, E-Mail: doam@ems-online.org

The Honorable Rex Tillerson
Department of State
2201 C St., NW
Washington, DC 20520
U.S.A.

We are aware that you are going to visit South Korea on March 17th/18th 2017. We are writing to you as a German based Christian Organization which has a long standing relationship to churches in South Korea. We have been supporting them in their struggle for human rights, democracy, peace and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula for many decades.

We are writing to you out of deep concern because of the increasing tensions on the Korean peninsula. We are convinced that dialogue is necessary to overcome these tensions. Military exercises and the deployment of new military equipment will increase those tensions further.

Having been in contact with officials from the DPRK and with scholars of North Korean studies we are aware that North Korea is isolated and feels threatened especially by the US. This perceived threat is the main reason why the DPRK is developing nuclear arms and carrying out missile tests. For many years the politics of the South Korean government, the US and the international community has been increasing pressure on the DPRK. To no avail. It’s time to look for alternative and more creative ways.

Therefore in order to bring about détente and open ways for a peaceful future on the Korean peninsula, we ask the new US administration
- to enter into negotiations in order that the armistice from 1953 will be replaced by a peace treaty
- to take bold first steps and to sign a non-aggression pact with the DPRK
- to stop joint military exercises
- to gradually withdraw the US troops from South Korea since South Korea is not any more a poor and a weak country and can take care itself of its own defense.
- to stop the deployment of THAAD which might lead to a new arms race in East Asia.
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We hope that you will take these suggestions into consideration.
We will pray for your visit and will continue to pray for reconciliation and peace on the Korean peninsula.

With kind regards

Carsten Rostalsky

Berlin/Stuttgart. March 15, 2017
The Board of the German East Asia Mission

Hier als pdf


Mr. Lutz Drescher
EFK Coordinator ad interim

Mr. Carsten Rostalsky
The Board of the German East Asia Mission
E-mail: mailto@lutz-drescher.de
          Rostalskykorea@web.de

Dear Mr. Lutz Drescher and Mr. Carsten Rostalsky,
Warm greetings from Pyongyang.
Thanks for a copy of your letter sent to the Secretary of U.S. Department of State.
We highly appreciate that the Board of the German East Asia Mission sent the letter to the US Administration, strongly urging it to withdraw its hostile policy towards DPRK, in response to the letter of our KCF which appealed to conduct the movement for opposing the DPRK-targeted joint military exercises of U.S. and the south Korean authorities.
And we are delighted with the fact that you also distributed to the ecumenical churches a copy of your letter addressed to the Secretary of U.S. Department of State and thus encouraged them to wage the movements against the U.S. hostile policy towards DPRK and the DPRK-targeted joint military exercises, as you did.
We believe that the activities of the ecumenical churches including the EFK member churches for the peace and reunification on the Korean peninsula would be brisk as ever, thanks to the righteous colleagues like you.
We hope you, as a coordinator of EFK, to make positive efforts to further strengthen the movement of the ecumenical churches for supporting Korea’s reunification in the future too, keeping close contact with our KCF.
Sincerely yours in Christ.

Ri Jong Ro
Vice-Chairman
Korean Christian Federation
May 15, 2017

Hier als pdf