Looking back on Korean peace process: “We are one world, one humanity”

Looking back on Korean peace process: “We are one world, one humanity”

iku

Mon, 09/21/2026 - 18:12

The 2026 International Ecumenical Peace Convocation in Seoul from 9-13 September, jointly organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC), Christian Conference of Asia, and National Council of Churches in Korea, also marked the 40th anniversary of the historic Glion Consultation, a groundbreaking peace gathering convened by the WCC in September 1986 in Switzerland.

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Participants of the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation, taking place in in Seoul, Korea from 9-13 September 2026.

Photo: NCCK

Erich Weingartner, a former WCC staff member, recalled his memories of the consultation.

“ When you reach my age, you tend to rummage through your memories,” he said. “ What were the highlights of my life? What do I consider to be the greatest achievement of my career?”

For Weingartner, it was the Glion Consultation. “ It was not an easy meeting,” he said. “ There were enormous barriers of suspicion and distrust between the two delegations.”

He said what remains embedded in his memory is the celebration of the…