Two Koreas hold joint Buddhist mass

Pyongyang, on 15 June to pray for national reunification on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Pyongyang summit of the North and the South and the publication of the "15 June joint declaration".

The mass was attended by office-bearers of the central committee and Pyongyang city committee of the Korean Buddhist Federation, priests and Buddhists in Pyongyang and Buddhists and round Buddhists from South Korea.

A ritual was made which was followed by speeches and then a joint prayer was read out.

The speakers said that they were holding the mass at a time when all the Koreans' zeal for reunification has grown stronger than ever before on the occasion of the anniversary of the historic joint declaration. They called on all Buddhists and round Buddhists to turn out in the struggle to achieve the independent and peaceful reunification of the country, deeply aware of their mission and duty as Koreans responsible for national reunification.

The publication of the joint declaration marked a turning point in ending the history of division and confrontation and ushering in a new era of national reconciliation and unity, they said, reiterating the pledge of Buddhists and round Buddhists in the North and the South to achieve harmony so as to repay the Buddha's love in the idea of "by our nation itself".