The second e-bulletin received today (issued 26 June from the embassy in London). The attempted visit by the DPRK delegation coincides with the global week of prayer for North Korea.
U.S. Blasted for Having Blocked DPRK’s Religious Delegation’s Entry into U.S.
Pyongyang, June 22 (KCNA) — The U.S. authorities barred a delegation of the Korean Christian Federation from entering the U.S. to participate in the 217th meeting of the U.S. Presbyterian Church slated for late June at the official invitation of the Church. A spokesman for the KCF Central Committee in a statement issued on June 22 in this regard denounced this as a hostile action against the DPRK and demanded they officially apologize for this.
Recalling that the U.S. authorities prevented the delegation from participating in the meeting by dragging on the matter under an absurd pretext of “agreement” with its security organ, the statement said:
This is not only a rude behavior disregarding an international practice and etiquette but a sort of suppression of religion as it openly restricted and persecuted the legitimate religious activities of the Korean Christian Federation and the Christian organization of the U.S.
They took this action afraid of the fact that in case the truth about the free religious activities of the Christians in the DPRK is known to the U.S. and other parts of the world it might bring to daylight the sheer hypocrisy of their loudmouthed “religious and human rights issues” in the DPRK.
We bitterly denounce the recent action taken by the U.S. authorities as a grave infringement upon the free religious life and rights of the Christians and an inhumane behavior contrary to the elementary international practice and etiquette and strongly demand they officially apologize for this.
We will as always pursue close exchange and cooperation with the U.S. Presbyterian Church and all other Christian organizations of various countries in the positive efforts to build a peaceful and just, new world and thus fulfill our mission as Christians.
The C.C., Korean Christian Federation avails itself of this opportunity to express expectation that Christian organizations and Christians of all countries will never overlook the U.S. authorities’ high-handed and arbitrary practices of wantonly violating even the elementary human rights and activities in a bid to realize their wild ambition for domination but decisively frustrate them and thus carry out their missionary work as men standing for justice and peace.