Pilgrims feel the pain of division on the Korean Peninsula

This experience not only took me to a new country but forever laid that country and its peace process and struggle for peace on my heart and will now forever be a part of my call in this world.

Maggie Taylor, Mountain Sky Conference

ATLANTA – The Young Adult Pilgrimage of Peace (YAPP), June 23-28, took place in South Korea this year, hosted by the Korean Methodist Church (KMC) in collaboration with The United Methodist Church through the General Board of Global Ministries and the World Methodist Council (WMC). This kind of pilgrimage, journeyed by many in ecumenical circles, helps Christians understand their role in strengthening peacebuilding efforts on the Korean Peninsula and globally.

This Methodist-sponsored itinerary included visits to Kwangju, 5.18 Memorial Park, Daejeon Gollyeonggol, Paju DMZ, and the Yanghwajin Missionary Cemetery as witness to the devastation caused by warfare and political tensions that have persisted for 75 years between North and South on the Korean Peninsula.

The delegation included nine UMC seminarians and three young adult Methodist delegates of the WMC Young Adult Committee, one young adult from the Korean American UMC, and 10 young adults from the KMC.

Many who take this journey are surprised to learn that the Korean War has not technically ended, as the armistice signed in 1953 was not a permanent peace treaty between North and South Korea, China and the United Nations. The armistice left the country divided at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South.

The sites visited by the pilgrims were not easy to take in and understand. On June 25, which marked the 75th anniversary of the Korean War’s outbreak, the pilgrims visited Gollyeonggol Peace Park in Daejeon, the site of one of the largest civilian massacres at the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950.

“The quiet hills seemed to sing a buried truth and silenced grief,” wrote Adrian Mendoza in a reflection. Mendoza participated as a seminarian from Drew Theological School in New Jersey. He is from the Philippines and spent two years in Zambia as a Global Mission Fellow, Global Ministries’ young adult missionary program.

“I listened not only to the people living and surviving from the constant attempts to bury and erase them and the (hi)story that they carry, but to the land itself,” Mendoza continued. “The trees, the soil, and the wind seemed to carry memories of violence long buried…When the daughter of a victim spoke to us, I had an epiphany that we were not just there to hear her story. We were called to carry it, so that her unburied hope of the full truth being unearthed would one day come, even if not in her lifetime.”

Seongjin Hong, a participant from United Theological Seminary in Ohio from South Korea, mentioned Gwangju Memorial Park, a memorial to those who gave their lives during the Gwangju Democratization Movement of May 1980: “While standing there, we engaged in a group discussion about the true meaning of peace. One key realization was that peace is not passive – it often requires struggle and even sacrifice to overcome injustice. This site reminded us that peace is more than the absence of conflict; it is an active commitment to justice, truth and dignity for all people.”

Global Ministries recently intensified its focus on peace with justice ministries and has committed support for additional pilgrimages into places where people struggle with oppression, civil conflict and the effects of unresolved wars. In May 2025, Global Ministries, with the Methodist Church in Britain, the World Council of Churches, and the Methodist Liaison Office in Jerusalem and the WCC Jerusalem Liaison Office, offered pilgrim participants a unique opportunity to engage deeply with the sacred heritage of the Holy Land while gaining insight into the challenges faced by its people, particularly the Palestinian Christian community.

Roland Fernandes, Global Ministries’ general secretary, expressed his gratefulness and support for this method of ecumenical peacebuilding: “The Young Adult Pilgrimage of Peace (YAPP) reminds us that this legacy isn’t just history; it’s a call to the future. As the Methodist family, we commit to walking together on this path of reconciliation, raising our voices for peace in Korea, Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and for justice wherever hope is needed around the world. And with each future YAPP pilgrimage, we will continue to grow this movement, inviting more young people to join in, to listen, to learn, and to lead with courage and compassion.”

Katie Paul, a young adult participant from the Oklahoma Conference is a witness to the transformative power of this kind of experience: “This pilgrimage changed me. It taught me that peace begins not just in policy or protest – but in presence. It begins when we show up, listen deeply and allow ourselves to be transformed by the stories of others.”

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR.

Young Adult Pilgrimage of Peace
YAPP continues to invite young people to walk with communities facing oppression and injustice, listening deeply and being transformed by their stories of resilience, hope, and faith. Global Ministries will host another YAPP pilgrimage in 2026, giving participants the opportunity to witness, learn, and reaffirm a shared commitment to peace with justice.