SEOUL (UCAN) -- Members of Caritas Internationalis (CI) have reaffirmed their commitment to provide humanitarian aid to North Korea despite the North's nuclear tests and a global economic crisis.

 

Speaking with reporters on June 22, Father Michael Lee Chang-jun said many people might be tempted to forget the suffering and hunger in North Korea because of its recent nuclear and missile tests.

 

"Caritas Internationalis wants to remind members of the international community what the reality of the North Korean people still is," continued the national director of Caritas Corea, the local CI member.

 

Speaking a week after the "CI-Korea Country Group Meeting," held in Beijing, he revealed the meeting statement. CI secretary general Lesley-Anne Knight attended the meeting with Father Lee and CI representatives from Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea and the United States.

 

Calling on North Korea to cease its development of nuclear arms and weapons of mass destruction the 15 CI members advocated a peaceful solution in the spirit of Christian reconciliation. They rejected any armed intervention that could cause further human suffering.

 

Reporting that the majority of North Koreans, especially children, pregnant women and the elderly, remain vulnerable to malnutrition and related health problems, CI confirmed that it would continue to mobilize support with its partners to help the North Korean people.

 

This humanitarian aid is a key strategy and the most appropriate way "to find solutions and open new perspectives for development," the statement affirms.

 

Wolfgang Gerstner, consultant to Caritas Corea, told UCA News after the press conference that building a network among people and groups already working in North Korea is crucial in helping vulnerable members of the population.

 

"If you have a contact or know a person or group there, that means you create another possibility to help the people."

 

He also explained that the purpose of the meeting statement was to remind the Church and society in South Korea and the international community at large that many North Korean people are still suffering.

 

"We need not only to look at nuclear tests or Kim Jong-il's successor, but recognize humanitarian efforts are constantly needed," Gerstner said.

 

According to him, CI has worked with Benedictine priests in the northern part of North Korea, the Eugene Bell Foundation in Hamkyeong-do province, and the Italian Development Cooperation and many other groups across the country.