Dr. Kang Won Yong to receive the 17th Niwano Peace Prize Tokyo, Feb. 21/KYODO JBN-AsiaNet/--The Niwano Peace Foundation (Nichiko Niwano, president, and Motoyuki Naganuma, chairman) officially announced that it has decided to award the 17th Niwano Peace Prize to the South Korean Christian leader Dr. Kang Won Yong, 82. This decision was reached after careful deliberation by a screening committee of seven members representing the Buddhist, Christian, and Islamic faiths who chose from nominations offered by 1,000 recognized authorities in 125 different countries. The presentation ceremony will take place at The Century Hyatt Tokyo (phone: 81-3-3349-0111), Shinjuku-ku in Tokyo, at 10.30 a.m. on May 12. Dr. Kang will be awarded a certificate as a main prize, and a gold medal and a list of 20 million yen as subsidiary prizes. He will deliver a commemorative address following the presentation ceremony. Dr. Kang is not only one of South Korea's most distinguished religious leaders, but has also been at the forefront of activities to promote international interfaith dialogue. High expectations for Dr. Kang's ability to promote dialogue among the world's different religions led to his being chosen for the post of the moderator of the Asian Conference on Religions and Peace and as a president of the International Committee of the World Conference on Religion and Peace. Equally important to Dr. Kang has been his deep concern for social justice in South Korea. In the 1970s when the country was ruled by a military regime, he led movements for human rights and democracy and was a representative member of the National Conference for the Recovery of Democracy. He promoted several hundred dialogues with the military leaders for a return to democratic processes and rallied support throughout South Korea for social justice, human rights, and environmental protection. Dr. Kang's activities extended even further, to encompass efforts for the reunification of North and South Korea, reconciliation in labor disputes, freedom of speech, and educational programs. His arrest in 1979 by the KCIA for allegedly subversive activities only served to highlight his influence. In bestowing the 17th Niwano Peace Prize upon him, the Foundation wishes to express its high esteem for his contributions to peace and religious cooperation, to commend his numerous achievements to date, and to encourage others to follow in his footsteps. Contact: Shinichi Noguchi/Niwano Peace Foundation, Shamvilla Catherina 5F, 1-16-9 Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Phone: 81-3-3226-4371 Fax: 81-3-3226-1835 SOURCE: The Niwano Peace Foundation