Progressive protestant group leader talks about tasks invloving social issues

Progressive protestant group leader talks about tasks invloving social issues. January. 07, 2015 07:14. .

“We can classify Korea’s democratization process into the eras, before and after the Gwangju Democratization Movement. The Sewol ferry tragedy is another yardstick that indicates the current situation of the Republic of Korea. The tragedy completely revealed the real face of our society that is focused on money and interest rather than people.”

Secretary Kim Young-joo of the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), a coalition of progressive protestant church associations, said at a press meeting on Tuesday, “There were many confusions and conflict about the role of church after the Sewol tragedy,” adding, “I will step up efforts to establish theology that is demanded by churches of our era.”

The association plans to conduct a project to discover and compile the history in Korea on the occasion of its 100th anniversary in 2024, while presenting reform tasks to the Korean church ahead of the 2017, the 500th anniversary of religious reform by Martin Luther.”

Kim also announced a plan to promote exchange between churches in South Korea and North Korea and settle peace on the peninsular. “To discuss about the convening of a ‘large scale international council meeting to achieve peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula,’ which was discussed at the World Council of Churches (WCC) last year, I will visit North Korea with the council officials around March,” he said. “Apart from this, steps are being taken to set up a visit by officials of Christian denominations in Korea.”

Commenting on conflict among certain denominations that erupted in the process of renewal of his term as the secretary last year, he displayed a humble stance. “Such results came out due to my lack of ability and qualification. I will respect people with a humble mindset to crawl for Christian denominations in Korea," Kim said.

Kim also suggested peace and realization of social justice as the association’s major tasks. “I will exert efforts to help resolve the issue over laid-off Ssangyong Motor workers smoothly and satisfactorily,” he said. “Church should make contributions to changing the social structure, in which non-regular workers are generated en masse.”