THE KUKMIN DAILY

On the morning of November 3, the heads of the member denominations of the National Council of Churches in Korea held a press conference (photo) at Dalgaebi Conference House in Jung-gu, Seoul, and issued an emergency declaration on the national situation demanding that President Park Geun-hye assume legal responsibility for the turmoil caused by Choi Sun-shil’s tight hold on state affairs.

In the declaration, titled “Our Bitter Counsel to the President,” they demanded that the President herself take direct responsibility for the turmoil aroused by the Choi Sun-shil scandal, rather than trying to shift the blame onto the Cabinet, political parties, pro-Park elements, the Blue House secretariat, Choi Sun-shil’s family members, or others.

“Jesus rebuked the political and religious leaders of his time, expressing his anger. He did this because they had misused their power,” the denomination heads said. “Jesus loved Jerusalem and wanted to protect it, for which he was put to death on the cross. We feel as if we ourselves are under a death sentence, as we give the President this last chance. (She should) Take responsibility and receive judgment.”

The declaration continued, “We repent that the church, which should have played a prophetic role to sternly criticize such wrongdoings, in fact did the opposite: looking after its own safety, the church sided with power and assumed a servile assistant’s role, but at enormous cost.”

The church leaders who participated in the emergency declaration were as follows: NCCK President Lee Dong-chun, NCCK General Secretary Kim Young-ju, Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap) Moderator Lee Seong-hui, Korean Methodist Church Bishops’ Council President Jeon Myeong-gu, Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea Moderator Gweon O-ryun, Salvation Army of Korea Territorial Commander Kim Pil-su, Anglican Church of Korea Archbishop Kim Geun-sang, Korea Evangelical Church Moderator Lee Dong-chun, Assembly of God Korea Moderator Oh Hwang-dong, and Lutheran Church in Korea Moderator Kim Cheol-hwan.

Reporter Lee Saya (Isaiah@kmib.co.kr), with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)
Photo by senior reporter Kang Min Seok


Full Story in Korean:
그 누구도 아닌 대통령이 책임져라! NCCK 회원 교단장 시국선언