THE KUKMIN DAILY

As the “Me Too” (#metoo) movement spreads rapidly through legal, literary, and theatrical circles, Korean church circles also are raising their voices for the uprooting of sexual violence, by strengthening weak prevention measures and fortifying punishment systems.

On February 19∼20, the Domestic Mission Division of the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK - Tonghap) opened the “Leaders Program for Prevention of Sexual Violence in the Church” at the PCK Tonghap Women’s Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Pastors and lay leaders recommended by PCK Tonghap’s 67 presbyteries or currently working at organizations affiliated with the general assembly, attended the program.

In his lecture “Understanding the need for education to prevent sexual violence in the church,” Prof. Hong In-jong (Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary) warned, “We need to be aware that Satan continues to interfere with God’s work and uses sex to destroy the church and particularly pastors.”

Hong said, “Listening to believers’ problems and distress and providing counselling are part of pastoral ministry,” but warned, “Mistakes may happen when the pastor sympathizes or intervenes too much, which could lead to sexual intimacy with the client.” He added, “Especially when doing pastoral counselling in a one-to-one setting, make your location known and carry out the counselling in an open and protected place.”

Rev. Hong Bo-yeon (Methodist Women’s Leadership Institute) pointed out that the lack of integrated, strict measures has led to increased sexual violence and damage. Currently no major Korean church denomination specifies that sexual crime is subject to punishment. In her lecture “Preventing and overcoming sexual violence in the church,” Rev. Hong explained, “Women ministers and believers have been urging their denominations, including PCK Tonghap, Korean Methodist Church, and Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK), to legislate a special act against sexual violence, but their appeal has not been accepted.”

The situation contrasts with churches overseas. The United Methodist Church (UMC in USA), Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD, Germany), and United Church of Canada (UCC, Canada) are examples of church denominations that have taken the initiative by operating agencies that receive reports on sexual crimes and damage and accept counseling requests. The denominations provide detailed information on measures and processes to support victim rescue. They dismiss or excommunicate pastors who commit sexual crimes.

Hong said, “Pastors who perpetrate sexual violence and crime are taking advantage of their superior status. The constitution of each church denomination should clearly provide for preventive education against sexual violence, and should require punishment according to social law along with strict sanctions such as expulsion… Detailed manuals to protect victims must be made and distributed among the churches in a way that the manuals can actually be used.”

In his lecture “Sexual culture in Korean society and wholesome sex in the church,” Rev. Baek Gwang-hun (Center for Cultural Communication, speaker in photo) said, “In order to restore their authority, pastors must be equipped with much higher morality than the general public. Each presbytery should set up a committee on sexual ethics, and theological education institutes should include in their curricula contents on sexual ethics and general assembly policies related to sexual misconduct. Further, the general assembly should monitor for sexual misconduct.”

PCK Tonghap plans to issue a certificate to those who complete the Leaders Program for Prevention of Sexual Violence in the Church, and to carry out education in all presbyteries and local churches for the prevention of sexual violence.

Christian civil organizations requested the government to establish measures for the eradication of the sexual violence culture. Korea YWCA (president: Han Yeong-su) said in a recent statement, “We urge the government to conduct a complete investigation of sexual violence within the Prosecutor’s Office, which has sparked the Me Too movement in Korea, and to uproot the culture within civilian corporations that turns women into sexual or entertainment objects.” In addition, YWCA requested the government to carry out heavy punishment of sexual violence perpetrators and corporations that permit sexual violence, to make it clear that sexual violence and the violence of objectification will not be tolerated.

Reporter Lee Saya (Isaiah@kmib.co.kr), with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)
Photo by senior reporter Kang Min Seok


Original Article in Korean:
교회가 ‘미투’ 태풍 겪지 않으려면: “성폭력 예방대책·처벌제도 보완” 교계 내에서도 목소리 커져