Korea welcomes the 10th Assembly of the WCC
2013-10-28 14:34
“Eoseo Oshibshio, 어서 오십시오” This is Korean for “Welcome with pleasure.” It is literally saying “come quickly,” which shows the utmost hospitable and welcoming heart of Koreans when hosting guests. With this heart, we welcome every one of you who comes to Busan for the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches.
I hope that you had a pleasant and safe journey to Korea. Busan is a city where contact between Korea and the rest of the world has been taking place. It was through Busan that missionaries came to Korea in 19th century. Busan is also a historic city in terms of the political development of Korean society. During the Korean War (1950-1953), the South Korean government momentarily took refuge in Busan, and in 1960 and 1979 students and people in Busan sparked democratization movements against dictatorships.
The Korean churches who are involved in the Korean Host Committee have been preparing to host the WCC Assembly with the utmost hospitable and cooperative spirit. Both the Korea government and City of Busan have been so cooperative in supporting the process of the Assembly. Numerous people have been working over the last four years and now the time has come to celebrate together. It is our prayer and strong hope that the Busan Assembly would be a historic and significant assembly, proclaiming a message of life, justice, peace, and hope to the world including churches in this time of history.
I hope that during your stay in Busan and Korea you enjoy the comfort, the Korean culture, and in particular, the Korean food which is regarded as a slow and healthy food. Generally speaking, Koreans are kind and friendly to foreign guests, therefore, I also encourage you to enjoy fellowship and friendship with the Koreans you might meet during your stay.
Once again, from bottom of my heart, I welcome you to Busan. Eoseo Oshibshio!
Rev. Dr. Kim Sam-whan (Moderator of the Korean Host Committee for WCC 10th Assembly)