With the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol expected to be announced sometime this month, the Christian Council of Korea (Co-chair Bishop Lee Yong-hoon (President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea), Secretary General Kim Jong-saeng) emphasized that “the decision of the Constitutional Court must be accepted by the political, civil, and religious circles,” and that “we must pool our wisdom and strength to make our society a democratic structure so that events like the December 3 martial law do not happen again.”
The Christian Council of Korea, which consists of various denominations, including Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox Christians for Christian unity, issued a joint statement on the Constitutional Court’s impeachment trial on the 18th under the theme, “Plow up your fallow ground. Do not sow among thorns” (Jeremiah 4:3). In the statement, the Christian Council of Korea expressed its hope for an end to political division and hatred and the spring of democracy.
The Faith and Ministry Association said, “The calling of all Christians sent to this land is to become the light and salt of the world with the power of the gospel,” and “The church has the task of exploring the signs of the times and interpreting them with the light of the gospel.” It continued, “Korean Christians felt the vulnerability of democracy in the unconstitutional and illegal situation,” but explained, “We learned that democracy can be rebuilt with the firm will and resolute action of awakened citizens.”
However, it was pointed out that the situation was still ongoing. The Faith and Ministry Association criticized, “The people have not yet escaped the night of martial law, but President Yoon is consistently telling lies rather than apologizing to the people,” and “The extreme right has invaded the judiciary, and a significant number of the ruling party is also trying to undermine the authority of the Constitutional Court.” It continued, “Politics is holding back the status of Korean culture,” and emphasized, “The starting point for restoring the people’s daily lives and raising our status in the international community is the impeachment of President Yoon.”
While saying, “As Christians, what is shameful is that some Christian groups belong to the extreme right,” and “They are using Christian symbols and language for hate, not love. Civil society’s distrust of the Korean church is growing,” they expressed concern. The Faith and Ministry Association said, “The church is one universal church,” and “the mistakes of some in the church are the responsibility of the entire church.” They continued, “We confess the mistakes of extremist Christians as the mistakes of all of us and repent,” and “We appeal to our brothers and sisters to return to the path of justice and love.”
In addition, the Faith and Ministry Association appealed, “Korean society and the church must accept the Constitutional Court's decision on impeachment, △ achieve harmony in the community after the Constitutional Court’s decision, and △ oppose repetitive acts that cause hatred and social division.”
