On behalf of Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the U.S. and Canada and the United Church of Christ in the U.S., we offer our prayers and support to the churches and people of South Korea at this uncertain time. We were deeply concerned when South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol surprisingly declared Martial Law on December 3. However short-lived, President Yoon’s initiative to seize government control to use against political opponents was widely regarded as a self-serving act that threatened the entire nation with fear and instability.
We recall South Korea’s profound and too-recent history of Martial Law and the Gwangju Massacre in 1980, when hundreds of protesting civilians were killed by government forces under General Chun Doo-hwan. President Yoon’s rash and futile act this week surely evoked anxious memories of those violent days for many South Koreans.
Just as they did during earlier periods of dictatorships, South Korean Churches and their faithful members have shown bold witness in defense of the rights and dignities of the Korean people. Our partners, the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea and the National Council of Churches in Korea, have been persistent voices for peace and justice in the face of political threats. We support church partners who pressed lawmakers in the National Assembly to vote to rescind President Yoon’s Declaration of Martial Law and who are now calling for his removal from office.
We join the ecumenical community worldwide in our commitment to stand with church partners and the people of South Korea as they move beyond this turbulent moment and continue to call political leaders to moral and wise leadership. We remain steadfast in our prayers for all in South Korea. May God grant hope and healing to all who seek the peace with justice promised in Christ.
Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson
General Minister and President/CEO
United Church of Christ
Rev. Shari Prestemon
Acting Associate General Minister, UCC
Co-Executive, Global Ministries
Rev. Teresa Hord Owens
General Minister & President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Rev. Dr. La Marco Cable
President and CEO, Disciples Overseas Ministries, CC (DOC)
Co-Executive, Global Ministries