I, I am he who comforts you; why then are you afraid of a mere mortal who must die, a human being who fades like grass?
Isaiah 51:12
Dear members and friends,
I was born in 1970 in Gwangju, South Korea. At the time South Korea was under the regime of Park Chung-hee, who was a military general that seized power by a coup in 1961. To be really honest, I do not have much memory of him simply because he was assassinated in 1979. Upon his death, Koreans wished and talked about finally establishing a democracy in Korea. I did not know what democracy was, but it sounded good, because people seemed to strongly desire it. But this dream was crushed by yet another military general, Chun Doo-hwan, who seized power by another coup in 1980. Chun Doo-hwan was infamous in Korea, especially in Gwangju, because he ordered the deployment of a special force in Gwangju, who fired at civilian protesters. Some say hundreds of civilians were killed on that cruel day of May 18, 1980, but local people say it was closer to 1,000-2,000. To this day, we do not know the exact number of people who were killed!
I remember the doom and hopelessness of the people in Gwangju after Chun became the president of Korea. Some whispered that Chun will send a big army to Gwangju and kill everyone in the city, because even after the massacre of May 18th, the people of Gwangju never stopped protesting against him and his regime. As a child – 11 at the time – I noticed that people were divided. But it was undeniable that there was a strong presence of fear, despair, and hopelessness. It felt like forever while Chun and his successor Roh Tae-woo were ruling Korea. But even together, they ruled for just 12 years. In December 1995 they were arrested, and in August 1996, Chun was sentenced to death and Roh to 22 years in prison.
One thing I remember clearly is that the people of Gwangju never stopped living their lives fully, even during their fearless protests and fearful retreats. They celebrated their significant moments with their friends and family. At times, they would sing and dance together after a day of protest. And when there was no protest, they would return to their home and work, and did their best to keep society going.
My brothers and sisters in God, let us take a good moment of prayer and reflection this week. Let us look into our hearts. If we find fear, let us take a closer look at it and see what is causing such fear, and why.
Blessings, Rev. Junchol Lee
Read more about Rev. Lee’s reflections on the Gwangju massacre here: “Are you free?”