기 요한, John Egger

It's cherry blossom season in Seoul! On Saturday I got lost coming home from the supermarket and suddenly found myself walking along a street lined with beautifully tinted trees swaying slightly in the breeze. It won’t last, I’m told. They’ll be here today and gone in a few days. Even this morning I observed little bits of confetti scattering on the sidewalk on my way back from Yonsei University. An incredibly fragile, short-lived miracle; a message. But only if I am willing to pay attention. What is it saying? Let me juxtapose this with the Lenten worship service that I went to last night, hosted by the human rights committee of the National Council of Churches of Korea, which focused on migrants and refugees. It was very moving. Koreans are a deeply religious people: Christians, Buddhists, whatever, but this does not necessarily make them any more open to foreigners than others. In recent years especially, Korea has reached out to welcome foreigners, but in Kore...

Spring comes to Seoul every year around the end of February, and every year for the past one hundred years it has always come with new hope for the independence of Korea—as yet unfulfilled. March 1 is a holiday in Korea. It marks the 3.1 ( samil ) movement for independence, which began on March 1, 1919. Actually, it began on February 8, 1919, with Korean students in Japan issuing a declaration of independence in Tokyo. It spread quickly to every part of Korea. In Seoul, in Tapgol Park, a popular place then as now for people to mull about and enjoy the spring air, on the morning of March 1, hundreds of students gathered together to push for independence. The movement was met by the Japanese authorities with violence and repression. Tapgol Park February 2018, preparing for Samil Jeol Seoul on March 1, 1919 from a photo in a Red Cross pamphlet public domain: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15799coll126/id/5245 We have photos of these events thank...

For the past few months I’ve been focused on learning Korean, first at the Green Language School and now at Yonsei University, so I feel compelled to make a few comments at this point about the frustrations (and joys) of learning this language. First off, let me say something positive. Before the middle of the fifteenth century, Koreans used Chinese characters in their writing, something that was not always a good fit with the Korean language. But thanks to King Sejong, who instituted Hangul in 1446, Koreans have the most logical alphabet in the world with which to express themselves. Without it, learning Korean would be that much harder. So let me start off by saying, thank you, King Sejong! Now for the frustrations. I've been at it for almost four months and i feel like I'm just about as confused now as I was on day one, perhaps even more so. For one thing, there are two words for everything in Korean: one Chinese and one native Korean. This makes for m...

I was sidelined by a really nasty winter cold, but I think I'm over it now. In between sniffles and Korean classes I was able to enjoy Christmas. Here are some photos from the Seoul Christmas festival on Cheonggyecheon stream near Seoul City Hall. And let me try posting this video I made, though I don't guarantee that it will work. On Christmas day I attended a special Christmas worship service at 우리 교회 near my house, which is a congregation that ministers specifically to divorced families. It was very meaningful. Christmas greetings to all, and best wishes for the new year!

The relationship between the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea and the United Church of Canada goes back a long time—even before either church had been institutionally formed, back to 1898, when mission personnel from the Presbyterian Church in Canada first arrived in Korea. And since then the United Church has maintained a continuous presence in Korea through some of the most difficult times in Korean history—the long years of the Japanese occupation, the war years, the military dictatorships and the struggle for democracy. My role here, first of all, is to embody that relationship just by my presence here on the ground, and secondly, to offer my gifts and skills to support the PROK in its ministry here in Korea and beyond. The PROK is very committed to ecumenical partnerships as part of its core identity, working with partners both in Korea and abroad to respond to the needs of the world. This really hit home for me this year when I was attending the pre-asse...