Communication can lead to change, says South Korean ecumenist

[Martin_Gnanadason Daphne <Daphne.Martin_Gnanadason@wcrc.ch>]

>World Communion of Reformed Churches
>News Release
>25 May 2012

Communication can lead to change, says South Korean ecumenist

Byun Chang-bae knows a persuasive message can change minds. In 1980, Byun,  a 
Buddhist student of philosophy, encountered young South Korean Christians  
calling for a return to democracy following the assassination of the dicta tor, 
Park Chung-hee.

“I had been working for the very government these Christian students were  
criticizing,” Byun recalls. “At first I argued with them. Then I began  to see 
that they were right to be demanding democracy.”

Byun joined the Christian student group, working with them for eight years  to 
spread the call for democracy via banners, posters, newsletters and stat 
ements, all produced clandestinely as the government controlled the media a nd 
had clamped down on dissent. During that time, he converted to Christian ity 
and joined the ecumenical youth movement of Presbyterian Church of Kore a, a 
member church of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.

“It seemed impossible that such a small protest movement could make a dif 
ference,” Byun says. “But in 1987, democracy began when there were free  
elections.”

However, as student protestors in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East ar e 
learning today, Byun soon saw that democracy and change do not come quick ly in 
the wake of the overthrow of a repressive regime. Disappointed by ele ction 
results which saw Roh Tae-Woo, a close associate of the deposed Korea n 
dictator Chun Doo-Hwan, come to power, Byun resigned as an ecumenical you th 
leader.

Byun went on to be ordained into the Presbyterian church. Today, the son of  
refugees from North Korea finds hope for the Korean peninsula in the peace  
initiatives of the ecumenical church movement. He cites the example of dis 
cussions currently underway between the National Council of Churches of Kor ea 
and the governments of North and South about a proposal to sign a peace  treaty 
in 2013, the 60th anniversary of the ceasefire agreement that marked  the end 
of the Korean War.

Byun told his story during a consultation about models of effective communi 
cation for churches that is underway this week in Busan, South Korea. Commu 
nication specialists and staff from the World Communion of Reformed Churche s, 
World Council of Churches, World Association for Christian Communication  and 
Korean Christian journalists have gathered to draft a statement encour aging 
churches to use contemporary media approaches to advocate for peace,  justice 
and protection of the environment.

The statement will be proposed for discussion at the assembly of the World  
Council of Churches to be held in Busan from 30 October to 8 November 2013.  
Byun is serving as a resource person to the consultation initiated by the  
Korean Local Committee for the WCC assembly.

WCRC represents 80 million Christians in 108 countries. Its member churches  
are active worldwide in initiatives supporting economic, climate and gende r 
justice, mission, and cooperation among Christians of different tradition s.

>Kristine Greenaway
>Office of Communications
>Email: kgr@wcrc.ch<mailto:kgr@wcrc.ch
>tel: +41 (0)22 791 62 43; fax: +41 (0)22 791 65 05
>www.wcrc.ch<http://www.wcrc.ch/